Page 61 of Witness Security Breach

Both women frantically looked around, spinning in circles.

The redhead hit her friend and pointed at Aiden and Charlie. “That’s them.”

Aiden’s chest clutched. He and Charlie froze for an instant and exchanged a glance. His mind raced to process what was happening, but there was no time to figure it out.

“That’s them,” the black woman said. “Report it.”

The redhead started typing on her phone.

Charlie gestured to a massive open-air shopping complex that spanned several city blocks. They bolted across the street, skirting around vehicles.

A black smart car raced around the corner, lights flashing on top. Across the hood and side were the emblems of wings, a star and the words FQ Task Force New Orleans Police Dept.

Aiden and Charlie darted underneath the archway of the French Market as a second black task force car came zooming toward them from the other end of the street.

Rows of kiosks with vendors selling goods stretched out before them. They cut through the throng of shoppers, weaving their way around stands, hoping to blend in. Customers were absorbed in browsing and buying. Merchants focused on making sales.

The tawdry flea market was a veritable tourist trap, sitting at the edge of the Mississippi River, jam-packed with out-of-towners who didn’t bat a lash at them.

Charlie spotted something, took his hand and led him to a bank of specialty shops. He didn’t pull away. This was only about survival. Nothing more.

With his head on a swivel, looking for cops or anyone staring at them, he didn’t understand what she was thinking until she pushed through the door of the store.

It was a costume shop.

“I’ll wait out here.” Not only to keep watch, but the store owner would be less likely to recognize or remember Charlie on her own if the proprietor had got the same notification.

Whatever alert the women across the street had received was about the two of them, together. So far, it didn’t seem as if anyone in the market had noticed them. But that might not last much longer.

He glimpsed two cops working their way through the open-air enclave. More flashing lights stopped along the main street adjacent to the colonnade.

The seconds ticked down and his pulse kicked up.

Efficient as always, Charlie came out of the shop a minute later, carrying a bag. They pressed through the shopping colonnade, ducking into the first bathroom they came across—a unisex, single-occupancy room. She slipped on a short brown wig, tucking stray blond strands up inside, and a long-sleeve red shirt that transformed her into a stranger.

“Good work, Killinger,” he said, her surname sliding from his lips before he could stop it.

This wasn’t the time for him to deliberately rile her up by giving her the cold shoulder. To get through this, they had to act like a team, even if they weren’t going to be partners for much longer.

To his surprise, she didn’t roll her eyes or flinch or say anything at all. She dug into the bag and pulled out another hairpiece for him.

Charlie pulled the long black wig on Aiden. Her fingers caressed his forehead and cheeks as she straightened it, pulling errant strands from his face.

She took in a sharp breath, holding his gaze. Her piercing blue eyes were vibrant and inscrutable. It made his heart ache to look at her.

Then the ache deepened and spread when she cupped his jaw, rose on the balls of her feet and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss was soft, closed-mouth, but searing.

Relief flooded him and he hated her for it, because there was no escaping that, deep down, he never wanted to be separated from her.

She settled back on her feet and glared at him. “Don’t ever call me Killinger again.” Then she threw a playful sucker punch to his gut.

Not hard enough to hurt, but a grunt escaped him nonetheless.

He glanced in the mirror. The straight shoulder-length hair reminded him of how he used to wear his own when he was much younger.

She handed him sunglasses, a green button-up that he threw over his T-shirt and a new ball cap since he’d lost his other one during the fight with Devlin.