“Do you have any idea what could have happened that morning?Why would he say something wasn’t right?”
Cody propped his hands on his hips.“Man, I feel like a bomb went off in my head.I can’t think straight.Give me some time and I’ll look back at my calendar and schedule for that day.Anything I can find, all right?”
Quin took a sip of his coffee and nodded.“That’d be great.”
“Where are you staying?”
Quin lowered his gaze.Well, shit.He’d already implicated Josie, but he could trust Cody.It wasn’t as if he’d run to Hank.“Josie’s.”
Cody’s eyebrows hiked up a notch.Normally a sharp-tongued comment would have followed, but Cody must have caught himself.“I’ll get in touch.”He snapped his fingers.“You know what?I do remember something from that day.”
Quin set his mug on the small table in front of the window and leaned forward.“What?”
“Frasier Donohue came by.I know it doesn’t sound like much, but you know he’s always had beef with Liam.’Course I can’t remember what about.”
Quin flexed his hand on his knee.He remembered Frasier.And he’d find out if he’d had anything to do with Liam’s accident.
CHAPTER 4
Josie’s feet slappedagainst the smooth asphalt as she ran up Whistle Mountain’s road, keeping to the far right so joggers, cyclists, and cars would see her as they came around the various bends.Her legs burned and she dragged in long, steady breaths to keep her heart rate even.She’d been on the cusp of a heart attack since Quin showed up.
Judging by the fact that he’d set her coffeemaker to 7:30 a.m., he’d probably left hours before she’d woken.She was usually up with the sun, but this morning she’d been too tired to drag her ass out of bed before 7:00 a.m.She had some more jewelry to make before the farmer’s market next Saturday, but her day was open otherwise.Which meant she had to keep busy or she’d go crazy thinking about Quin.
His note had mentioned lunch.Her stomach flipped at the thought of sitting down for a meal with him after everything that had happened.Should she just pretend he hadn’t shattered her world all over again?That now she had to suspect someone in town of Liam’s murder?That she hadn’t collapsed in his embrace only hours before?
Good grief.She wouldn’t think about it now.She kept her gaze on the road ahead and pumped her arms harder.She needed to clear her head and ground herself in nature.Lord knows she’d need as many energy-clearing techniques as she could muster to get through the rest of Quin’s stay.
Unless he was here for good.
She grunted as she climbed higher up the mountain.Nope.Quin didn’t deserve to take up another minute of her attention—especially given that she’d tossed and turned and only fell asleep at the memory of his hold.
She scanned the trees and bushes to her right, keeping her eyes peeled for bears in the forest.And mountain lions.McKenna’s boyfriend, Jaxon, had been attacked by a cougar a few months ago, and since then, she’d been way more aware of the stealthy creatures that were rarely spotted but always watching.
Bear spray dangled on the clip at her waist, bouncing off her hip.She took another deep breath in, and the cool mountain air expanded her lungs.Fog hung below the peaks and filled the canyons, the clouds so close she could touch them.
There was no place else on earth she could ever live.
The roar of an engine reached her ears.She kept up her pace but moved closer to the shoulder as the vehicle approached behind her.It didn’t pass.She cast a glance over her shoulder and saw a large dark-blue Dodge Ram.She squinted as the sun blasted her in the eyes, making it impossible to make out the driver.Probably someone concerned about passing.She waved them on and moved even closer to the shoulder.
The engine revved, and the sound ripped over the treetops.Birds scattered.She frowned and slowed her pace, but instead of pulling away from the right side of the road, the truck fell in line behind her.
Her heart stopped.Icy cold sweat chilled her spine.
What the—
Tires screeched as the driver stomped on the gas, sending the hunk of metal hurtling toward her.She leaped to the side of the road.Bushes snagged her pants, but the bumper continued moving closer.She screamed.The pinging of gravel hitting the vehicle reached her ears.
She gasped as she darted over the uneven terrain.The driver was going to run her down.She sent a fleeting look over her shoulder—not far.Fifteen feet.If she tripped, she’d be roadkill.She had seconds to put distance between the bumper and her.
Using all her strength she catapulted herself over the ditch.Her knees hit the rocks and earth, but she surged to her feet and charged into the line of trees.
She couldn’t stop.
They’d find her.If someone wanted her dead, they’d be ballsy enough to get out of the vehicle and chase her.She wet her lips as broken breaths squeezed from her throat.She had to call for help.Digging into her jacket, she pulled out her phone.Her toe caught a tree root and she stumbled.Her phone flew from her fingers.
Pain shot through her ankle, and she flipped over into the dirt and down the steep slope of a ravine.Tree branches, gray sky, and grass whirled through her vision as she tumbled.She lifted her arms to protect her head.Every bounce sent a shockwave through her nervous system.
She landed in mud with a smack.The world around her continued to spin and her head throbbed with the effort it took not to close her eyes and pass out.She had to stay alert.Get help.
