The roaring sound of a motorized vehicle was very welcome, even though Regan realized they had no idea if they were about to be confronted by friend or foe.
Headlights loomed up before them before cutting off to reveal a U.S. Forestry Jeep. The door swung open and a woman hopped down from behind the wheel. Regan studied her carefully. She was on the shorter side, probably no more than an inch taller than Trixie, if that. She had long, curly reddish-brown hair that was pulled back from her face in a loose pony tail. As she approached, her expression revealed deep concern. He wasn’t sure whether or not that was for them or the fire they were tending.
“You folks are a long way off from any of the hiking trails,” she said shortly. She frowned as she took in the parachute Regan had strung between two saplings to serve as a shelter for the night. “I got a call out of the north station that plane went down. Yours?”
Slowly, he nodded, wondering how much information to give. How much he could trust her.
“Any other survivors?”
“No. We were the only passengers and the pilot… died in the plane.”
“All right. I need to call this in and then I can take you into Fort Starnes so you can get checked out at the hospital there. But first, put that fire out. Completely.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Kaye set her phone down and sat still for a moment. “I’ve just been informed that I should hold you until the ‘proper authorities’ can arrive. To question you about the plane crash.”
Trixie and Regan exchanged blank-faced looks, well aware of what they were each thinking.
“Thing is,” Kaye continued, “I have to say I really didn’t like the way this ‘request’ was put to me. And while I know there’s a lot you haven’t told me, my gut instinct tells me that you didn’t do anything to cause your own plane to crash. If I had to guess, I’d say you’re on the run and someone is out to get you.” She glanced in her rearview mirror and nodded. “So, I think I’m going to continue on to town and take you to the hospital and if you happen to decide to leave while I’m fetching a late dinner? I suppose I’ll have to admit I was a little careless.”
“We wouldn’t want to get you into any trouble,” Trixie told her worriedly. “Not on our account.”
“Eh. I can handle it. If you knew my brother-in-law and all the crap I’ve put up with where he’s concerned? You’d know dealing with a dressing-down by my boss is nothing in comparison.”
Trixie hesitated, then made a decision. Kaye was trusting them and she would take the risk of trusting Kaye in return. “We really need to get to Telluride,” she said quietly. “It’s… extremely important. How far is it from Fort Starnes? And do you know where we could maybe rent a car or something? Or – we have some money on us. We could maybe buy a car, if someone’s selling an old clunker.”
“Telluride’s about an hour and a half from Fort Starnes by car. But I gotta tell you, Fort Starnes isn’t much of a town. There aren’t any rental places. Even the hospital’s only a one-story building with room for about ten patients at a time. And I don’t know if you’ll find anyone selling anything, especially at this time of night.”
Trixie bit down on her lower lip, looking back at Regan. “We’ll have to call – somebody who can get to Mr. Wh- Whitman and see if he can arrange anything.”
“How soon do you need to be in Telluride?” Kaye asked.
“As soon as possible,” Regan admitted. “We don’t have a lot of time.”
Kaye slowed the Jeep and switched on her blinker. “In that case, I think the obvious solution is for me to drive you there myself.”
Trixie’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh. Thanks. That’s – that you’d go so far out of your way, that’s really nice of you, but… you’re right. Someone is after us. And they’re very dangerous people. You’d be getting involved in something that’s really risky. We can’t ask you to do that.”
“Hmmm. You know what? I’m willing to take that risk. I don’t know what it is that has you running or why or who’s after you, but I just have a feeling. And that feeling says I should help you however I can. Let’s stop somewhere where you can use a restroom and get cleaned up a little and get something to eat, then we’ll drive on.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Kaye left them in the tiny lobby of a small motel on the interstate just outside Telluride city limits after Trixie and Regan both assured her they would be able to take a taxi to the nearest car rental in the morning. As she drove off into the night, Regan registered for a room using his fake ID, wondering if it would immediately set off any alerts in some government agency somewhere. He could only hope they’d be able to manage at least a few hours of sleep before they were on the run again.
The room was decorated in neutral colors with a generic mountain-view print on the wall over the single king-sized bed. Trixie tossed her backpack onto the table and looked down at her dirt-streaked t-shirt. “Do you think there’s a washer and dryer here on site?” she wondered. “I could really do with some clean clothes and now you’re down to just what you’re wearing.”
