BRIAR
I runafter Koen’s bike like I stand a chance of catching him, before stumbling over a rock and hitting the ground hard. I press my ripped-up palms against the unforgiving dirt, and scream.
He left me.
He left me, and he tookher.
Remi.
He could have killed me, but instead he left me out here. The temperature has been steadily dropping, and the smell of snow is heavy in the air. This could still be a death sentence, just not one at his hand.
I have no idea where I am, and I’m not dressed for the weather. I’m thankful, at least, that Koen didn’t take his sweatshirt back before he bailed. I barely survived the ride on the back of Koen’s bike; at least then I had the heat emanating from him to get me by. I could freeze before I find my way out of these woods. Taking my chances on the main road is a risk. Giovanni—or the Russians Koen keeps talking about—may be after us and out scouring the roads for survivors.
Even if I make it out alive, I know, without a shadow of a doubt,I’ll never find her.Not if he doesn’t want me to.
I don’t get up.
Instead, I punch the earth. Experiencing instant regret when searing pain shoots through my knuckles, unleashing the waterworks I’ve been holding at bay.
Not like this.
All I can think about is how scared Remi must be. And how she won’t understand when I just disappear from her life.
Light floods the road up ahead, and holding up a hand, I have to squint my eyes to deal with the sudden brightness.
Headlights.
I freeze, uncertainty washing over me.Headlights on this abandoned road in the middle of nowhere?
A black SUV comes into focus, traveling slowly down the narrow road, coming to a stop just in front of me. I sit back on my heels, knowing there’s no way a random car just stumbled across me.No, this has got to be the Irish back for more, or Giovanni’s men have tracked me down, and I’m not overly eager to find out which.
The driver’s side window rolls down, and a familiar face pops out of it.
“Get in the car, B!” Liam calls, and I can hear the SUV’s doors unlocking.
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I scramble to my feet, running for the back door just as it swings open.
I can’t help the sobs of relief that escape me when I find Remi’s anxious face staring back at me.
“Mommy?”
“Baby!”
I dive forward, scooping my daughter off of who I think is Aidan’s lap and hugging her close. She clings to me, her arms and legs wrapped around me tight.She’s okay.She looks tired, but no worse for wear, considering. My sense of self slowly returns, as the initial flood of relief ebbs away. Peeking over Remi’s hair, I find four faces staring back at me.
Liam is driving, and Alex sits up front—the O’Rourke’s unofficial brother. I’ve met him a couple of times with Koen. Liam’s grinning as he watches me, and I eye him nervously—seeing as how I almost gothimkilled, he has even more reason to hate me than his brother does.
Looking into the back, I confirm I did, in fact, rip my daughter off the lap of Aidan O’Rourke, and I recognize his wife, Rory, sitting on the other side of him, giving me a reassuring smile.
“Everybody remembers Briar, right?”
My eyes narrow at Liam’s introduction, internally debating whether or not hightailing it through the woods while clutching my daughter is a sensible plan, given the circumstances.
“And Briar, you remember everybody?”
I grip Remi tighter, and she lets out a little groan of protest.
“Make room for Briar, guys,” Liam prods, and I watch as Aidan and Rory vacate the second row in favor of the third, but I stay frozen outside in the cold, paralyzed with indecision.
