Denver grunted, stumbled, and kept on moving. “Need you to settle back into yourself. The smooth and in-control Heath. Need him now.”
At well over six feet tall and muscled, they were evenly matched in a fight. But a headlock was a fucking headlock. Heath tried to get enough leverage to dig in his boots and toss Denver over his head, but Den was just as well trained as Heath and kept him off balance. They reached the door, and Denver flung them both outside into the storm. With a twist, he shoved Heath away from the barn.
Wind howled through the trees around them. The storm was getting worse. Fire roared inside Heath’s chest even as freezing snow slapped his face. He dropped his chin and charged.
“Stop.” Denver held up one hand. “We can’t disturb the scene if we’re gonna catch this guy.”
The scene. Loretta was just part of the scene. Heath kept moving toward his brother, his hands clenching. She was more than that. She was so much more than that, and the killer had taken that away. Had taken her away.
“She’s gone, man. Not here any longer.” Denver always could read his mind somehow. “Dead and gone. There’s nobody left here to save. Except us.” He coughed out. “We have to get out of here if we’re going to find this guy. And protect Ryker.”
Heath blinked. The haze across his vision wavered. Police were on their way. If he and Denver got caught by them, they were screwed. He sucked in frozen air. It was too late for Loretta, and he’d deal with that failure later. Right now he had to get his brother to safety. It was Heath’s fault Denver was out in the open like this. “You’re right.”
Denver’s face cleared. He hunched in his coat and headed down the road and through inches of new snow. “I parked close.”
Heath leaned into the piercing wind and followed his brother into the snow-filled dusk, concentrating to keep his balance on the ice. The smell of blood stayed with him somehow. Coppery and intrusive.
They reached a stand of fir trees, and Denver shoved branches aside to reveal an older Volvo. He slid into the driver’s side. “Stole it.”
Heath ran around the other side to jump in. “Move, Den.” The FBI couldn’t be far behind. “We’ve been running for too long to get trapped now.”
Denver ignited the engine, pulled around, and drove quickly down the barely there lane. He reached Heath’s truck and let out a low whistle.
“Son of a bitch,” Heath muttered, taking in the slashed tires. The killer had used precious moments to make sure Heath couldn’t follow him. Thank goodness Denver had hidden his ride better than Heath had. “Keep going.”
“Wiped down?” Denver asked, punching the gas pedal.
“Yeah.” Thank goodness. “There’s no way to trace it to us.” Though he didn’t like the thought of the FBI being distracted for even a second from Loretta’s case, and they’d work hard to locate the owner of the truck. Good thing he’d stolen it, too.
Something buzzed, and Denver yanked a cell phone from his pocket. “Yeah?” He pressed the speaker button.
“The FBI is on the way. They should be there any second. Where are you?” Ryker asked, his voice low.
“Just leaving.” Heath naturally spoke up so Denver wouldn’t have to. “Almost off the property.”
Denver fishtailed down the road and quickly corrected. “Sorry.”
Ryker breathed out loudly. “Did you find Agent Jackson?”
Her name was like a punch to Heath’s gut. He grunted. “Yeah. I was too late.”
Ryker was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” Heath stretched his neck to look out the window at the blustering storm. His body felt heavy. “We have to get out of here.”
“Turn right at the end of the lane and not toward town,” Ryker said. “Your only option is to head into the mountains.”
Denver reached the end of the lane and slid right, corrected, and hit the gas.
Sirens sounded in the distance.
“Shit,” Heath said, buckling his belt. “Buckle up, Den.”
“No time.” Denver leaned over the steering wheel and stared into the swirling white evening.
Heath unbuckled and leaned across his brother to grab the seat belt. He quickly strapped Denver in and then refastened his own belt. “Faster.”
“The storm is too bad for additional air support,” Ryker said evenly. “So keep going, be careful, and you’ll actually end up in the northwest part of Washington State. Ditch the car and find something else as soon as you can.”