He grinned ruefully as he took in his own appearance in the mirror by the sink. “Yeah. But I’d hafta strip naked and left you take everything to wash on your own, and that’s not gonna happen, baby. When we leave this room, we leave it together.”
“There’s a tacky gift shop across the street,” she pointed out. “The lights are still on, so maybe they’re still open? We could possibly find you something to wear there.”
He considered this, then nodded. “All right. We’ll go check it out and maybe we can find something for both of us.”
They made it through the door with less than six minutes before the shop's closing time. Trixie flashed a somewhat apologetic smile at the clerk and went straight to the row of shirts hanging on display on the right-hand wall. She chose two at random, based on fit rather than color or style, and Regan did the same. They found running pants in her size, but nothing for him. He finally settled on a pair of board shorts that had her grinning in amusement. Last, they each picked out hoodies they could wear to ward off the chill of the mountain air. The clerk rang up their order and crammed everything into a single plastic bag; evidence, Trixie thought, of his annoyance that he’d been forced to make a sale when all he wanted to do was end his shift and close up for the night.
“We’ll still have to do something about our underthings,” Trixie said as they waited for the traffic light to change and allow them to cross back to the motel. “I could probably wash them in the sink and hang them in the shower to dry.”
“We’ll think of something,” he murmured distractedly. “Wildcat? You see that dark car in the parking lot? The four-door one with the tinted windows?”
“Yeah…?”
“It wasn’t there when we left a few minutes ago.”
Trixie’s eyes narrowed as she studied the vehicle. “It could just be travelers,” she said slowly.
“Or it could be someone looking for us.”
“Yeah. We’ve been saying someone must know our fake names. This could be the proof. It sure didn’t take them long to show up.”
He grabbed her hand and started walking in the opposite direction. “Did you leave anything important in the room?”
“No. I mean, I emptied my clothes from my backpack, but I’ve got the phone and laptop and money.”
“Good. All right, baby, listen. I don’t think you’re gonna like what I’m about to suggest, but I want you to consider it carefully before you give your answer, all right?”
“Um, okay?”
“We need to go completely underground. And that means we’ll have to do some things you won’t want to do. We may have to… take things we have no right to take.”
“What do you mean?” she asked quietly. “I don’t want to hurt-“
“No. I’m not saying we’re going to start knocking out little old ladies and stealing their purses, but yes, we might steal a wallet or two. And a car.”
She stared at him, her expression doubtful. “I wouldn’t even know how, unless someone left their wallet sitting on a bench or their keys in the ignition.”
“I know,” he said, leaning down to lightly kiss her, “and I am very glad that you have no idea, never needed to know, and how much the very thought is pretty much giving you hives right now. It says a lot of good things about you, baby. Wildcat, I promise, whatever we take? We will absolutely do everything we can to pay it all back and then some. That’s one of the biggest regrets I have about my past. That I can’t ever make up for the things I did.”
“So… uh, where do we start?”
“A bar would be our best bet. It’s easier to lift a wallet from someone drunk versus someone sober. Plus, bars tend to be dark inside and at this time of night, probably the only thing still open aside from some twenty-four hour fast food restaurants and convenience stores.”
“You know how to ‘lift’ a wallet?”
He nodded, not happy to admit it. “I learned when I was a teen in New York. During the day, I’d work the subways and at night, hit the bars.” He cast her a measured look. “I’m probably pretty rusty now, and that’s a risk. If I get caught, you need to be prepared to run. I can handle myself in a bar fight, but you’ll need to get out and hide somewhere until I can come for you. All right? And I mean it this time, baby. When I say you need to run, you run. Don’t come flying back with that can of pepper spray.”
“Okay,” she agreed weakly.
“Our first priority will be to get as much cash as possible and an ID that I can pass off as mine. Then we’ll register a room somewhere in that name. In the morning? We’ll deal with the transportation issue.”
~~~~~~~~~
Matthew hurried through the door without knocking. Crabapple Farm was serving as a sort of command central, where everyone was gathered to wait for and share news.
“They’re alive!” he called quickly. “The plane went down, but apparently they jumped and landed in a state forest. They were picked up a few hours ago by a park ranger.”
