Though she shook her foot violently, he didn't let go. Tumbling downward, she let her body weight pull them both forward, her head aimed toward the ground. Luckily, there were no sharp bushes beneath the window. She was merely falling to the forest floor, her hands out to break her fall, his hand on her ankle stopping her from hitting hard.
The window ledge cut into her leg, but he didn't let go.
Her hands were touching the dirt and she was halfway to the ground, but Merrit Geller was coming through the window too, his hand still tight on her foot.
Maggie braced her hands into the dirt, almost fully upside down, and shoved her foot backwards with all her might. When she succeeded in banging him into the edge of the window and making him groan, she did it again.
Only then did he let go enough for her to yank her foot away.
Tumbling into the dirt, Maggie scrambled upright and ran.
She had no idea where she was going. Her feet were bare, but she couldn't feel the forest floor other than to know that it pushed up against her, sending her bolting forward.
She had to look ridiculous in her once beautiful pale blue business suit racing through the woods in terror. But the only thing that mattered was getting away. Getting safe. Getting back to Sebastian.
She heard Geller bellowing as he rolled out the window after her. But then she heard another voice from the side of the house. “What did you do, Geller? Can’t let her get away, can we?”
Chapter Sixty-Two
Dear Lord, Maggie thought still tearing through the woods, he was still here.
It wasn’t just Geller she had to run from.
Branches reached out and slapped at her. It was her fault—she had alerted Sanders—or whoever he was—when she yelled. Now, her only chance at safety was to keep going forward.
Behind her, Geller roared, seeming to ignore the other man. Maggie and Geller were in a battle for their lives. But whoever the other man was, he didn’t seem to be chasing her, just chiding his partner for his failure.
Whatever made his adrenaline spike, this wasn't it. But she could hear him jogging along in the woods behind Geller. Maggie’s fear was through the roof, her brain racing. She thought about things like getting her jacket caught on a branch and it slowing her down. She thought about how she was probably tearing up her feet, but she couldn’t feel it.
None of that was important. She simply had to win.
If it was an endurance competition, she didn't know which of the three of them would be able to sustain the chase the longest—only that if she lost, she died. If it was about knowing the lay of the land, they had the advantage. If it was about strategy, there were two of them and only one of her. They could circle around and cut her off, flank her, trap her. If it was about hand-to-hand combat, she would probably lose that battle, too.
Her odds were worse than bad.
She remembered being in the boat. She remembered being pulled through the woods, but she truly had no idea where she was, only that it was the middle of nowhere. She would have to run as far and as fast as she could.
Even as that thought solidified in her brain, she tripped over a root and went down into the dirt face first. Her initial inclination was to push back up and keep running, but when she tried, she tumbled to the side and off the trail.
As she did, she grabbed frantically onto whatever she could to stop herself from rolling further. At last her hand clutched a large branch. It braced her, fresh and sturdy, stuck between two slim trees and broken on both ends. As she stood up, she realized she was still holding it and that she hadn’t rolled more than a few feet off the trail.
Grabbing the branch with both hands, she tested it. For a moment it felt like the Louisville Slugger she kept at home. Yes, she could do this.
Maggie stood up slowly, trying not to make any noise as she tucked herself behind the trunk of a wide tree and waited for Geller to come close. Even as she pressed herself against the tree, she realized that he'd slowed down. He had to hear that she wasn't making noise, and thus not moving forward anymore.
Why couldn’t a rabbit or a raccoon scuttle across the trail and make him think she was up ahead? She was no Snow White, clearly. The woodland creatures were avoiding her rather than helping.
She was breathing so heavily that all of Nebraska could likely hear her. But she stayed hidden behind the tree, waiting.
“Where are you, you little bitch?” The voice came out sing song at first, but sharpened to an edge by the time he got to the last word.
She didn't answer. His talking gave her a reference point for where he was, and he was slowly creeping closer to where she was hidden. Did he know she was there? And where was Sanders? Sanders could pop up behind her and slit her throat at any moment. But she couldn’t afford to turn around. She had to focus on the threat she could identify.
There was noise in the distance, but Maggie couldn't place it. She took a chance and peeked around the trunk, hoping she could stay hidden. In a stroke of luck, she caught Geller looking over his shoulder—probably at the same noise she’d heard—and she took advantage.
Stepping out, her bare feet were now a saving grace, making little noise on the dirt trail. She swung the branch at his head as hard as she could and tried not to wince as it made a sickening crack as it contacted with the back of his skull.
The branch was less sturdy than she thought and split with the force of impact. A bellow emerged from his mouth and he swayed. For a moment, she thought she might have the upper hand. But behind her, a sickeningly calm voice said, “Hello Magdalyn.”
There was no other option, she had to fight them both if she was going to survive. Maggie swung around, aiming what was left of her makeshift bat up toward the point where she'd heard the voice.
His hand came up to block the swing. His expression remained calm.
She’d seen this face before. This was William Sanders.
He didn’t flinch with the hit, even though she had to have hurt his arm. It would leave a mark, but he wasn't even paying attention to her any longer. He tipped his head as though listening to something else, maybe the noises she had heard. Was it car doors closing? Could she be so lucky?
