Just a Little Honesty Read Free Page B

called my own. The two television remotes (one labeled TV, the other labeled CABLE) rested perfectly vertical and side-by-side on the coffee table; the books on his shelf were alphabetically ordered from left to right, and there didn’t seem to be a speck of dust anywhere in sight.
    “You ready?” he asked, returning to the room exactly five minutes after he’d disappeared. Out of uniform and dressed in street clothes, he had the handle of a wheeled suitcase in hand and a brown bag slung over his shoulder. “We should hit the road.”
    “Yeah, right,” I said, patting my knees before standing.
    As we stopped outside the door to put our shoes on, I glanced around the apartment and then back to Luke.
    “I like your place,” I said, watching him tie his shoes. He didn’t look up, or even acknowledge that I’d said anything. “It’s very… clean.”
    “Mmm-hmm,” he said, standing straight again. It didn’t seem to faze him that I’d just commented on his home. He simply brushed it off and met my stare. “Let’s go.”
    After we were out of the apartment, the door was locked, and we were back in the car, he hadn’t said another word. I should’ve known that riding shotgun to Luke would be as uneventful as the days I tagged along with him on patrol.
    He drove only a few miles out of town before pulling off into a dirt siding and stopping short of a black BMW Convertible.
    “Let’s go,” he said, putting his car in park, killing the engine, and stepping out once again.
    “Let’s go where?” I asked, hanging my head out the window. But he’d already disappeared to the back of the car and started unloading our bags from the trunk.
    “Move it, Little,” he said, slamming the trunk closed. “Time is of the essence.”
    Not having the slightest clue what he was up to, I got out of the car and helped him carry the bags and suitcases to the back of the BMW.
    “We need to do what we can to throw anyone and everyone off our trail,” he said, placing his suitcase in the trunk of the sports car. “One thing that’s going to keep us off the radar is an unmarked, unsuspecting vehicle.”
    “And exactly how far is this fancy pants car gonna take us?”  I asked. I was unable to fathom being alone with Luke in such close quarters…especially for any extended period of time.
    “Wish I could tell you,” he said, but he shrugged. “But my orders are only to drive you so far and then wait for more orders.  I only know as far as Stop One. After that, well….” He took a deep breath and slammed the trunk closed. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
    I looked back at his car and then to him. “We’re just leaving your car here?”
    “Charlie’ll take care of it,” he said, confident that he had nothing to worry about. “It’s imperative that we leave all traceable belongings behind. We’re taking as many precautions as possible.”
    In the new car and heading down the road, Luke was quiet as ever. It was only when he had something to say about traffic, or something directly pertaining to our orders that he’d said anything at all. But the hum of the radio playing quietly in the background didn’t satisfy my need for interaction. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d sat so quietly for so long.
    With only a few hours of driving under his belt, Luke still hadn’t said much. Only once had he offered to stop for a bathroom break, and only then it was because he wanted to stretch his legs.
    “So,” I asked, speaking up for the first time since we’d switched cars. We were probably four hours into the drive—11:45 p.m., according to the dashboard clock—and Luke didn’t seem to be getting the least bit tired.
    “Are there any plans to stop and get some rest on this little vacation of ours?”
    Luke passed me a quick glance out of the corner of his eye—the first look in hours, might I add—before looking straight back at the highway.
    “Listen,” I said, turning in my seat. “I know