“They jumped?” Mart asked, shocked. “As in parachuted?”
“Yes. The plane was owned by a man who ran a skydiving company. I guess they were able to use a chute they found.”
“Oh, my God,” Helen whispered. Her daughter was alive. She closed her eyes and felt herself swaying slightly in her chair.
“It’s fair to say Regan’s secret addiction paid off,” Matt said with feeling.
“What addiction?” Peter demanded sharply.
“Huh?” Mart said at the same time.
Suddenly, Matthew realized he’d revealed a bit of information he had no business stating. William Regan was a very private man, generally always playing his cards close to his chest. With a mental apology to his head groom, he offered the Beldens a reassuring smile. “That was poorly worded, I’m afraid. Regan’s a bit of an adrenaline junkie, I think. Before he started dating Trixie, he used his vacation time for things like mountain climbing and he went skydiving a few times, too. That probably saved their lives now, since he had some idea how to use a parachute.”
“He never told us that, Daddy!” Honey exclaimed. “We had no idea!”
“I know. I don’t think he even told Dan. You know how he is, sweetheart.”
“So… they’re alive and with a park ranger?” Helen said slowly. “Does that mean we can reach them? Talk to them?”
Matt shook his head. “No. I’m sorry. I’ve got someone trying to reach them, but right now, we’re only getting the official reports that are reaching me from a contact I have in Homeland Security. But I’ve got several people on it and I’ll keep you all immediately updated.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“You got one?” Trixie hissed under her breath as Regan took her hand.
“Three,” he replied softly. He smiled down at her. “This is the part where we need to act casual. We’re just out on a date, enjoying ourselves. We can’t do anything that might make us look anxious or guilty. I’m going to order us drinks and we’ll just sit here for a few minutes before we leave.”
Trixie watched from their table as Regan pushed through the crowd and spoke quickly with the bartender. He handed over a few bills and was soon back with her, holding a beer and a dark drink in a short glass. “Go easy with this, baby.”
“What is it?”
“A rum and Coke. Just sip it.”
“Wow. In one night I’ve really jumped with both feet into the law-breaking lifestyle,” she murmured, shooting him a decidedly crooked grin. “No sense doing things halfway, huh?”
He studied her thoughtfully. “Did you really never do that normal teenage thing and sneak alcohol at parties?”
“Have you met my brothers? And Jim? What alcohol at parties?”
“Point to you.”
“Other than that little bit of champagne I had at the art auction, which, by the way? Was disgusting… no. I’ve managed to avoid all alcohol like the good girl that I am.”
“Then definitely just take a few sips of this. The last thing we need is for you to get tipsy, much less actually drunk.”
Trixie picked up her glass and cautiously tasted the drink. She only just managed to keep her expression bland as she swallowed. “Yeah,” she muttered. “’Just a few sips’ is not gonna be a problem. This is worse than the champagne.” She held out her class and tapped his beer bottle. “Goodbye, Aunt Mairéad. Are there any good Irish toasts we can make to her?”
“There’s always the most famous one. ‘May your soul already be in heaven an hour before the devil knows you’re dead.’"
“Geeze. Anything marginally less insulting to the dead person? You know. That doesn’t assume they belong in Hell?”
“Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand,” Regan intoned softly. “It’s said at Irish funerals sometimes, although I guess it could be used for any parting.”
“I like that one much better.” Trixie repeated the words and held up her glass again. “I hope she’s at peace now.”
“She is. I think she lived so many years in fear and isolation. That’s over now.” Regan smiled at her, but his eyes were carefully surveying the room. So far, none of the customers had noticed they’d become victims of a pickpocket, but the longer they stayed there, the greater the chance someone went to pay his tab and discovered the theft. “Okay, Wildcat. When we leave here, we need to look like we have exactly one thing on our minds. And that isn’t that we’re trying to quickly get away after committing petty larceny.”
She regarded him blankly for a moment before understanding obviously clicked. “Oh! Right. Um… how do we do that?”
He leaned down and kissed her soundly. “Follow my lead,” he murmured as he pulled her from her seat.
~~~~~~~~~~
“What are you doing, baby?” Regan asked quietly as he watched Trixie hold up one of the stolen driver’s licenses and study it closely before typing something on her laptop.
