“Why did you keep a gun in a bank safe-deposit box? Is it loaded? I’m not sure this is a good idea. Let’s just go,” Elena argued.
“It is, but it’s fine. Stop being silly. I’ll talk to him and I’ll ask him to put the gun in his car. Like I said, long story, but trust me, okay?”
“Fine.” Elena’s heart pounded. She hated guns and she didn’t like this situation. But what could she do? She was stuck here now. Any regrets she had were too late.
CHAPTER SIX
Elena watched as a tall guy unfolded out of the vehicle. She knew that Josh was a big guy—Amber had said around six-five or something like that.
A look of confusion crossed Amber’s face and she pointed the gun at the man. He snatched it from her, aiming the weapon back at her. This was not what Elena had expected. Wasn’t Amber supposed to give him the gun and ask him to put it in the car? Was that another person in the passenger seat? Or not? It was hard to tell.
The sun had moved into a position where the light reflected off the snow and was now blinding. Elena had to look away.
Amber stepped back, little by little, her hands raised and shaking. Elena sank down in the seat a little bit more, the uneasy feeling coming over her stronger. Something wasn’t right. Maybe this Josh guy hadn’t changed.
The sun set a little bit more. The blinding light let up enough for Elena to see better. Amber was shaking her head, and based on her body language, she was pleading.
What the heck?Elena crouched down in her seat as much as she could. Did this ex-fiancé of Amber’s know she was here? Now she hoped not.
Crack.
The gunshot echoed through the mountains. Elena screamed. Amber fell to the ground. Shaking, Elena couldn’t move. The sight of Amber being shot brought back her memory of watching her father murder her mother during one of their arguments.
The man crept toward the Jeep, gun still in his hand, trying to get a better look inside.
Elena scrambled to the driver’s side only to discover the keys weren’t in the ignition. Crap. Amber must have them.
Gunshots echoed again as the car was struck and bullets whizzed by. Elena knew that cars didn’t stop bullets unless you were the president in an armored vehicle. She had to run.
Grabbing her backpack with all her information on the case, Elena scrambled out, keeping the vehicle between her and the man shooting. When would he run out of bullets?
The gunshots were deafening and not letting up. She’d been a cross-country star in high school. She’d even trained and tried out for the USA Track and Field Championships, almost making the team. But right now, she needed to sprint.
For her life.
For a moment, the gunshots stopped and Elena took her chance. When she ran cross-country, the courses did take her off-road, up hills and on grass. It seemed like it should be good preparation for the terrain now. But the mountains were a different story. Her feet slid in snow that had melted during the day and would freeze again soon. If there wasn’t snow, there was mud, branches and rocks across the area tripping her up.
Run.
Run.
Run.
Elena kept the mantra going through her head. She tried to stay as low as possible. Luckily, she was petite and for once she was happy about her size. Smaller made a difficult target.
Her breath came short and hard, but she could hear the man behind her, cursing as he pursued her. He too had to navigate the terrain. Starting to get used to the uneven footing and slick surface, Elena came to a steep drop. If she lost her footing, there was a good chance she could tumble down this hill. Maybe even to her death if she struck her head.
But the sound of the man chasing her and coming close made her decide she had to take her chances. She’d rather die from hitting her head than some guy brutally murdering her like he did Amber.
Elena started down the steep mountainside, immediately wondering if she should have tried outrunning him. She slid, landing on her butt a few times, but she mostly managed to keep her feet under her and not trip. As she continued, she tried to keep herself balanced. She could hear sounds of cursing and now two men yelling at each other. Therewasanother person.
She was starting to feel optimistic until she had to stop suddenly for a cliff. Pulling up and holding on to a branch from a giant evergreen, Elena peered down. A couple small rocks rolled by and off. It took a couple seconds before she heard them hit the bottom.
Going farther down was not an option.
Elena carefully navigated along the edge. She thought the men had heard the stones falling. If she could find the right place, she could hide and wait them out. Maybe they would think she had rolled off the cliff edge too.
Her breathing was short and hard, not used to the altitude.
