No One to Trust (Hidden Identity Book #1): A Novel by Lynette Eason Page B

“We’re pretty well blocked from view if anyone comes up, but that means we can’t see them either.”
    She ignored his last comment. “Really? You think someone’s feeding Raimondi information?”
    “I can’t see Adam or Chase being a snitch. Or Mike either.” He pursed his lips. “I mean, why wait until now? Three weeks before the trial?”
    Summer thought, then offered, “Unless Mike thought he’d be able to get you to give up the laptop before now.”
    David rubbed a hand across his chin and stared at her. “Good point.”
    “Was Mike shot?”
    “I don’t think so. The shot came from behind us. I saw him get up pretty quick after that. It was reflex. Hear a shot, hit the ground.”
    They fell silent. Summer finally asked, “What are we going to do?”
    “That’s what I’m trying to decide.”
    “Well, we can’t avoid these guys by ourselves.” She looked at him. “Can we?”
    He studied her, his eyes shuttered. “No, probably not.”
    “I see your brain working. What are you thinking?”
    “They’re here! They gotta be!” The shout from below drew their attention and Summer offered up a silent prayer. Keep us hidden, Lord.
    Summer looked over the edge and saw one of the men from the store pacing and yelling at his cell phone. “They went in, but they didn’t come out and they’re not in the store. We searched it.” A pause. “Check the roof.”
    Summer and David dropped to the asphalt. His jaw tightened and he caught her gaze. “Okay, now we have to move again. They’re going to be up here any minute.”
    She looked around. “Where do you suggest we move to? We’re kind of at the end of the line here.”
    He peered over once again. “The ladder has to be lowered from the next level. They can’t get up on this side. As soon as he disappears, we go down.”
    “No waiting for dark, huh?” She gave a nervous rub of her hands. She didn’t like heights.
    “Afraid not.”
    Adrenaline surged again.
    He continued to watch over the edge, then swung his leg over. “Follow me.”

19
    “Should have put a tracker on him,” Mike muttered as he paced from one end of the hotel room to the other. The bullet had grazed his forehead. He’d slapped a Band-Aid on it and taken four ibuprofen to combat the monster headache now pounding in his skull. But at least he was alive and able to track down his wayward witness.
    “He’ll call,” Chase said.
    “He’s not going to call,” Mike countered.
    “Why wouldn’t he call?” Adam asked.
    “Because he’s gonna go off on his own.” Mike wore another layer off the carpet.
    Chase looked at Mike. “That’s crazy. He doesn’t stand a chance. Just him and Summer? He’ll get them both killed.”
    Mike shook his head. “He’s a former Ranger. He’s got contacts he can call and places he can hide.”
    Adam frowned. “Then why did he consent to WITSEC?”
    Mike rubbed a hand down his face. “Because I talked him into it.”
    Chase walked to the sink and filled a glass with water. “Why did he need talking into it?”
    “Because he’s a former Ranger with contacts he can call and places he can hide,” Adam muttered.
    Mike shot Adam a dark look. “I assured him any time he feltlike the marshals weren’t doing their job, he was free to take off and take care of himself.”
    Chase slammed the glass onto the counter. Mike winced and was surprised the thing was still in one piece.
    “You told him what?” Chase said.
    Mike shrugged. “I would have told him anything to keep him nearby.” At Chase and Adam’s censoring looks, Mike ran a hand over his head, hating the need to defend his actions to his peers. “Look, he was ready to ditch me after he gave me the video of Sam Gilroy committing murder, even though he knew Raimondi would be coming for him. I wanted him where I could keep an eye on him. I wanted him alive for the trial. I didn’t want him found in a back alley somewhere.”
    “So you told him what he wanted to