Time to lay low and figure a way out of this.

The door flies open and you wince for a second expecting the alarm to go off. When it doesn't, you follow Jules into the alley. It's about 12 feet wide with a black asphalt road surface. You see a black four-door car parked near the door but the two of you rush past it heading toward Second Street. You leave the alley and merge with the crowd on the sidewalk. Jules leads you a few blocks north to an ATM.

"Ok, Red. I'm playing it safe now," she puts her card in and starts hitting buttons. "It's your money but cards are pretty easy to track. So I'm pulling my max and leaving the trail cold for a bit. I suggest you do the same. I'd turn the phone off and not use it for a while too."

She grabs a wad of cash and stuffs it in her purse and moves aside so you can do the same.

"What now though, Jules? I mean where to go and what to do?" You ask as you slip your withdrawal into your bag. She grabs your hand and leads you south.

"You may be safe, Simone, at least for now."

"Why do you say that?" You ask a bit confused.

"Well, the thug in the office called you, Tiffany. The only time I know of you went by that name was in the park. That was what I called you for the game there so that's where they know you from."

"I heard him say it but I kinda blanked on where it was from. I just guessed it was some Latino nickname or something. I mean he did call me a puta."

"Since they aren't cops, I'm guessing they're connected to Umberto. When I was talking to him before the cops showed up, that's who I told him you were. I mean why did they need a real name? I'm glad I did. It may give you time to get on your plane tomorrow and get back to Oregon. We may only be alive because of the police you know. Umberto may have planned to kill us out there. I guess I should say deal with us because I'm still not sure what their plan is. I mean that guy could have just shot us in the office."

"Yeah about that. I'm not so sure splitting up is a safe thing to do here. I mean they're going to figure me out eventually and picking us off alone and **** might make their jobs a bit easier. Find us a private place to relax for a bit and I may have an idea though, Jules."

"That'll be a little bit, Red. I want to put blocks and blocks between us and the club. We'll be hoofing it for a bit."

Jules drags you into a small local shoe store and 15 minutes later both of you are walking down the street in new sneakers. Jules tossed her old shoes, your mules ended up in your gym bag. You still love those things but maybe it's best to stick to sneakers for long hikes.

The blonde was true to her word. After walking many blocks for about two hours, she takes a seat on a decorative sidewalk bench.

Jules looks over at you as you sit next to her.

"How much privacy do you need and how much time?"

"Enough that we can have a conversation for long enough for me to run the idea by you first. You may see a problem I don't. Then probably at least another 15 minutes. I have my spy gear with me," you wink at her and she laughs.

"Ok, angel. I'm game. There's a Fairfield Inn two blocks away and a room there probably doesn't cost more than $70 a night. It isn't a luxury place like you've been staying at here but it'll be private. If there's a chance you can pull off a miracle, I'll spring for a room."

She gets up and leads you through the maze of streets until you reach the small hotel. A few minutes at the desk gets you a rental for about $65. You hurry upstairs and into the room. It's a small two-room set up with a bed, couch, and TV in the main room and a small bathroom off to the side. You ignore all that, smile, and start digging through your gym bag. You pull out the black case, open it, and pull out the pink terminal. You flip it open, attach the USB device but don't turn it on.

"This is my work terminal," you say to Jules. "My employer provided it. It has its own cell connection that they pay for. I don't think there is any way to link it to me just by looking at cell records and stuff since it isn't in my name. Of course, I can't use it as a phone, I can only contact the company website or my agent. I can send an email with it though."

The blonde nods, "That's a pretty neat trick. Put it away."

You look up at her.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Not that I can think of, but let's not rush it. We can both shower and then relax for a bit. If it still seems like a good idea in an hour or two, you can give it a shot. It'll give us a bit of time to see if we can think of anything better anyway. I'm totally out of ideas."

Jules stretches and walks toward the bathroom.

"My idea so I get the shower first!"

You put the case away and sit on the couch. It doesn't take long to surf over to HGTV and see what the rich folks are buying. Once the two of you are showered and rested you can formulate a plan. You hope it's that easy anyway. . .