Her heart started to race as she realized she only had one option. It was risky and dangerous and stupid. So stupid. But doing nothing was certain death.
Three…two…one…
She lunged, grabbed the wheel, and yanked it to the side.
Cox cried out and attempted to pull it back, but it was too late. The wheel turned. The car swerved and the tires squealed, the car hurtling straight toward a tree. Polly tried to brace, but her head hit the glass of the side window on impact, pain immediately shooting through her skull.
Black dots edged her vision and a buzz roared in her ears, competing with Cox’s muttering.
The click of a door opening and closing sounded.
When her own door opened, she tried to fight, but the dizziness made her weak and lethargic. Her ribs screamed as she was thrown over Cox’s hard shoulder. Then they were moving. Away from the road. Into the trees.
28
Raven Price’s feet hit the dirt in even strides, the thuds of her shoes against earth competing with the loud wind through the forest around her.
She shouldn’t be out here. She knew she shouldn’t. Women were being taken. Bodies were being found. And according to local gossip, the only suspect was out on bail.
But after the day she’d had, sheneededto run. She needed the cool air to slap against her cheeks and the burn of air through her lungs. And God, she needed a hit of endorphins.
The day had started well enough. She’d finalized details for the upcoming paint-and-sip session and chatted to a couple of locals. Then she’d had coffee with her parents at the assisted care facility. Parents she loved. Parents she’d moved back to this town for. She’d tried not to focus on the shake in her dad’s hands or the way her mother’s features turned confused when she forgot small details.
She sped up her pace.
It all hurt her heart. And made her regret every second she’d spent away from them.
They’d mentioned Xander, of course. They didn’t know the kind of man he was. The kind of man she’d discovered he was.
A shudder rolled down her spine.
She’dthought he was a good guy once. For a long time, actually.
How wrong had she been.
She curved around a tree, arms pumping, feet sinking deeper into the earth.
Oh, and then Lottie Fuller had come into the community center. With her fake smile and her you’re-doing-the-best-you-can patronizing voice.
It wasn’t a secret that Lottie hadwanted the jobRavenhad gotten. Now she was intentionally being annoying. Frustrating. A pain in the butt by putting her nose where it didn’t belong. Questioning everything Raven did and going to Ferris when she didn’t like something, as if he could somehow change how Raven did her job.
And the final problem of her day, the one that was causing far too many headaches…money. Or the lack thereof. Because Xander had controlledeverything. So when she’d left him, she’d essentially left with nothing but a single account in her name with barely any funds.
Familiar anxiety crawled up her throat. Fear that her money would run out. That she’d fall behind on her rent. If that happened, she’d have nowhere to go. Her parents lived in assisted living, so she couldn’t stay with them.
She shook her head. No. She had a stable job. She’d be fine.
She rounded a stump…only to stop at a sudden moan that pierced the air. And footsteps?
She inched back behind a tree and quietly undid the zipper of her running belt.
Carefully, she pulled out a small pistol.
It didn’t feel familiar in her palm. She’d had a few lessons, that was it. But after Xander, it seemed necessary.
The footsteps grew louder, the moans morphing into whimpers.
Then she saw them.
