Page 15 of Innocent Target

However, little Abbie wasn’t feeling very cooperative. Two hours before they were due to depart, she started screaming at the top of her lungs. Mercy almost fell off the sofa, her voice surprisingly powerful for someone so small.

Like a zombie, James did the basics of changing her, giving her a bottle that she refused, and pacing with his niece, trying to calm her down.

Mercy tried her best to help but felt helpless. They tried to put her down, switched carriers, and when nothing helped, James decided to head to Daytona right away, hoping that the car ride would work its magic.

The rest of the team had called to say they would meet them in Daytona as they had a lead on Scorpion and were taking a detour.

An hour before they arrived and probably exhausted, Abbie fell into a fitful asleep. One look at James confirmed how tired the man was, tired and deeply worried. There was a lot on his shoulders, and still, he soldiered on.

As they were earlier than expected, they called the lab, in the hope of speeding up the process.

For once, they were in luck, the technician living nearby. Nick, Caitlin, and Knight were still on their way and would arrive when the entire procedure was completed.

The sun was barely over the treetops when they got out of the lab, Abbie screaming at the top of her lungs, unhappy at having been swabbed and pricked at for science.

Mercy grabbed the car keys and instructed James to sit in the back. Maybe him keeping close to her would somehow calm the baby down. The way James hopped in the back without a word, showed they had both run out of ideas, and were running on fumes instead of much-needed sleep.

As she pulled into traffic, Mercy made a quick call to the team. Nick answered at the first ring. “Hey, we’re five minutes out. I can hear the baby is alive and well.”

Mercy glanced in the rear-view mirror at James, to see a worried expression on his face. “Yes, she’s not happy at the moment. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but we’re heading back.”

There was some sort of shuffle, and what she believed was a curse over the speakerphone. “You should have given us a heads up.”

“Abbie made the change, Nick. If you disagree, you’ll have to take it up with her, diapers and all.”

Caitlin was laughing in the background, and that made Mercy smile.

As she took a look in her mirrors again to check on James, it was the traffic that drew her attention. Through the increasing number of vehicles, she spotted two bikers at a distance and several cars behind them. It could mean nothing; they could just be going about their business like everyone else. However, with the current circumstances, she couldn’t dismiss their appearance so quickly, especially so early in the day.

“Are you guys coming from the 95?”

The question seemed innocent, but James peeked up from Abbie, whom he’d finally been able to calm down.

“Why are you asking?”

She took the next turn and saw the entrance to the interstate. “I may be wrong, but I’m about to find out if we’ve picked up a tail.”

Immediately, James looked back, making it look as if he was leaning over Abbie. “The two riding about a quarter-mile back?”

Mercy kept her speed constant. “Yeah. I couldn’t get a clear look, but I swear they appeared as soon as we got in the car after the lab.”

Nick came back on. “I’m synching with your GPS. You’re five minutes from us, we should have a visual on the two bikers any second.”

If the bikers followed, it meant that either they’d been very unlucky, or someone had gotten wind of their intention. Being pessimistic in this situation wasn’t too far-fetched—only one way to prove her theory and hopefully she was wrong. “I’m going to exit at the next interchange and take the 95 south.”

“Wait for us, Mercy, we’re almost on target.”

“I can’t risk letting them know we suspect them. If you arrive like the cavalry, and they probably already know who we are, there’s a risk they could start shooting. Our car can’t outrun modified Harleys, and I have Abbie. If I exit and return on the interstate, we’ll have our confirmation. And if they are after us, we have a better chance to lose them in Daytona Beach. I’m about to exit. You guys, wait at the exit for the Speedway. I’m staying on the line.”

James locked his gaze over the mirror, clearly unhappy about the situation, but trusting her behind the wheel.

“How’s Abbie holding on?”

“Sleeping. Which is good if you’re right.”

Mercy smiled. “And how’s her uncle?”

James frowned. “He’ll probably have a conversation with the driver when this is all over.”