CHAPTER 42
Naomi turnedand bolted back into the woods.
Behind her, she heard the man curse. Then the thud of boots hitting the ground as he vaulted the fence.
“Stop!” he yelled. “Get back here!”
She didn’t stop.
“Curtis—get out here!”
Curtis? There was someone else at the house. The man had just called for backup.
That wasn’t good.
Her feet pounded against the forest floor, arms pumping and lungs already burning. She ducked under a low branch and veered left, deeper into the trees.
The woods swallowed her—thick, tangled, and disorienting. Branches clawed at her jacket. Roots threatened to trip her with every step.
She just had to move! To get back to her SUV.
But she wasn’t even certain right now that she was heading in the right direction.
She risked a glance back.
The man was in the woods now, maybe thirty yards behind her. He was bigger and stronger, but she had a head start.
Keep moving. Just keep moving.
Naomi pushed harder, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She leaped over a fallen log and nearly lost her footing on the other side. Her ankle twisted slightly, pain shooting up her leg. But she didn’t slow down.
She couldn’t.
The trees blurred past, and she glanced around.
She had no idea which direction she’d come from.
Was she going deeper into the woods or circling back?
She didn’t know.
Behind her, branches snapped. Leaves exploded underfoot.
Whoever was back there wasn’t trying to be quiet—they were close enough that they didn’t have to be.
Naomi’s lungs screamed for air. Her legs felt like lead.
But fear drove her forward.
She ducked around a massive oak and nearly ran straight into a boulder. She swerved at the last second, scraping her hand on the rough bark of another tree.
The sound of footsteps behind her changed. They were closer now. Not right on her heels. But the man was gaining ground.
He was faster than she’d hoped.
Her mind raced. She needed a Plan B.
She needed to hide. Needed to find somewhere he couldn’t follow.
