Her Temporary Bodyguard

(Part 9) Chapter Eight

They ditched the car at a rest stop a quarter mile outside the city limits of Fort Worth and hitched a ride with a friendly older couple. Tara let Logan do all of the talking. She was still numbed from the emotional unloading she'd done, though her smile was genuine when the elderly grandmother offered her a home baked cookie.

"Are you sure we can't drive you folks anywhere else?" The man asked as he pulled over in front of the first gas station they came across.

"Thank you, but no. It's not far to walk back and fill up the tank," Logan said. With a nod and a wave, the couple drove off. Tara looked up at Logan, catching sight of the lines of strain around his dark blue eyes as he watched the station wagon's taillights. She slipped her hand into his, feeling compelled to deliver that small bit of comfort. It drew his attention and he even offered her a small, if somewhat distracted, smile.

"Where to next?" She asked quietly.

"I'm going to head in and buy a bottle of water. I want you to stay outside. Keep your back to the camera over the door, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed easily. Logan squeezed her hand.

"We've got a bit of a walk ahead of us," he warned her. Tara nodded. He'd said the same thing when he'd used his last clean t-shirt to wipe their fingerprints from the rental car before they'd left it on the side of the road. He left his duffel bag at her feet and headed into the convenience store. Tara shivered as a sudden breeze skimmed over her bare arms, her gaze darting over the mostly deserted gas station. Cars drove by, for the most part heading into the city. They wouldn't hitch another ride. Tara knew that without Logan even saying so. It had been enough of a risk hopping a five minute ride from the kind elderly couple, for both them and their good Samaritans. Not seeing anything to cause concern, Tara stopped clenching her shoulders in tight to her body and let them drop. She eased into a squat over the duffel bag and pulled out one of Logan's button-up shirts, sliding it over her arms as added protection against the light breeze.

"You cold?" Logan asked, stepping up beside her.

"A little," she admitted, zipping up the bag and standing up. She almost didn't catch the flash of heat in his eyes before he banked it and a shiver of anticipation skittered down her spine.

"Sorry I don't have a jacket for you," he said. Tara shrugged.

"I'll be fine." She took the water bottle that he offered her and watched the flex of his bicep as he picked up the bag.

"Let's go." Tara took a deep breath and fell into step with him, taking two steps for each of his long strides. They walked in silence for a long time. She had no way of marking the minutes other than by counting the number of cars that zipped past them.

"We're going to see about finding a shopping mall to change up our appearances a bit, all right? Then we'll head to the airport."

"Walking?" Tara asked.

"No. We'll take a cab. I'd just like us to not look like us as soon as possible."

"Well you're in luck," Tara told him, trying to sound light-hearted. "Disguises are my specialty."

"Good." Logan glanced at her sideways. "You'll have to be Patty James again. Unless you have another fake ID on you somewhere?"

"No, I didn't plan that far ahead," she murmured, wondering to herself if there would ever be a day when she wouldn't have to pretend to be someone else just to stay alive. Logan didn't say anything, but he did reach out and give her hand a squeeze. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She wasn't on her own this time. It was kind of nice to have someone watching her back.