Bridal Armor by Debra Webb Read Free Book Online

number. Then she remembered Thomas had tossed her phone into the fiery remains of the SUV.
    The blizzard seemed warm in comparison to the sudden chill seeping into her bones.
    She pulled a change of clothing out of the duffel, but her mind was on the money and how anyone had slipped it into her car. She jumped when Thomas opened the driver’s door.
    “I’m finished,” he said, that frown still tugging at his brow.
    “That was quick,” she said with a smile that did nothing to ease his expression. The man was too observant for his own good.
    “It was a relatively easy fix.” He held up the gas can. “I’ll go pump a couple of gallons into the container and we’ll see if it holds up. Are you okay?”
    “Fine,” she fibbed. “Just cold.”
    “All right. It might be smart to turn off the light before you change clothes.”
    He closed the door and she sagged against the seat. Her survival instincts warred with the decision to simply tell him everything, or hold back the more sensitive details. There was no better ally than Thomas Casey, but no worse enemy. She just couldn’t be sure how he’d react.
    Continuing her mental debate, she shimmied out of her skirt and pulled her jeans on over her hose. More layers would be welcome in this weather. Next, she swapped her blazer for a hooded sweatshirt emblazoned with the Air Force Academy logo. She was reaching for hiking boots when the door opened again.
    “The repair looks good. I’m going to move the car and fill it up.”
    “Great.” She told herself she’d feel better, steadier, when they reached the cabin.
    “When was the last time you slept? You’re pale.”
    Did the man have to comment on every little thing? “I got six straight hours last night. Anyone would be pale after our recent troubles.” Anyone but him, apparently.
    He moved the car, braved the elements once more to pump the gas. Through the window, she watched him chafe his hands while the machine did the work. Tying her shoes, she grabbed his overcoat and slid out the opposite side of the car. She rounded the hood, brushed more snow off the headlights and handed him his overcoat.
    “Put this on. I’m just running inside for a couple of things.”
    “Hurry. Camera is at ten o’clock. Keep your head down.”
    She gave him a mock salute and shuffled through the snow to the store. Grabbing a couple of soft drinks, a bag of chips, two pairs of gloves and two stocking caps, she waited for the gas pump to finish and paid cash for the total.
    Wishing the clerk a safe evening, she opened the door only to find Thomas had moved the car so she wouldn’t have to traipse through the snow again.
    “Thanks,” she said boosting herself into the passenger seat. She made quick work of the seat belt and, as he put the car in gear, she took the labels and price tags off of the gloves. “Put these on.”
    “The heater’s going now.”
    “So I’m late with the thoughtfulness. Can’t hurt.”
    He tugged the gloves on one by one and continued the slow drive to the cabin she’d prepared.
    “Do you need directions?”
    “I memorized the route,” he replied.
    Of course he did. And probably a backup route, too. “Are you worried they’ll pick us up again?”
    “Aren’t you?”
    “A little, yes.” The drilled taillight and the marked currency made her wonder what else the people setting up Thomas might have done. What else they might know. Too bad she hadn’t thought to pack a signal jammer. “Does it even matter?”
    “It matters to me.”
    “Sorry. I was thinking out loud.”
    He turned the wiper blades to high and adjusted the defrost setting. “May as well share.”
    “I was scolding myself for not packing a signal jammer and wondering, based on our circumstances, if it would have made any difference.”
    His shoulders hitched. “Fair question.”
    “Does this number mean anything to you?” she read off the phone number.
    “What kind of paper is that?”
    “It’s a euro. I recognized