Free Drive by Karina Gioertz Page A

for the cops to find?”
    Jordan could see his outline behind the shower curtain as he brushed the water from his face with his hands before he answered, “They could have…but they would have had to work fast to find a body similar to yours and then destroy it to the point it couldn’t be identified, plus, they would have nothing to gain from it other than another crime that could possibly be pinned on them in the long run.”
    “What if they did it as a trap, you know, to get me to call home?” she asked, but even before she heard the words she could see him shaking his head.
    “They know you’re with me and they know I would never let you do that.”
    Jordan heard the water shut off and watched as Sawyer’s hand reached out to pull back the shower curtain. If she hadn’t still been so pissed, she’d have thoroughly enjoyed the view of him standing there wearing nothing but the beads of water that rested on his muscular body and the mischievous grin that appeared on his lips the second he noticed she was no longer keeping her gaze at eye level. As it was, she was in no mood to have any thoughts of Sawyer that were even the least bit flattering to him.
    “Okay, well, since all of my ideas are apparently stupid, why don’t you tell me your theories then?!” she said sounding far too flustered given the conversation.
    Sawyer had just finished fastening a towel around his waist.
    “I never said your ideas were stupid. I just don’t think they’re likely. The truth is , I don’t know who would leak that kind of false information to the media. The only thing I keep coming back to is that they’re doing it to protect you,” he said moving past her in the doorway. Even though they didn’t actually touch, Jordan felt a rush of warm air tease her skin as he walked by. The scent of soap and fresh laundry reached her nose, and for just the briefest of moments she allowed herself to close her eyes and inhale him while his back was turned.
    “Protect me how?” Jordan asked, her anger fading with each breath she took in. It was as if he was some sort of a drug she was getting high on, hooked after just one taste. Pathetic , she scolded herself.
                  “Because it would keep the wrong kind of people from looking for you if they thought you were already out of the picture, see?” Sawyer was busy talking to her reflection in the mirror while trying to examine his shoulder at the same time. He had considered asking Jordan to do it, but given her foul mood at the present he had opted against asking for any additional favors.
                  She watched as he struggled with the bandaging for a bit, using only the one hand.
                  “You look ridiculous,” she snorted after a minute. “Here, let me do it.”
                  Jordan didn’t wait for an answer. She simply slapped Sawyer’s good hand out of the way and went straight to work. The wound was looking good all things considered.
                  “So what now?” she asked after working quietly for some time.
                  “We stick to the original plan. You make the call to my contact and we take it from there. His name is Gary, Gary Mortison. I started writing down what you need to say while you were still sleeping. You don’t have to get it word for word or anything; just enough so he can figure out that the message is coded.”
                  Jordan watched as he broke away from her and walked over toward the bedside table to retrieve a small notepad and pen. He held it out to her and explained, “I worked my badge number into it, along with our location. It should be just enough for him to figure out where we are, but not enough for anyone else who may be listening, to understand.” He paused, hesitant to finish his thoughts out loud. “There’s one more thing.”
                  Jordan frowned,