“What is it?” Madden asked. “What’s going on?”
He ran back to the bedroom, back to the picture.
“Dude, are you going to tell me what’s going on in your head?”
“Here—” He pointed at the painting. “The day after Tyson attacked Eve, she took Suzy here with Lily. It’s her favorite spot in the entire world. He had to know. I mean, that morning she had one of those damn wooden carvings dropped in the driveway and another in her car. He’d followed her home. Chances are high he followed her there, too. Hell, even the flowers picked and left here match the ones in the pictures.”
“Okay,” Madden said, drawing out the word. “You’re right. We know he followed her, stalked her, kept tabs on the best time to try and grab her. But what does that have to do with where she is now?”
Reid ran the tip of his finger over the raised paint. “He brought the flowers to her in an attempt to give her something she loved. That didn’t work. Maybe now he’s taking her to the flowers. Taking her to spot that means the world to her.”
Tightening his jaw, Madden tipped his chin. “It’s the best lead we’ve got. We’ll head there while Dax and Ben keep searching the area. Let’s go.”
Reid made a mad dash for the door and prayed his instincts were right and would lead him straight to Eve.
Pain ricocheted up Eve’s body as she ran through the dense patch of trees. Her palms stung and her knees ached. But she couldn’t dwell on the discomfort, or the tiny pebbles embedded in her skin. She had to focus on putting one foot in front of the other and creating as much distance between her and Tyson as possible.
Muttered curses sounded behind her, mixing with Tyson’s heavy footsteps. “You’ll never outrun me,” he screamed, causing a flock of birds to scatter into the sky.
She swallowed her fear as adrenaline pumped through her system with each step. The urge to check and see how far Tyson was behind her was hard to ignore, but she kept her focus forward. Her mind as sharp as the branches reaching out to snag on her clothes and slap her cheeks. Tears threatened to fill her vision, but she blinked them back. She didn’t have time to fall apart.
Her lungs burned as she picked up her pace. The muscles in her thighs screamed. She shoved her way through overgrown brush and past towering pine trees, thankful the abundant leaves provided some coverage.
“You can’t hide from me,” Tyson taunted, his voice far too close for comfort.
As she ran, she snagged her phone from her pocket. If she could call Reid, let him know where she was, she could hide long enough for help to come. She swiped at the screen, but it remained black. The muted sunlight streaming through the trees showcased the cracks splintering the phone.
Crap.
She must have broken the phone when she’d jumped from the truck.
The tears she held back started to fall, and she shoved her phone back in her pocket. Her hair stuck to the moisture on her cheeks. She wiped the strands away from her eyes and her foot struck an upturned root, sending her flying to the rough ground.
She winced, the impact knocking her breath from her body. The scratches on her palms and knees throbbed. A part of her wanted to curl into a ball and give in to the fear and tears. But she couldn’t give up. She had to keep moving. Eventually she’d run into someone. She had to. She couldn’t believe she wasabout to meet her end in a place that had always meant so much to her.
Crawling to her hands and knees, she leaned on a moss-covered tree and hauled herself onto her feet. She filled her lungs with air, the effort enhancing every ache pulsing against her skin. She struggled to calm her pounding heart and regain her ever-slipping mindset.
She could keep running, hoping to stumble upon someone, but most of the locals were at the parade. She had to think straight and figure out the best path to get out of this situation. Closing her eyes, she visualized the layout of the park. Tyson had driven past the parking lot. If she could turn toward the opening of the trail, she could follow the road back toward town.
Plan made, she steeled her nerves and peeked around the tree. She kept as still as possible, tuning her ears into every snapping twig or rustling leaf. No footsteps sent her heart to her throat, no curses or threats reached her ears.
Staying low, she shot out from behind the tree. The road shouldn’t be too far. If she could keep moving, keep pushing herself, she’d make it.
A hard yank on her hair sent her reeling backward. Her feet flew out from under her, and her bottom slammed against the ground, pain vibrating up her spine. Long fingers snaked through her strands, tightening at the top of her head.
Warm breath skimmed her face. “I told you not to do anything stupid. You said you’d let me love you. You lied, just like the rest of them.”
She stared up into Tyson’s cold green eyes, and terror punched her in the gut. She pedaled her feet in an attempt to scamper away, but he pulled harder on her hair. “Please. Let me go. You don’t have to do this.”
He bared his teeth before slamming her head against the ground.
Agony exploded at the back of her head. A sob sat trapped in her throat. She opened her mouth to scream, and a heavy hand clamped down on her face, muting any sound.
Lowering to the ground, he placed one knee on either side of her. “Stop it! Stop being so difficult. I tried to do something special. To show you how much I cared. And how do you repay me? By jumping out of the damn truck and running away. How do you think that makes me feel?”
Spit flew from his mouth and landed on her chin. She winced and thrashed her body from side to side, trying to buck him off.
“You don’t listen. You never listen.” He moved his hands to circle her neck. Each word made him tighten his grip, making it harder and harder to breathe.
