The Target Read Free

to track her into the mountains.”
    “So, this is just precautionary?”
    “Exactly.”
    Jaime walked to the door then stopped. “There’s just one thing. If she winds up dead, I’m not like … going to get a demotion or anything, right?”
    “Of course not, Hutchinson. You’re on loan to the FBI. This case has no bearing on your record here.”
    “Well, thanks, Captain. That makes me feel so much better.”
     
    Ramsey exited the police station and flipped open his cell phone while jogging down the steps. At the bottom, he paused, waiting.
    “She’s a go.”
    “She bought it?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Good, Ramsey. Good job. I’ll notify him.”
    Ramsey nodded and closed his phone, slowing his pace to the black sedan parked along the street.

CHAPTER FIVE
    “Sara?”
    Sara looked up, smiling wearily at her secretary. “Yes?”
    “It’s almost six.”
    “Six? Then what are you still doing here?”
    “I wanted to get all the notices out, reminding everyone that you’d be gone.”
    “Good. Now go home.”
    But instead, Tracy walked into the office, plopping down in the visitor’s chair. “If I go home, there’ll be no one here to remind you to go home and you’ll end up staying until midnight.”
    Sara sighed. “There’s just so much to do.”
    “And it’ll be here when you get back. Just like always.” Tracy stretched out her feet. “What’s wrong? Is it the FBI thing?”
    Sara put down her pen and ran both hands through her hair, finally resting her elbows on her desk and meeting her secretary’s eyes.
    “I … I don’t know what’s wrong. I feel restless.” She waved her hand. “And the FBI thing, no. If my father has had a death threat, it doesn’t involve me. We’ve not spoken in years.”
    “What about your mother?”
    “I spoke with her a few weeks ago. I did try calling her yesterday but she’s not returned my call.”
    “Well, you look really tired. More tired than I can remember.”
    “That goes without saying. I’ve been averaging about four hours a night of sleep for the last couple of weeks.” Sara relaxed, pushing her chair back far enough to rest her feet on her desk. Her once pressed slacks were wrinkled and her feet were bare, having shed her shoes an hour earlier.
    “Then this trip is coming at a good time, right?”
    “I suppose.”
    “Are you worried about it? I know you said Sandra may have a hard time.”
    “I think she’ll be okay. She’s really excited about it. No, I’m not really worried. And if things go bad and she can’t make it, we can always turn around and head back down. There are always options.”
    “Well then what’s wrong?”
    Sara smiled. Tracy had been with her since she’d opened her business and probably knew her better than anyone. And in the last year, Tracy had become one of her closest confidants.
    “I’m just in a rut, I guess,” Sara finally admitted with a heavy sigh. “I’m tired. I feel like I’ve lost my spark. I spend so much time here—”
    “Ah. No personal life.”
    “No personal life, no nothing. I’ve put so much effort into this business, time just got away. I feel like I’m on a merry-go-round sometimes.”
    “Well, then maybe it’s time you slowed down. I mean, you’ve got a two-year waiting list for your classes. You’ve hired three counselors to help. Book sales and videos are through the roof.”
    Tracy grinned. “And you’ve been on Oprah, for God’s sake!”
    “That doesn’t mean things are going to change. The women I get introduced to simply bore me to tears.”
    “Maybe you just need to stop allowing yourself to get set up with these women who everyone thinks would be perfect for you. I mean, just because your father is a senator, why do they always insist on setting you up with someone who has political aspirations?”
    “Because they think we would have that in common.”
    “Well, you hate politics. If they don’t realize that by now, then your friends don’t know you very