Free Ashen Rayne (Shadowlands Book 1) by Skye Knizley Page B

headed east on 934. He merged onto I-95 south and accelerated well above the speed limit.
    Rock sped up as well, staying one lane to the right of Murphy and keeping him in sight while not appearing to be speeding. Behind him, Ashley smiled. Smoak had chosen him for his heart, his skills were a bonus Ashley was often grateful for. He was as much a part of Shadowlands as anyone.
    Ten minutes later, Murphy again changed direction, this time merging onto 395 toward the MacArthur Causeway. Rock followed at a reasonable distance, slowing to cross through early morning traffic and then accelerating to keep the speeding Audi in view.
    They continued playing follow the leader for several long minutes, heading toward Miami-Dade harbor in a round-about way. Murphy was trying to make sure he didn’t have a tail, but his driving indicated he was reacting on autopilot. Ashley was certain he hadn’t spotted them, otherwise, he wouldn’t have continued toward what was an obvious destination—the docks.
    “Back off a little,” Ashley said. “Even Murphy will notice if we follow him down there this early in the morning. Take the outer road, I’m betting he’s going toward the southern end near the international containers. Security is light down there.”
    Rock nodded his agreement and slowed down, letting the Audi turn off well ahead of them. Ashley watched for a moment then began undressing. She caught Rock’s eyes in the rearview mirror and smiled.
    “I know, you’re wondering why I’m taking off my clothes. I won’t be doing much sneaking around the docks in a white suit, so I’m going to change while you drive. Try not to hit anything, huh?”
    Rock blushed and guided the truck back onto the road, one finger scratching his ear.
    Still smiling, Ashley dragged a pack from the rear of the truck and pulled out a pair of black BDU pants, a tank top and a pair of her favorite Bates combat boots. She was dressed by the time Rock parked the Tahoe at the far end of the dock behind a row of train cars waiting to be uncoupled and moved. Ashley slid a Sig-Sauer P239 nine-millimeter pistol into the holster on her right leg and climbed out of the truck into the warm early morning air. She tapped on Rock’s window and looked around at the storage containers and the distant guard-shack. They only had ten or fifteen minutes before someone came back asking dumb questions. Rock rolled the window down and raised an eyebrow.
    “Stay here, keep the engine running and pretend you’re reading or something if the guard comes by,” she said. “Whatever you do, don’t let them make you move or I will never find you.”
    “Yes, Miss. Should I let Miss Kamryn know where you are?” Rock asked.
    Ashley shook her head. “Not unless I don’t come back. Then call her in.”
    Rock didn’t look happy. “As you wish.”
    “Relax, Rock. SK ain’t the only one who can kick a little ass.”
    Ashley kissed his cheek and ran off toward the train cars. Beyond them was a chain link fence that separated the public area from the storage containers waiting to be loaded onto cargo ships bound for Europe. She vaulted the coupler between two cars and jogged to the fence, her eyes scanning back and forth for any hint of danger. It looked quiet, but she could feel the breeze on her face and sense the fence shaking under her fingertips.
    She gripped the wire between her fingers and scurried up and over the top, dropping to her feet and rolling, letting the ground absorb the impact. She knelt in the long grass for a long moment, making sure she hadn’t been noticed. Seeing nothing, she jumped to her feet and ran toward the nearest set of storage containers, using the shadow of the four-high stack to hide her movement. When she reached the safety of the container, she moved along the side toward where they’d last seen Murphy’s Audi.
    Ashley picked her way down the narrow space between the containers and the fence, alternating between trailing her fingers on