His grim resolve had him turning back toward the house. Why hadn’t Kendra and the others followed them outside? What was the cause of the explosion anyway?
“Stop!” Levy’s sharp command had him turning toward the US Marshal. His jaw dropped in shock when his gaze landed on the gun in his hand. The gun pointed directly at his chest. “You’re coming with me.”
For a moment, Dom didn’t understand. Was Levy’s job so important he’d force Dom to go with him at gunpoint?
No, that wasn’t it. A grim realization washed over him. Levy was a part of this after all.
“Move.” The gun in Levy’s hand didn’t waver. “I’ll shoot you here and now if necessary. I’ll tell the others you went crazy, lashing out at me, forcing me to defend myself.”
Dom swallowed hard. “Kendra will never believe that.”
Levy shrugged. “Doesn’t matter as long as Griff and Raine buy my story.”
Was he right? Dom didn’t know Kendra’s family very well, other than they were super protective of her. Would they believe her over a US Marshal? Maybe not.
Casting one last glance over his shoulder, Dom reluctantly moved forward. Now that he knew Levy was involved, going along with him might keep Kendra safe. Unless, of course, Levy intended to return to the Sullivan ranch later to finish the job.
He’d need to find a way to escape. How, he wasn’t sure. If only he’d insisted on having a weapon!
“Faster,” Levy ordered. “We need to distance ourselves from the rest.”
“Why are you doing this?” Dom strove to remain calm. Getting away from the log cabin was fine with him. The farther he could get Levy away from Kendra and the others, the better. But he wasn’t going to give up without a fight. No matter what. “Is this about money? Or something else?”
“Shut up and keep walking.” Levy kept his distance, the nose of the gun still trained on his chest. “Hurry. Our ride will be waiting for us.”
“What ride?” He strove to keep Levy talking. “Who’s waiting for us? Bartoli? Is he the man who hired you?”
“I thought you and the Sullivans knew more than you did,” Levy admitted. “I guess that idiot didn’t pass along as much information as we feared.”
“So why not let us go?” Even as Dom asked the question, he knew it was too late for that. Too many people had already died over this—whatever this was.
“Hurry.” Levy’s expression was stern. “We should reach the road soon. It curves around, making it easier to hide our backup plan.” The US Marshal smirked. “You never suspected me after I played my role perfectly, did you?”
“No, I didn’t.” Dom wanted to kick himself for letting his guard down. Yet the gunfire that erupted outside their previous rental property had convinced him the guy was in the clear. Now he knew that was nothing more than a setup. A way to convince them all that Levy was one of the good guys.
He wasn’t. But that was his problem now. Dom pushed forward, hoping and praying Kendra would be safe with him and Levy out of the picture.
At least for now.
As they continued walking, Dom realized Levy was right about the road. Through a pair of towering trees, he saw a large dark truck sitting off on the side of the snowy highway. He was too far away to say for sure, but he figured it was the GMC Sierra with the snow-covered license plate.
Driven, no doubt, by the relentless gunman who’d been tracking him since he arrived at the Redwood Motel. It seemed like eons ago that he’d been targeted near his vehicle. Was his truck still at the motel? Probably.
Kendra had mentioned doing a search and rescue mission near the Redwood, finding the lost woman who turned out to be Jennifer. What was her last name? Why couldn’t he figure out where he’d seen her before?
“Move it!” Levy’s sharp tone made Dom realize his steps had slowed to a stop. Now that they’d gotten this close to their destination, he was loath to get inside the truck. He preferred being outside than crammed inside the vehicle. Besides, getting in with two armed men did not seem like a smart move. “I prefer to keep you alive but will shoot if you keep stalling.”
“I, uh”—Dom turned toward Levy—“can we talk about this? I swear I’m not a threat to you or to Bartoli.”
“How’s this for talking? Get in the truck!” Levy lifted the gun, holding it with two hands so that the muzzle was pointed at his face. Normally, staring at a loaded weapon this close would have frozen Dom with fear. He’d never been shot and wasn’t eager to try the experience now. Yet oddly, a sense of calm washed over him. Maybe Kendra’s faith in God had rubbed off on him, because he wasn’t afraid of this man at all.
If he died today, he hoped and prayed he could take Levy down with him.
“Dominic!” The faint sound of Kendra calling his name offered the distraction he needed. When Levy glanced around to find the source of the shout, Dom lunged forward, swinging the computer down with both hands, striking Levy’s wrists with a loud crack. He was taller than the marshal, and having longer limbs worked to his advantage.
Screaming in pain and fury, Levy dropped the gun. Without hesitation, Dom shoved Levy, sending him tumbling backward, before turning and sprinting toward the woods. There wasn’t a second to waste. Hunching his shoulders, Dom silently prayed as he ran, his long stride taking him quickly toward safety, even as he fully anticipated a bullet from the gunman inside the truck would strike the center of his back at any moment.
Killing him.