Maggie desperately wanted to turn and look, but she couldn't take her eyes off Sanders. His mesmerizing gaze was petrifying. His calm clarity in the midst of chaos chilling. When he grinned, it only froze her insides further. He would kill her right here and think nothing of it.
He said only, “I prefer blondes.”
The noise behind her got louder, feet were tramping through the woods. She could hear the doors at the cabin slamming as someone rampaged through the place, at least she thought she did.
A loud bang startled her enough to turn away, but with her quick glance she couldn’t see anything that told her what was going on. As fast as she was, Sanders was already down the trail ahead of her when she turned back to look.
Behind her, Merrit Geller’s hand closed on her arm, yanking her around. She swung again with the stick, but this time it was ineffective. He'd pulled the shoe from his neck somewhere along the way. Blood was oozing down his collar, red and wet. She must have had the misfortune of puncturing muscle and not hitting anything valuable.
With a roar of rage that startled her spine straight, he pushed her backward until she stumbled and fell onto the ground. He was on her before she could react or fight back, his hands closing around her neck.
Though she fought and clawed, he squeezed until she couldn’t breathe.
Chapter Sixty-Three
The cabin was empty.
Sebastian's heart raced as the FBI agents methodically slammed their way through the cabin yelling “clear” each time they found a room empty. The words ricocheted like bullets, the word hitting him each time that Maggie wasn’t in there.
He could see into the back room, which held nothing but a splintered chair, lying in pieces on the floor next to a pale blue high-heeled shoe.
The shoe he had found was Maggie’s
!
But this one had blood on the heel, spatters on the side. He could only hope the blood wasn't Maggie's. Beyond the wreckage, the window was open.
She went out the window. Even as he had that thought, he heard the agents yelling to each other, “She’s in the woods!”
Two cars were already parked at the cabin when they pulled up. Sebastian, a quasi-civilian relegated to the back seat, hadn’t been able to see clearly on the ride up. Decker and Watson had talked the whole way, leaving him mostly out of the conversation, but it had been clear that they believed that both Geller and Sanders were here.
With Maggie.
His Maggie.
The agents were in the other rooms and far enough away that they couldn't stop him. Sebastian took advantage and slammed out the front door. They had protocol to follow, which he understood. He had protocol too, just not here. Here, his only job was saving Maggie, no matter what the cost.
He skidded his way around the corner and toward the back of the building. The clearing around the house was as small as the place itself and led into several trails, but one led directly away from the window. He bolted down it, deciding to take his chances there.
As he pounded his way along the trail, he saw broken branches and, ahead of him, he heard a struggle. It had to be Maggie. The sound gave him hope. If she was struggling, she was alive.
He braced himself for whatever he might find but told himself that keeping Maggie alive was his only goal.
He spotted a man from the back, presumably Geller, much further down the path. As the man moved and fought, Sebastian caught a glimpse of powder blue. Maggie!
She was on the ground and it looked as if Geller was trying to strangle her. But she was fighting back.
Sebastian ran like the hounds of hell were at his back. But they were in front of him. He pulled his gun even as his feet pounded down the trail and he prayed he would make it in time. Maggie was still so far away!
His brain was racing, letting him know to jump over roots and avoid low branches. He rolled his ankle but kept going.
He got as close as he dared before planting his feet and raising the gun. But he couldn't shoot. Any shot he took that would hit Geller might also hit Maggie.
“Geller!” he yelled, even as he heard the FBI agents racing up the trail behind him.
“Don't shoot!” Watson yelled, but he ignored her. He didn't give a flying fuck if Geller died.
Though Geller didn't loosen his hold on Maggie’s neck, he turned his head and looked directly at Sebastian, assessing the new threat. Sebastian didn’t look at him, but kept his eyes on Maggie. She was still struggling under Geller’s grasp, on her back on the ground, and doing everything right from what Sebastian could see. But how much longer could she take it?
“Get your hands off her or I’ll shoot!”
“Do it! You’ll kill her, too!” Geller’s eyes were as wild as his threats. He jerked, his hands clenching at Maggie’s throat, the sound she made almost had Sebastian pulling the trigger.
The man almost looked high. But his next jerk made his hands slip and Sebastian could hear Maggie gasp for breath. The sound meant she’d gotten some air.
Thank God! But he had to disable Geller and fast.
Though Sebastian desperately wanted to rush the man and tackle him, Maggie was still underneath Geller, and Sebastian searched frantically for a way to fight Geller that didn’t make things worse for Maggie. He wasn’t close enough for a clean shot or even to tackle the man without giving him a chance to snap Maggie’s neck before Sebastian even got there.
As he assessed what he could do, he saw that her movements weren’t random. She’d been trying to get her knees up and leverage Geller’s weight off of her. She clawed at his hands but then pulled them away toward her own torso.
Maggie’s move was enough, and it sent Sebastian bolting forward. He could only hope he was fast enough, and he could kick the man off of her or tackle him—or who knew what? He didn't have a plan other than the pounding thought that looped through his brain, Save Maggie.
