The car door opened and Meredith climbed out.Angst pressed against Dez’s temples.
Now, now, now!
She turned and ran for the trail.
“Hey!”Skittering footsteps reached her ears.
Dez didn’t slow.She ran into the cover of the trees.Warning bells screeched in her ears as Meredith screamed after her.Terror squeezed her windpipe, keeping her scream lodged at the back of her throat.
Crack!
The gun fired.A bullet ripped through the bark of the tree near Dez’s side.She didn’t stop.Darting away from the path, she barreled into the woods.Branches slapped against her cheeks and arms as she dove deeper into the brush.More shots were fired.
She had to find cover.Fast.
CHAPTER 13
Aiden drove upthe mountain, the swells and bends in the road making the drive that much longer.Sweat dampened the space between his shoulder blades, and the little droplets rolling down his spine brought the hair on his arms to stand at attention.
Dez’s stalker had been right under his nose.Next fucking door to be exact.He should have seen through Meredith.The signs were there.After they’d slept together, she hadn’t wanted to leave the next morning and it had been awkward trying to get her out.Even though they’d agreed things would be casual.More than casual.He distinctly remembered telling her he didn’t want a relationship, only no strings attached.
She’d laughed, said she wasn’t surprised and he was a catch and all but that she didn’t want to be tied down either.
Then he’d come home from work one day to find her in the process of moving in next door, weeks after he’d told her he was too busy to get together again.
“This isn’t too weird, is it?”she’d asked.“I promise to stay out of your hair.”
He’d said it was fine and welcomed her.And he hadn’t seen much of her after that.
So what had happened?Had she moved in to keep tabs on him?Maybe try to get closer without being obvious?
And then she’d seen him with Dez and gone off the handle?He dragged his hand through his hair.He couldn’t make sense of it.He had to get through to Meredith.
Before he found Dez’s body in the woods.
He dialed Meredith’s number.The line rang over the speakers until her voicemail kicked in and he slammed his palm against the steering wheel.
He redialed.He had to talk to her.Maybe this was all one big misunderstanding and Meredith wasn’t behind it.
The ringing echoed through the car as he drove deeper into the mountains.He’d hiked this way more than once, but never at night.He blinked and hit the switch next to the wheel, turning on his brights.The headlights expanded over the edge of the road, catching glowing animal eyes, moths, and other insects.
“Hello?”
Aiden’s tongue faltered at the sound of Meredith’s terse voice, and he eased his foot off the gas as panic filled him.“Meredith.It’s Aiden.”
“I know who it is,” she said.Her breath huffed and puffed into the mouthpiece, as if she were hiking.“Look.I don’t mean to sound angry.I’m just tired and frustrated and...it’s not your fault, okay?None of this.It’s allher.”
All the moisture left Aiden’s mouth.He grappled with words, but no sentences pieced together in his mind.He cleared his throat.He had to play this right or Dez could be in more danger.“Are you close to town?I think we should meet and talk in person.”
Meredith heaved a sigh.“Well, I’m a little busy tying up your loose ends, but I should be able to meet in a bit.”
“My—” He swallowed.“Meredith, if you have Desiree, you need to let her go.Now.”He let the venom take over his voice, the threat palpable.He stomped on the gas.
Please, God.Let me be close.
“I need to end the spell she has on you first.I’ll call you soon.”
The line went dead.