“I’m making absolute sure I have the names and mailing addresses of everybody we stole from tonight,” she explained. “So we can pay them back with an anonymous apology.”
He sat down on the bed next to her and picked up one of the wallets. “We will. I promise. Right now we just have to be careful we aren’t caught.”
After a few minutes, she closed the laptop and flopped back on a small stack of pillows, staring up at the somewhat alarming crack in the ceiling. “Okay. I guess now we get some sleep and in the morning, we look for a car. Are we really gonna steal one? Wouldn’t that just be setting ourselves up for trouble? Cops looking for the stolen vehicle?”
“There are… options. One is to steal a car from long-term parking. Like at an airport. Then hopefully you have some time before anyone notices it’s gone. Another is to steal a very common car with no distinguishable dents or stickers and switch license plates with one or more other cars. Preferably of the same make and model. People very infrequently actually think to look at their plates and see if they’re the right ones, unless they have a vanity plate or specific reason to. In fact, you’d be surprised how many people don’t even actually have their plates memorized, so they wouldn’t even realize the switch has been made.”
“So that’s what we’re gonna do?”
“It depends. We got a lot more cash tonight than I was expecting. Coupled with what we still had, we might be able to go with your idea and buy some old clunker using one of the fake IDs.”
“I’d much rather do that.”
“I know, baby. My only concern is I’m not Tom. If it breaks down, I won’t be able to fix it.”
“So we’ll buy a car and if it does break down, then we’ll go with plan B and steal something.”
Regan stretched out next to her and brushed her curls back from her face. “Right. Plan A, and then, only if absolutely necessary, plan B. Get some sleep, Wildcat.”
She snuggled closer to him and sighed. “You, too. With everything that’s happened, I can’t believe it was just this morning that we were still in New Orleans.”
“Technically, that was yesterday morning now.”
“True.” She peered up at him. “You are gonna sleep, right? You aren’t thinking about staying up on watch or anything, are you? If you don’t get some rest, I’m afraid you’ll just collapse soon.”
“I’ll get at least a few hours,” he assured her.
“I love you.”
“Love you, too, Wildcat. Go to sleep now.”
Headlights loomed up before them before cutting off to reveal a U.S. Forestry Jeep. The door swung open and a woman hopped down from behind the wheel. Regan studied her carefully. She was on the shorter side, probably no more than an inch taller than Trixie, if that. She had long, curly reddish-brown hair that was pulled back from her face in a loose pony tail. As she approached, her expression revealed deep concern. He wasn’t sure whether or not that was for them or the fire they were tending.
“You folks are a long way off from any of the hiking trails,” she said shortly. She frowned as she took in the parachute Regan had strung between two saplings to serve as a shelter for the night. “I got a call out of the north station that plane went down. Yours?”
Slowly, he nodded, wondering how much information to give. How much he could trust her.
“Any other survivors?”
“No. We were the only passengers and the pilot… died in the plane.”
“All right. I need to call this in and then I can take you into Fort Starnes so you can get checked out at the hospital there. But first, put that fire out. Completely.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Kaye set her phone down and sat still for a moment. “I’ve just been informed that I should hold you until the ‘proper authorities’ can arrive. To question you about the plane crash.”
Trixie and Regan exchanged blank-faced looks, well aware of what they were each thinking.
“Thing is,” Kaye continued, “I have to say I really didn’t like the way this ‘request’ was put to me. And while I know there’s a lot you haven’t told me, my gut instinct tells me that you didn’t do anything to cause your own plane to crash. If I had to guess, I’d say you’re on the run and someone is out to get you.” She glanced in her rearview mirror and nodded. “So, I think I’m going to continue on to town and take you to the hospital and if you happen to decide to leave while I’m fetching a late dinner? I suppose I’ll have to admit I was a little careless.”
“We wouldn’t want to get you into any trouble,” Trixie told her worriedly. “Not on our account.”
“Eh. I can handle it. If you knew my brother-in-law and all the crap I’ve put up with where he’s concerned? You’d know dealing with a dressing-down by my boss is nothing in comparison.”
