Free Deadly Testimony by Piper J. Drake

glanced at Kyle and bit the inside of her cheek to keep a straight face. The man looked ridiculous. But unless someone looked closely at his face, he wasn’t easily recognizable with the shock of red coming out from under the baseball cap. “Slouch. Drag your feet when we walk. Stay on my left as much as you can.”
    It was a gamble to step out on the street. But their chances were worse staying in the building. And her gut instinct was screaming at her about all the things that hadn’t gone right in the space of a few hours. Time to be less predictable.
    “Here we go.”

Chapter Seven
    “Here, go into the bathroom and take off the wig. Swap the cap for this one. Change your shirt too but keep the undershirt. Toss all of the discards into the backpack. We might use them in different combinations later.”
    Despite the strain of walking, not running, the past several blocks, Kyle smiled as he accepted the offered trilby. Isabelle was being absolutely serious. Perhaps she didn’t realize how ridiculous her demand sounded out of context, but he had to admire her focus. And he’d be more than happy to hand over the impromptu wig.
    To her credit, she’d gotten him out of the building and quietly murmured instructions as she directed him into the crowded chaos of Pike Place Market. He thought she’d wanted him dead when she’d insisted he walk. They’d become lost in the press of people and come out on the other end of the market. Without her, he’d have bolted most likely.
    “Why didn’t we run?” He’d been wondering the entire nerve-racking journey. Hadn’t asked because they were out in the open and the look in her eyes had threatened dire consequences if he stopped to ask questions.
    They’d just entered a coffee shop tucked just below street level on First Street and she’d herded him toward the restroom. It seemed to be a recurring theme today.
    “Quickest way to draw attention on a crowded street is to move at speed in the opposite direction of everyone else.” Isabelle answered him in a matter-of-fact tone, pitched low for only his ears. “So we walked. We went with the flow for a half block before breaking away in our own direction. Now change before anyone checks you out long enough to remember you the way you look now.”
    The café was only half-full. The other patrons were lingering unhurriedly over cups of coffee or espresso, reading or chatting quietly with a companion. No one was near enough to overhear them and none had given them a second glance.
    Of course, Seattle was full of unusual personalities. He rather doubted anyone would find him interesting enough to remember. But she was the expert.
    “Are we staying here long?”
    She glowered at him, clearly irritated. He only waited. He’d followed her directions to the letter earlier, without question. This was a lull in their movement and he needed a break from unquestioning obedience. Otherwise, he’d be too tempted to make a bad decision later when it might matter more.
    Or at least, that was the way he rationalized it to himself. Isabelle very likely had her own opinion on his current dallying. He struggled for a moment, on the edge of apologizing and going to do as she’d said. She was keeping him alive for God’s sake.
    And she acted like she wanted him to remain that way. There was no resentment, no dirty look, no grimace at anything they’d had to do so far. She hadn’t treated him like a job or a paycheck. She’d acted with immediate urgency, like she valued his life. Outside his actual family, she might be a first.
    Before he could apologize, she ground out an answer to his question. “Awhile. I want to log on via a private proxy server and decide on our next move. They’ll be searching the streets in a wider search pattern by now and it’d be better to be out of easy sight until we know exactly where we’re headed.”
    He breathed a sigh of relief. He could use the time to regain his balance. Then maybe he could get his