“Okay. Okay. You don’t have to talk.” Zach pounded his fist against the steering wheel. Someone had already gotten to her, and he’d make sure whoever it was would never touch her again.
He’d done this. He’d put her in danger. He’d promised to protect her, but he only knew how to hurt.
He sped through every intersection and ignored every speed limit as the snow swirled between him and the woman he absolutely could not lose.
Focusing on the sound of her breathing throughthe speaker, he checked the map on his phone as his dot moved toward hers. When he turned onto Sumpter Road, he scanned the area lit up by his headlights. “Okay, angel. I need you to tell me where you are. I’m getting close.”
“There’s a path on the right side, and I parked behind a gray car.” She whimpered, and her voice cracked. “Then I walked past the car on the path and…and I fell. On the left side down a hill.”
Zach cursed. He’d been doing a good job of controlling his language, but Lauren was spinning his thoughts out of control. He knew exactly where she was, and he had to get her out of there immediately.
When he approached the drive, he slid to a stop on the side of the road and jumped out of the truck. He kept the phone pressed to his ear. “You still with me?”
“Yes.” The word was shaky, but he’d take any proof of life she could give him.
Sleet pelted his face as he jogged past her car and the old Camry the guys used as a runner. Turning on his phone’s flashlight, he followed a trail of footprints in the slushy snow. When the lead ended, he turned the light toward the trees. “Lauren,” he said, careful not to yell and attract any attention—clinging to the hope her fall hadn’t already alerted the whole area.
“Down here. I see your light.”
He reached for a thin tree trunk and scrambled down the embankment. A path was cleared through the snow where she’d fallen, and he picked up thepace. He reached from tree to tree, scanning every direction for signs he was being watched.
When the light hit her, his throat constricted. Lauren lay on her side with a tree at her back. Her left sleeve was drenched in dark blood. Dirt, snow, and leaves covered her from head to toe.
He squatted beside her, moving the flashlight to assess her. “We have to get you out of here. What hurts?”
Lauren reached for his hand and squeezed. “Everything. Just help me up.”
“Don’t move.” He released her hand and slid his arms under her shoulders and legs. Bracing his knee on the cold ground, he slowly lifted her into a cradle against his chest. She leaned her head against his shoulder as the warmth melted out of his body and into hers.
“Stay with me, angel. You’re doing great.” His pep talk was as much for him as it was for her. He had to believe they’d make it out of here before anyone spotted them and before the storm. There wasn’t any other option. Her body was wet and freezing, but she wasn’t shivering. That probably wasn’t a good sign.
The trek up the hill was brutal. Lauren whimpered whenever he slipped, but they were on a strict timeline. When they reached the top of the embankment, he picked up the pace, jogging past the sedan. He stopped by the passenger side of her car and opened it with the hand cradling her legs.
“I’m going to try my best not to hurt you, but you have to get in the car.”
That was another thing he had to get out of here. If anyone ran her tag number, they’d know who she was in an instant. Leaving his truck parked close to the warehouse wouldn’t rouse any suspicion.
Slowly, he lowered her to the seat as she clung to his back. By the time she was settled, tears streamed through the dirt on her face.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered just before he closed the door and ran to the other side.
He started the car and backed out onto the road. A few inches of snow covered the road, and it continued to fall faster. They weren’t far from her house, but the storm was rolling in quickly.
Once they were on the road, he reached for her hand. “Tell me you’re okay,” he demanded.
“I’m okay.” At least she was shivering now.
He couldn’t see her in the darkness, but maybe that was for the best. He’d lose what was left of his sanity if he didn’t focus on the road. He turned the heat up in the car, but only cold air blasted from the vents.
“What do I do?” His thoughts were coming out of his mouth, but he wasn’t sure who he was talking to.
He passed a sign that was barely recognizable in the torrential snow, but he knew what was written on it. Fifteen miles to Silver Falls.
A memory of all the times Matt Benson had prayed flashed to the front of Zach’s mind. Couldhe pray? If there was ever a time he’d needed to plead to the Almighty, it was now.
God, I don’t know how this works, but I hope You can hear me. You have to save Lauren. She’s the best person I know, and she shouldn’t be in pain.
He was so absolutely helpless. There wasn’t a single thing he could do right now to give her peace or make her comfortable, and the lack of control had his blood boiling, rushing through his veins, ready todo something.