Trixie hesitated, then made a decision. Kaye was trusting them and she would take the risk of trusting Kaye in return. “We really need to get to Telluride,” she said quietly. “It’s… extremely important. How far is it from Fort Starnes? And do you know where we could maybe rent a car or something? Or – we have some money on us. We could maybe buy a car, if someone’s selling an old clunker.”
“Telluride’s about an hour and a half from Fort Starnes by car. But I gotta tell you, Fort Starnes isn’t much of a town. There aren’t any rental places. Even the hospital’s only a one-story building with room for about ten patients at a time. And I don’t know if you’ll find anyone selling anything, especially at this time of night.”
Trixie bit down on her lower lip, looking back at Regan. “We’ll have to call – somebody who can get to Mr. Wh- Whitman and see if he can arrange anything.”
“How soon do you need to be in Telluride?” Kaye asked.
“As soon as possible,” Regan admitted. “We don’t have a lot of time.”
Kaye slowed the Jeep and switched on her blinker. “In that case, I think the obvious solution is for me to drive you there myself.”
Trixie’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh. Thanks. That’s – that you’d go so far out of your way, that’s really nice of you, but… you’re right. Someone is after us. And they’re very dangerous people. You’d be getting involved in something that’s really risky. We can’t ask you to do that.”
“Hmmm. You know what? I’m willing to take that risk. I don’t know what it is that has you running or why or who’s after you, but I just have a feeling. And that feeling says I should help you however I can. Let’s stop somewhere where you can use a restroom and get cleaned up a little and get something to eat, then we’ll drive on.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Kaye left them in the tiny lobby of a small motel on the interstate just outside Telluride city limits after Trixie and Regan both assured her they would be able to take a taxi to the nearest car rental in the morning. As she drove off into the night, Regan registered for a room using his fake ID, wondering if it would immediately set off any alerts in some government agency somewhere. He could only hope they’d be able to manage at least a few hours of sleep before they were on the run again.
The room was decorated in neutral colors with a generic mountain-view print on the wall over the single king-sized bed. Trixie tossed her backpack onto the table and looked down at her dirt-streaked t-shirt. “Do you think there’s a washer and dryer here on site?” she wondered. “I could really do with some clean clothes and now you’re down to just what you’re wearing.”
He grinned ruefully as he took in his own appearance in the mirror by the sink. “Yeah. But I’d hafta strip naked and left you take everything to wash on your own, and that’s not gonna happen, baby. When we leave this room, we leave it together.”
“There’s a tacky gift shop across the street,” she pointed out. “The lights are still on, so maybe they’re still open? We could possibly find you something to wear there.”
He considered this, then nodded. “All right. We’ll go check it out and maybe we can find something for both of us.”
They made it through the door with less than six minutes before the shop's closing time. Trixie flashed a somewhat apologetic smile at the clerk and went straight to the row of shirts hanging on display on the right-hand wall. She chose two at random, based on fit rather than color or style, and Regan did the same. They found running pants in her size, but nothing for him. He finally settled on a pair of board shorts that had her grinning in amusement. Last, they each picked out hoodies they could wear to ward off the chill of the mountain air. The clerk rang up their order and crammed everything into a single plastic bag; evidence, Trixie thought, of his annoyance that he’d been forced to make a sale when all he wanted to do was end his shift and close up for the night.
“We’ll still have to do something about our underthings,” Trixie said as they waited for the traffic light to change and allow them to cross back to the motel. “I could probably wash them in the sink and hang them in the shower to dry.”
“We’ll think of something,” he murmured distractedly. “Wildcat? You see that dark car in the parking lot? The four-door one with the tinted windows?”
“Yeah…?”
“It wasn’t there when we left a few minutes ago.”
Trixie’s eyes narrowed as she studied the vehicle. “It could just be travelers,” she said slowly.
“Or it could be someone looking for us.”
“Yeah. We’ve been saying someone must know our fake names. This could be the proof. It sure didn’t take them long to show up.”
He grabbed her hand and started walking in the opposite direction. “Did you leave anything important in the room?”
“No. I mean, I emptied my clothes from my backpack, but I’ve got the phone and laptop and money.”
“Good. All right, baby, listen. I don’t think you’re gonna like what I’m about to suggest, but I want you to consider it carefully before you give your answer, all right?”
“Um, okay?”
