“And where are we going?” She watched the scenery fly by, noticing the road sign she’d spied not long ago when she’d been sitting in Reid’s truck on the way to the fairgrounds.
Maybe that’s where he was taking her. Back to a place he was familiar with, where he’d been while stalking Dana. She andReid had assumed he’d stayed close to the rodeo circuit, slept somewhere he’d been before. It made sense he’d been close to the fairgrounds all along.
She made mental note of all the places she’d gone when visiting the rodeo with her parents. If she could get away from him, there were a dozen places she could hide—places she could find help.
“Someplace special. Someplace where we can be completely alone.”
The turn to the fairgrounds passed by her window and crushed her plan before she’d fully gotten it off the ground.
She had to shake off her disappointment and figure out another idea. If she was going to escape, she needed to buy some time. Distract him and maybe make him believe she bought into his twisted delusion. “I appreciate the effort you’ve put in, but I’m not sure how comfortable I am taking things to such an intimate level when I don’t know much about you.”
He snorted. “With those posters plastered all over town, I bet you know plenty.” He patted her leg then snaked his hand to rest at the back of her neck. “You’re so tense. Don’t you worry. I’ll make sure and wipe all that stress away when we get where we’re going.”
She suppressed a shudder. She didn’t need to give him any more reasons to be annoyed. She forced a laugh that came out clipped and brittle. “I’ve been so busy, I haven’t seen any posters. Why don’t you tell me what brought you to Cloud Valley?”
His fingers gently dipped into her stiff muscles at her neck. “Apparently, fate.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
He blew out a long breath and shook his head. “My wife left me, and I thought it was the end of the world. But I followed fate to this pretty little town, leading me right to your doorstep. NowI can show you what the others didn’t want to see. I can love you the way they wouldn’t let me love them.”
Dread pushed her past her limit. She couldn’t sit alone in this truck and listen to a murderer spouting nonsense about love. His nearness made her skin itch, and she stared at the door handle, contemplating her options.
He hadn’t used a weapon on her—hell, he hadn’t even shown her one. If she could wait until the truck slowed, maybe she could hurl herself out of the vehicle and run. Without a weapon of her own, it might be her best chance of escape.
“So will you?” he asked, bringing her back to the moment.
She swallowed hard. “Will I what?”
“Let me love you?”
Forcing a tight smile, she nodded. “Sure.”
“Good, because we’re almost there.”
He turned onto a familiar road, and she straightened in her seat. He was taking her to her favorite park. She knew these woods better than anyone. All she had to do was get away from him and get a big enough head start to find all her favorite hiding spots—places she used to hole up in as a child while playing with her father.
The empty parking lot loomed ahead, but Tyson drove past, opting to bump along a narrow trail that wove through the trees. He removed his hand from her neck, circling both fists around the steering wheel. The truck slowed as he navigated around upturned roots and over bumpy terrain.
Now was her chance. Steeling her nerves, she slowly inched her fingers toward the handle. Her pulse thundered like crazy in her ears, and she’d swear he could hear the frantic pounding of her heart. Keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead, she closed her hand around the cool metal.
“You’re going to love what I have planned. I promise you. This will be a day you’ll never forget. As long as you live. I promise—”
Before he could finish, she threw open the door and launched herself out of the truck. She slammed against the ground, skidding over loose stone and dirt, the impact knocking the air from her lungs.
The truck screeched to a stop.
Without wasting another second, she staggered to her feet and ran.
Chapter 25
With Eve nowhere in sight, Reid sprinted the two blocks to her house. He had no other idea where Tyson could have taken her. The man had broken into her home a couple of times. Maybe he’d taken her back there to finish what he’d started.
Houses and trees passed by in a blur. Panic stretched his nerves tight and threatened to break through his skin. He kept alert for any signs of Eve or Tyson Brown’s truck.
The ringing in his pocket slowed his stride as he plucked out his phone and prayed to see Eve’s name.
Madden.
