Gripping the teen’s hands tightly, Brighton glanced out the rear window to the headlamps glowing in the distance. Her beacon of hope. And yet, if Stone got too close … She’d seen Finch’s handiwork before in protecting Ladomer’s interests and did not want Stone to end up in a morgue because of her.
What surprised her is that Finch didn’t have his partner with him. He rarely operated without Drex. “Why’re you alone?”
Finch’s beady eyes found her in the rear-view mirror, but then shifted to the truck closing in on them. “I swear I’ll make hamburger of him.”
“I’m so sorry,” Mari cried again, burying her face in Brighton’s shoulder. “I didn’t have a choice. They took me … I don’t want to die.”
Brighton cradled the girl close. “Shh. It’s okay.” She knew it wasn’t her fault. In fact, if it was anyone’s fault, it was Brighton’s because Ladomer wanted her, and the only way they could find Brighton was through Mari. “He’ll save us.” Eying the truck behind them, she didn’t know how to hope or pray. For Mari’s sake, she prayed Stone could intervene. But for Stone’s sake, she prayed he didn’t catch up.
Maybe … maybe she should die. It’d solve everything, wouldn’t it? They’d leave Stone and Mari alone.
First, she’d need to make sure Mari got away.
Her heart thudded as a plan formed in her mind. If she could just … She eyed the narrow country road stretching before them. The SUV’s lights streaked ahead. Ditches lined both sides. But they were thick with weeds and grass, not concrete. Better chance of?—
“Don’t even think about it,” sneered Finch. “There’s nowhere to go, and if you even try, you kill her.” His gaze hit Mari, but the road demanded his attention.
When the car slowed for a sharp turn, Brighton slid her hand to the seatbelt release.
“Ha!” Finch shouted. “See? You’re not worth it! Too much work. He knows when he’s been outdone.”
Brighton snapped her gaze back, heart plummeting at the dark road bathed in the ominous glow of their taillights. But no headlamps. No truck. No Stone. “No,” she whispered, twisting around to search the road. The ditches. The fields.
How …? Why had he left?
Well. Okay then. All the more important she do this. She reached across and grabbed the door handle and met the girl’s shocked expression. “I’m sorry.”
“What do you know?” Cord demanded.
“Not much,” Willow shouted as she raced her little Prius down the bumpy road. “But I’m pretty sure Horvath’s thugs have both girls again.”
“Son of a??—”
“Stone has gone after them. I’m trying to catch up, but I’m pretty far behind. And not even sure which direction I should be driving at this point.”
“Toward the nearest airport.”
“It’s pitch black out here, and I’ve only been to the lodge a few times.” She eyed her in-car navigation. “I’ll use Siri to find the nearest airport once I can get a Wi-Fi signal again.”
Cord muttered something she couldn’t hear. “I’ll call you back. I need to notify the authorities.”
The call ended and Willow took a corner. “Siri, find?—”
A shape appeared in the road.
With a scream, Willow yanked the steering wheel to the right and nailed the brakes. The car dipped down and slid to a stop with a thump. Nerves tangled, she took several long breaths, shoved the car into park, and glanced back to the road.
A woman stumbled toward the car.
Willow unfolded herself and felt some relief, until she saw the girl was beat up. “Mari?” She sprinted to her. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“She pushed me out.” Wailing, Mari fell into Willow’s arms. “He’s going to kill her!”
“That was very stupid.”
Heart crashing as she pulled the door closed, Brighton tightened her own belt. Straightened and felt a tinge of both terror and relief as the car sped back up after Finch’s initial slamming of the brakes. “You wanted me. You have me.”
He sneered. “You cost him too much. I don’t know why he doesn’t let me end you.”