“We need to go completely underground. And that means we’ll have to do some things you won’t want to do. We may have to… take things we have no right to take.”
“What do you mean?” she asked quietly. “I don’t want to hurt-“
“No. I’m not saying we’re going to start knocking out little old ladies and stealing their purses, but yes, we might steal a wallet or two. And a car.”
She stared at him, her expression doubtful. “I wouldn’t even know how, unless someone left their wallet sitting on a bench or their keys in the ignition.”
“I know,” he said, leaning down to lightly kiss her, “and I am very glad that you have no idea, never needed to know, and how much the very thought is pretty much giving you hives right now. It says a lot of good things about you, baby. Wildcat, I promise, whatever we take? We will absolutely do everything we can to pay it all back and then some. That’s one of the biggest regrets I have about my past. That I can’t ever make up for the things I did.”
“So… uh, where do we start?”
“A bar would be our best bet. It’s easier to lift a wallet from someone drunk versus someone sober. Plus, bars tend to be dark inside and at this time of night, probably the only thing still open aside from some twenty-four hour fast food restaurants and convenience stores.”
“You know how to ‘lift’ a wallet?”
He nodded, not happy to admit it. “I learned when I was a teen in New York. During the day, I’d work the subways and at night, hit the bars.” He cast her a measured look. “I’m probably pretty rusty now, and that’s a risk. If I get caught, you need to be prepared to run. I can handle myself in a bar fight, but you’ll need to get out and hide somewhere until I can come for you. All right? And I mean it this time, baby. When I say you need to run, you run. Don’t come flying back with that can of pepper spray.”
“Okay,” she agreed weakly.
“Our first priority will be to get as much cash as possible and an ID that I can pass off as mine. Then we’ll register a room somewhere in that name. In the morning? We’ll deal with the transportation issue.”
~~~~~~~~~
Matthew hurried through the door without knocking. Crabapple Farm was serving as a sort of command central, where everyone was gathered to wait for and share news.
“They’re alive!” he called quickly. “The plane went down, but apparently they jumped and landed in a state forest. They were picked up a few hours ago by a park ranger.”
“They jumped?” Mart asked, shocked. “As in parachuted?”
“Yes. The plane was owned by a man who ran a skydiving company. I guess they were able to use a chute they found.”
“Oh, my God,” Helen whispered. Her daughter was alive. She closed her eyes and felt herself swaying slightly in her chair.
“It’s fair to say Regan’s secret addiction paid off,” Matt said with feeling.
“What addiction?” Peter demanded sharply.
“Huh?” Mart said at the same time.
Suddenly, Matthew realized he’d revealed a bit of information he had no business stating. William Regan was a very private man, generally always playing his cards close to his chest. With a mental apology to his head groom, he offered the Beldens a reassuring smile. “That was poorly worded, I’m afraid. Regan’s a bit of an adrenaline junkie, I think. Before he started dating Trixie, he used his vacation time for things like mountain climbing and he went skydiving a few times, too. That probably saved their lives now, since he had some idea how to use a parachute.”
“He never told us that, Daddy!” Honey exclaimed. “We had no idea!”
“I know. I don’t think he even told Dan. You know how he is, sweetheart.”
“So… they’re alive and with a park ranger?” Helen said slowly. “Does that mean we can reach them? Talk to them?”
Matt shook his head. “No. I’m sorry. I’ve got someone trying to reach them, but right now, we’re only getting the official reports that are reaching me from a contact I have in Homeland Security. But I’ve got several people on it and I’ll keep you all immediately updated.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“You got one?” Trixie hissed under her breath as Regan took her hand.
“Three,” he replied softly. He smiled down at her. “This is the part where we need to act casual. We’re just out on a date, enjoying ourselves. We can’t do anything that might make us look anxious or guilty. I’m going to order us drinks and we’ll just sit here for a few minutes before we leave.”
Trixie watched from their table as Regan pushed through the crowd and spoke quickly with the bartender. He handed over a few bills and was soon back with her, holding a beer and a dark drink in a short glass. “Go easy with this, baby.”
“What is it?”
“A rum and Coke. Just sip it.”
“Wow. In one night I’ve really jumped with both feet into the law-breaking lifestyle,” she murmured, shooting him a decidedly crooked grin. “No sense doing things halfway, huh?”
