There was a small pause. “Alone?”
“No, Molly’s with me.”
Another pause. “I’ll leave Kay and Hendrix to deal with this guy and meet you halfway.”
“Oh, no, you don’t have to—”
“I’m coming back, Elle.”
Honestly, she was glad. “Okay.”
She’d just hung up when another crunching noise sounded behind them, this time louder. Elle turned in time to see something swing toward Molly. She didn’t have time to warn her friend before the rock hit Molly in the head and she dropped to the ground.
Elle gasped and fell back a step, her gaze moving from Molly, head bleeding as she lay still on the ground, back to the tattooed guy.
Boyd.
He cocked his head. “Finally got you alone.”
A part of her, such a big part, didn’t want to leave Molly here alone. But then the guy took a step toward her, and suddenly, it was fight or flight.
She ran.
“I fucking love a good hunt!” Boyd yelled.
Her feet pounded the dirt, air soaring in and out of her lungs. Fear was all she felt. It ran through her veins, heating her blood. Fear for herself. For Molly, that she wasn’t okay and needed help. She hated leaving her, but she couldn’t help herandfight the guy off.
When the start of the skywalk came into view, Elle’s gut twisted. She didn’t want to step onto it. No part of her wanted to be anywhere near the thing. But Jace was there. He said he was coming back to her, so he couldn’t be far, and if she just kept running into the woods, Boyd would catch her and Jace wouldn’t know where she was.
With a sick feeling in her belly, she ran onto the skywalk. Her heart jumped into her throat.
Don’t look down, Elle. Do not look down.
The words screamed in her head again and again.
Panic tried to choke her. Cut off her breath in her throat. But then she heard the pounding feet behind her, and suddenly getting away took up all her attention.
She ran, ignoring the fear and the tremble of her limbs, her body and mind prioritizing the bigger threat—Boyd.
She was just nearing the part of the skywalk where Jace led rappelling sessions when she noticed the gate beside the tree was open.Wideopen.
Why? Surely Jace wouldn’t have left it unsecured?
The steps behind her grew nearer, the air wheezing through her chest louder. She was just nearing the tree when a hard shove hit her in the back. She gasped and fell forward, her head hitting the skywalk hard. She tried to push up, but a kick landed on her ribs, sending her back down, closer to the edge.
“You made this hard for me, lady, but we got here in the end. And you ran straight where I wanted you.”
One more kick and she fell off the side of the skywalk, right where the opening was.
Jace moved quicklydown the skywalk. He didn’t like that Elle and Molly were walking on their own. That asshole Boyd hadn’t shown his face for a while, and maybe that had given Elle a feeling of safety. He didn’t trust it. There was something in his gut, some sick, sinking feeling telling him to get to her. To protect her.
Why the fuck had the damn kid climbed a tree and made him late?
He sped up into a jog, moving his feet faster, needing to get to her. Have eyes on her.
He’d just rounded a bend in the walk when every muscle in his body froze.
Boyd stood over Elle as she lay on the walk—the gate to the rappelling station wide fucking open.