As he watched, she rammed her fists upward, taking advantage of Geller’s distraction. But Maggie’s hands burst apart from where she’d wedged them between Geller’s arms, breaking his hold on her neck. Sebastian had been counting on that. It bought him the three seconds he needed to get to her.
She gasped for breath as Geller faltered, and Sebastian felt as though he were taking his own breath after being choked.
But he didn’t get to revel in it. Something glinted in her fist, and with a furious jab, she aimed for Geller’s neck. Though she hadn’t breathed much at all in the last few minutes, the fury on her face told him she knew exactly what she was doing as she pulled her hand back and blood spurted from Geller’s neck.
Even over her assailant’s angry shout, Sebastian could hear Maggie breathing freely for the first time. He finally closed the distance as Geller’s neck began spurting blood.
Maggie pushed him then, and he rolled easily this time. Her cut had him reaching for his neck. He could no longer try to kill her, his instinct to save himself would save Maggie. As he reached to staunch the gush, he collapsed and fell on top of her.
Even as she went to stab him again, Sebastian was finally close enough to do something. He grabbed Geller’s shirt and yanked the man with all his force. He hoped the fabric strangled him and that it made the cut worse.
He hauled Geller backward, tossing him blindly aside like the trash he was as Sebastian dove for Maggie. Her hand was bloody and slipped away as Sebastian tried to hold onto her.
He’d seen the gash she’d somehow made in her attacker’s throat. Good for her. Geller wouldn’t likely survive it. But Maggie would.
“Maggie!’ he shouted her name like a prayer and a relief even as he used his foot to push the gurgling man backward.
He took Maggie in his arms and listened to the heavenly sound of her labored breathing. She was breathing. She would be okay. But even as he told himself that his brain snapped back with a deep fear.
Next to him, Decker and Watson grabbed hold of Geller and yanked his arms behind him as they tried to help him to his feet. They tried to staunch the flow of blood, even as they arrested him.
But Sebastian didn’t care. His hands roamed her body, checking for broken bones, wounds, blood. There was so much of it. What if some of it was hers?
He grabbed her face, his own hand bloody now, but he had to see her eyes. He’d checked the Miller boy! Thought he was safe. The kid was breathing when Sebastian pulled him out. Until this moment, he’d thought getting here too late was his biggest fear.
“Are you hurt?” There were so many possible answers to that question, and he dreaded most of the answers. But he didn’t let her answer. Turning to find other agents rushing toward the scene, he yelled at them. “Check her! Make sure she’s okay! Now!”
“I’m fine, Sebastian!” Her voice was scratchy but the sound was beautiful. His head snapped back and he watched her eyes focus on him. “I'm okay.”
She reached up to hold on to him, but Sebastian realized the blood on her hands was her own.
Chapter Sixty-Four
Sebastian watched, helpless as the agents crowded around Maggie.
“I’m fine!” She insisted, but it wasn’t good enough.
“Maggie!” He almost yelled it at her and watched as her head snapped back at the command. But he couldn’t fix it, not yet. “Let them help you!”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re bleeding.”
The agents were trying to check her over and he wasn’t helping. But neither was she. And his heart wouldn’t stop racing.
Logically, he told himself that she was talking. She was mad at him. And that meant she was healthy enough to do those things. He told himself she really was fine.
But illogically, he was petrified. People said they were fine when they weren’t. The first thing they learned about medical cases was to look for shock. It could make people se
em okay, then as the high of the fight-or-flight response wore off, their heart stopped.
Losing a child that way hadn’t made him any more rational.
He dropped to his knees with a thud that would leave a bruise. He only hoped Maggie was around to tell him what an idiot he was. He grabbed her hand, still slick with fresh blood, and pled with her. “Please, I can’t lose you! Let them be sure you’re okay.”
She sighed at him, clearly irritated, but as she agreed to his wishes, the agent pulled Maggie’s hand from his.
“It’s here. This is where the blood is coming from.” He held up the wound for all to see.
Chapter Sixty-Five
“It's time to go,” Sebastian said to Maggie as he stood in the doorway to her office where she was hunched over her desk, typing frantically.
“What?” She looked up, confused.
He pointed to her hand wrapped in delicate white gauze. “Time to get your stitches out.”
Her right hand now sported eighteen stitches where her glass shard knife had cut her as well as Geller. Though Decker and Watson had tried to save the man, he hadn’t lived long enough to make it to the hospital. The shard of the drinking glass that Maggie had planted in his throat had done him in.
For himself, Sebastian was more than glad the man was actually dead. Maggie wouldn’t have to testify against him or relive the experience. He couldn’t get out in ten years for good behavior or some bullshit like that. As far as Sebastian could tell, Maggie felt no conscious guilt from killing Geller, though she did wake up at night sometimes in a cold sweat, jolting out of a deep dream. Sebastian made sure he was there to hold her and help her find some peace again.
She’d reached a point in the past few days where she mostly rolled over, curled into him, and went back to sleep. Sebastian was convinced that Maggie was having more trouble dealing with the fact that her favorite aunt had an ongoing affair with the man for decades. She was still reconciling the adults she’d looked up to as a child with the realities that weren’t all good or bad.
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