Cade ran his hand over his hair. “I don’t know. Someone obviously called the cops. You must have left something at the house.”
Her face paled. “I left a lot of things at the house.” She stepped on the gas and the car lurched forward. “We have to get out of here.”
“Calm down.” Cade tried to take his own advice as Meg slowed. “Did they say we’re in Buffalo?”
Meg shook her head. “No.”
“Okay then. That’s good. They don’t know where we are.”
“But they flashed my picture. People in the diner were looking at me. What if someone called to report me?”
Cade knew this couldn’t last much longer. They were going to get caught. He had to go back home and prove his innocence. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Drop me off at the bus station. I have to go to Omaha.”
“What? Why?”
“I need to find out who killed Angie. I have to look at the company files, and I can’t get to them remotely.”
Meg gripped the steering wheel so hard, he thought it might bend in half. “You’ll get caught for sure if we go there.”
“Then I’ll get caught. At least this nightmare will be over for you.”
Her gaze jerked to his. “What about you?”
He didn’t have a good answer for her. “I’ll figure something out.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t like that idea.”
“I have to, Meg, so I can have a normal life. I can’t run forever, and I can’t rely on the system to solve the crime. The system failed me.”
He watched her features as she digested this information. She clenched and unclenched her jaw a few times, glancing at him. Finally, she nodded. “All right. But I’m coming with you. It was so not fair of you to ditch me this morning.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
The hard edge to her gaze softened. “I know. But I don’t like the idea of you being all by yourself. You need help.”
“I can manage just fine.” He shifted the weight of the duffle bag on his legs. He had money. He could manage to get himself to Omaha. And if he had to, he would break into his own corporation to find what he needed.
She turned onto the interstate and accelerated. “No, you can’t.”
Cade wasn’t quite sure what to make of Meg. Yesterday she seemed scared of him. Today she was determined to stick with him. He looked out the window. “I don’t want you to get into trouble. If I stay with you, you could go to jail.”
She checked her mirror and merged into traffic. “I believe you’re innocent. I want to help you prove it.”
Cade didn’t like the thought of Meg in danger, but he didn’t want to continue to argue with her either. And a part of him felt relieved he would be able to keep an eye on her. The thought of being there to protect her was reassuring. He tugged on his cap and settled back into his seat. “If you insist,” he said, closing his eyes.
***
MEG PULLED OFF THEinterstate at the Rapid City exit, her gas tank on empty. Nervous energy thrummed through her as she found a gas station. Cade pointed to the convenience shop. “Why don’t we grab some quick food and eat on the road? I’ve got an uneasy feeling.”
“I agree. I don’t want to stay in one place too long. Seeing my photo on the news freaked me out.”
“Go in and find something to eat. I’ll fill the tank.”
Meg nodded and opened her car door. “I’ll meet you inside.”
She clenched her hands into fists as she walked up to the glass door, sure everyone in the store would recognize her. Luckily, the place was almost empty. A buff biker dude stood by the soda machine surveying his options, and a skinny teen stood behind the counter checking out a lady.
Meg ducked into one of the aisles. Junk food was good enough. She didn’t need anything hot. She wasn’t even hungry. The events of the past few days were catching up to her, she supposed. With trembling fingers, she reached out and picked up a package of peanuts.