Her wide eyes stare at me, fear and determination mixing in her gaze as she claws at his forearm to get some breathing room.
“You know I can’t do that,” I say evenly, trying to assess the situation.
“Youwilldo that. Because I have Terry with me.” Aiden pulls her closer to his chest while his attention is on me, the corner of his mouth twisting in a sneer. “Wouldn’t want to see her brains sprayed all over the woods, now would you?”
Dammit.
My fingers tighten on my gun, gut clenching, as I try to find an opening, but there isn’t one. Not with Aiden using Jessica as a living shield. The asshole knows it too.
A hideous expression takes over his features. “Not so brave now, are you?”
He has me, and he knows it.
“Put the gun down,” he growls, his smile falling. “Slowly.”
Grinding my teeth, I relax my finger on the trigger and secure the safety before lifting my hands in surrender. “Okay.” Slowly, I start to crouch. “I’m putting it down. Just don’t hurt her.”
The moment the gun clatters onto the ground, I get up.
“Kick it toward me.”
I do as he says. “Happy now?”
“Not yet, but soon.”
He looks terrible. The faint moonlight peeking through the branches gives me just enough visual to see blood smeared over his face, probably from a broken nose.
Pride swells in my chest as I glance at Jessica. Her hair is a mess, her face cut and bruised, but she’s in one piece.
Alive.
She’s alive.
Jessica didn’t give up. Not for a second. She fought her way out of his grasp. She kept her promise, and she ran to me. Now I have to make good on mine.
A low growl sounds from the darkness.
Aiden’s gaze darts to the side, and he takes a few steps back, that damn gun still pressed against Jessica’s head.
“What is that?”
“That’s Duke,” I answer, not moving my eyes from him. “He’s the newest member of our department, but I don’t think he’s very happy to meet you.”
“Keep that damn dog on the leash. I mean it.”
Chase is holding on to Duke’s collar, although barely. Once Duke caught the scent, it was impossible to stop him. He got lost for a little while there, so Chase let him sniff Jessica’s sweater again, and he soon regained the trail of her scent. After that, his paws were eating the distance, and we had to sprint to keep up.
“It doesn’t matter, Aiden.” I shake my head. “It’s over. More cops are on the way. It’s just a matter of time before they surround you and then it’s done. We both know it.”
“You’re lying!” he yells. “You’re just trying to scare me.”
“Is he, though?” Nico asks, slipping from behind the trees where he was hiding, trying to find a better angle, his gun aimed at Aiden. In the distance we can hear the first sounds of feet running and soft murmurs. “You’re surrounded.”
Aiden looks left and right, panic setting in as he searches for an out. But there isn’t one.
Jessica uses his distraction to her advantage.
She bites into his forearm, his loud cry piercing the night as he releases her, and she’s running.