He studied her thoughtfully. “Did you really never do that normal teenage thing and sneak alcohol at parties?”
“Have you met my brothers? And Jim? What alcohol at parties?”
“Point to you.”
“Other than that little bit of champagne I had at the art auction, which, by the way? Was disgusting… no. I’ve managed to avoid all alcohol like the good girl that I am.”
“Then definitely just take a few sips of this. The last thing we need is for you to get tipsy, much less actually drunk.”
Trixie picked up her glass and cautiously tasted the drink. She only just managed to keep her expression bland as she swallowed. “Yeah,” she muttered. “’Just a few sips’ is not gonna be a problem. This is worse than the champagne.” She held out her class and tapped his beer bottle. “Goodbye, Aunt Mairéad. Are there any good Irish toasts we can make to her?”
“There’s always the most famous one. ‘May your soul already be in heaven an hour before the devil knows you’re dead.’"
“Geeze. Anything marginally less insulting to the dead person? You know. That doesn’t assume they belong in Hell?”
“Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand,” Regan intoned softly. “It’s said at Irish funerals sometimes, although I guess it could be used for any parting.”
“I like that one much better.” Trixie repeated the words and held up her glass again. “I hope she’s at peace now.”
“She is. I think she lived so many years in fear and isolation. That’s over now.” Regan smiled at her, but his eyes were carefully surveying the room. So far, none of the customers had noticed they’d become victims of a pickpocket, but the longer they stayed there, the greater the chance someone went to pay his tab and discovered the theft. “Okay, Wildcat. When we leave here, we need to look like we have exactly one thing on our minds. And that isn’t that we’re trying to quickly get away after committing petty larceny.”
She regarded him blankly for a moment before understanding obviously clicked. “Oh! Right. Um… how do we do that?”
He leaned down and kissed her soundly. “Follow my lead,” he murmured as he pulled her from her seat.
~~~~~~~~~~
“What are you doing, baby?” Regan asked quietly as he watched Trixie hold up one of the stolen driver’s licenses and study it closely before typing something on her laptop.
“I’m making absolute sure I have the names and mailing addresses of everybody we stole from tonight,” she explained. “So we can pay them back with an anonymous apology.”
He sat down on the bed next to her and picked up one of the wallets. “We will. I promise. Right now we just have to be careful we aren’t caught.”
After a few minutes, she closed the laptop and flopped back on a small stack of pillows, staring up at the somewhat alarming crack in the ceiling. “Okay. I guess now we get some sleep and in the morning, we look for a car. Are we really gonna steal one? Wouldn’t that just be setting ourselves up for trouble? Cops looking for the stolen vehicle?”
“There are… options. One is to steal a car from long-term parking. Like at an airport. Then hopefully you have some time before anyone notices it’s gone. Another is to steal a very common car with no distinguishable dents or stickers and switch license plates with one or more other cars. Preferably of the same make and model. People very infrequently actually think to look at their plates and see if they’re the right ones, unless they have a vanity plate or specific reason to. In fact, you’d be surprised how many people don’t even actually have their plates memorized, so they wouldn’t even realize the switch has been made.”
“So that’s what we’re gonna do?”
“It depends. We got a lot more cash tonight than I was expecting. Coupled with what we still had, we might be able to go with your idea and buy some old clunker using one of the fake IDs.”
“I’d much rather do that.”
“I know, baby. My only concern is I’m not Tom. If it breaks down, I won’t be able to fix it.”
“So we’ll buy a car and if it does break down, then we’ll go with plan B and steal something.”
Regan stretched out next to her and brushed her curls back from her face. “Right. Plan A, and then, only if absolutely necessary, plan B. Get some sleep, Wildcat.”
She snuggled closer to him and sighed. “You, too. With everything that’s happened, I can’t believe it was just this morning that we were still in New Orleans.”
“Technically, that was yesterday morning now.”
“True.” She peered up at him. “You are gonna sleep, right? You aren’t thinking about staying up on watch or anything, are you? If you don’t get some rest, I’m afraid you’ll just collapse soon.”
“I’ll get at least a few hours,” he assured her.
“I love you.”
“Love you, too, Wildcat. Go to sleep now.”