FORTY-FIVE
T
his felt bad.Was someone spying on her?Following her?
“Come on,” she said to Rufus, breaking into a jog.With everything else that had happened to her, she wasn’t hanging around to see if this was related.
The trail widened up ahead.From there, it was less than a quarter mile to the parking lot.
The buzzing of the drone stayed constantly nearby as she moved, though she never caught sight of it.Whether it represented a possible threat or not, she was still getting out of here in a hurry.
Through a gap in the trees in the distance, she saw her car parked by itself in the gravel lot and breathed a little easier.This was the only place to park for miles, from here all the way back to the turnoff to the highway.No other vehicles meant that whoever was operating the drone had to be doing so remotely.
Unless they’d come in on a motorbike or something they’d hidden out of view.
She quickly put Rufus in the backseat, got in, and locked the doors before starting the engine, her pulse slowing now that she was safely in her vehicle.Giving her silenced phone a cursory glance, she saw she had weak reception.
There were two missed calls from Tripp.One from his dad.And one from Bronwyn after their call had dropped.
Not feeling like talking anymore at the moment, she pulled out of the lot to begin the twenty-minute drive back to town.
She didn’t see any other vehicle on the road leading to the turnoff.Calm settled over her, followed by a sudden wave of exhaustion.
God, she felt hollowed out.Just wanted to be home alone in her little house to run a hot bath, then wrap herself up in her robe and zone out on the couch with a movie, wine and chocolate.With Rufus curled up at her feet.
Thick forest towered over her on the left, the access road twisting as it wound its way along the edge of a steep cliff that dropped off sharply on the passenger side.
Just as she started around the final curve before the turnoff, a white truck came flying around the bend, less than twenty yards away in the middle of the road, aiming right for her.
With nowhere to go, she slammed on the brakes and wrenched the wheel sharply to the right, her tires skidding over the loose gravel.
The truck knocked her side mirror off as it shot past her, but the desperate maneuver narrowly avoided a head-on collision.
“Jesus,” she blurted, heart thudding as her gaze cut to the rearview mirror.
The truck had skidded to a halt a few dozen yards behind her.Before she could process everything, its reverse lights came on.
It swung around in a tight arc before shooting forward and speeding right at her again.
“Oh my God,” she cried, yanking the steering wheel to the left and hitting the gas.
Not an accident.Deliberate.This asshole was trying to run her off the road.
The truck came roaring after her, its powerful engine and large tires eating up the distance between them.
The island police force was small and stretched thin.She needed helpnow.
Without stopping to think about it, she dialed Tripp.
“Willow?”he answered, sounding worried.
Hearing his voice made her throat tighten.“A white pickup is chasing me, just tried to run me off the road,” she blurted, another jolt of fear streaking through her as she pressed down harder on the accelerator.Racing as fast as she dared on the curving gravel road to the turnoff up ahead.
“Where are you?”His voice was urgent.
