Instead of trying to go out the bedroom door, Alex led her to the window. They were on the first floor and shouldn’t have any trouble getting out. As they lifted the sash, they heard the door across the hall slam open.
Speed took priority over silence. Alex shoved Liz out the window. She crashed through the screen and fell into the shadows below. He hoisted himself onto the sill right as the door behind him opened. A sound, like a nail gun on steroids, chased him from through the opening. The frame burst into splinters as he jumped.
It barely registered. “Liz!”
“Over here!” She called from the left, towards the garage. Good – if they could get the car… He raced after her dark silhouette. “Shit. I don’t have the keys.”
They circled around, hiding behind the garage. Liz panted out the questions that were tormenting Alex. “Who was that? How did they find us?”
“I don’t know. We’ll have to worry about it later.” He pulled her towards the path around the perimeter of the lake. “Come on. Let’s keep moving.”
“Wait!”
“There’s no time!”
They ducked into the trees. Liz slipped off the trail and stopped. “Alex, wait!” She whispered loudly. “Don’t you think he’s going to assume we went down this path?”
“What do you suggest?”
Before she could answer, a dark shadow came flying out the back door. They shrunk back against a tree trunk and watched as he started towards the lake dock.
“Does this path meet up with the street?”
It was so dark that Alex could barely see Liz. He leaned closer to catch her question. “Yes. It runs around the lake. On the other side is a swimming area with a parking lot.”
“Can you get there quickly?”
He didn’t know what she had in mind, but he suspected he wasn’t going to like it. “Why?”
“We don’t have time to talk about it.” He sensed rather than saw her crane her neck as she tried to figure out where the intruder had gone. “Can you do it or not?”
“I can.”
“Okay. I’m going to circle back around and grab the keys to the car. You lead him down the path. I’ll pick you up at the parking lot.”
“Are you nuts?!” Even his whispered response sounded like a shout, but before Alex could argue further he watched as Liz crouched low and ran through the trees.
What the hell was she doing?
Helpless to do anything but follow her instructions, Alex ran. He tried to make enough noise to attract the attention of the shadowy figure who was slinking through the backyard. It was a relief when his attention turned towards the trees.
Great, now all he had to do was make sure he wasn’t caught. Alex sprinted down the edge of the path, relying on his instinct and muscle memory to guide the way.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Liz stepped over a log and slowly made her way around the side of the house. She could hear the sound of twigs snapping as Alex drew the man’s attention away from her.
This was such a stupid idea, but hopefully it was so dumb it would work. She hesitated. If she miscalculated, or the man lost interest and doubled back, then she would be screwed the minute she left cover. After glancing both ways, Liz ran for the front of the house, holding her breath the whole way.
The front door was hanging open, having been broken in. She hadn’t even considered how she’d get back into the house. Slipping over the threshold, she dashed in to the kitchen and grabbed the keys off the kitchen counter.
After a brief moment of debate, she rushed back towards the bedrooms. She’d been on the run without shoes once before, and even flip flops were better than nothing. Slipping into the cheap pair of shoes, she also grabbed the cheesy sweatshirt out of the drawer.
Getting out of the house was more nerve-wracking than she expected. There was no way to know whether the intruder was still chasing after Alex or if he’d given up and come back.
No choice. Liz was going to have to chance it. She peeked out of the doorframe and strained to hear anything out of place. Familiar night sounds of crickets and frogs filled the night air and reassured her. Liz left the doorway in a crouch and followed the edge of the driveway to the garage.
These next few steps were going to be the most dangerous. Biting her lip, she winced as the sound of the garage door opening filled the air. No going back now. Liz rolled under the door as soon as the gap was high enough. The car doors beeped as she unlocked them.
Come on, come on…she watched in her rearview mirror as the door took forever to raise. Finally! Liz threw the gear into reverse and hit the gas pedal, passing under the door with less than an inch of clearance. Looking behind her, she kept one hand on the steering wheel and sped out of the driveway.
A pop and a loud crack reverberated throughout the car. Liz instinctively ducked. “Holy shit!” She barely glimpsed a dark shadow racing across the back yard towards her. Blood and adrenalin surged as she slammed the car into gear and sped away. The whole right side of the windshield was a spider web of glass. Where the hell had he come from?
She didn’t have time to wonder. Her heart hammered as questions raced through her mind. What if he’d managed to catch up with Alex? What if Alex was lying in the trees bleeding out? What if…? Liz ruthlessly silenced her train of thought. None of that would matter if she got caught. She had to get to the parking lot and hope for the best.
Headlights swung wildly in her rearview mirror. “Damn.” Liz gasped. It was a matter of seconds before she’d miss her opportunity to lose her pursuer. Taking the next left, she wound her way through the neighborhood streets.
There was a darkened driveway up ahead that curved behind a garage. Making sure no one was in her line of sight, she pulled the car as far back from the road as possible and shut off all the lights.
The sound of her own heartbeat filled her ears as she peered out the back window. Her knuckles blanched as her fingers gripped the fabric of the seat. The heavy weight of quiet anticipation surrounded her. It was surreal how peaceful the world was outside her bubble of fear. Worst of all, waiting gave her time to think.
Having sex with Alex had been a mistake.
Dinner last night had been a tense and overly polite affair. What conversation they managed was forced and uncomfortable. She cringed at the memory of it. How many times had she answered ‘nothing’ when he’d asked her what was wrong? Enough times that he’d finally stopped asking and they’d sat in strained silence.
She knew it was her fault.
The problem was, there wasn’t anything technically wrong. They’d been amazing together. Better than Liz could have ever dreamed. Which is saying something since she’d done quite a bit of dreaming in that department.
The chemistry between them was explosive. Maybe a little too combustible, actually. That was part of the, well…if not a problem, then certainly her discomfort.
He was too close to breaching her walls. And too strong. And too kind. Not at all like the bully of her past, the role that she’d designated for him in her mind.
And she couldn’t keep her thoughts in order around him. Or control the feelings he invoked in her.
She didn’t like not being in control. She didn’t like not knowing how things worked, especially in herself.
Liz had instinctually tried to get some perspective on the situation before diving headlong into it, but her willpower had failed her. Afterwards, she’d pulled back. Of course, Alex being Alex, he’d called her on it. Which left them sleeping across the hall from each other and both going to bed, if not angry, then certainly irritated.
Please be okay, please be okay…the image of him being chased through the woods tormented her. Had she made a mistake? Should they have stayed together? At the time, all she could think about was not losing the meager resources they’d managed to find while on the run. But was a car and a cheap pair of flip-flops going to cost Alex his life?
Liz bounced her knee impatiently and forced herself to count
to five hundred. She was about to turn the key and head to the parking lot when an engine’s deep rumble approached. The shadow of a vehicle skulked past. He’d turned off his headlights, but the son of a bitch was still hunting her.
Who the hell was this guy? How had he found them? Liz thought back to the events of the day. Maybe they’d been too quick to dismiss Cynthia’s involvement. She was the only other person who knew Alex was staying at the house. The fact that this intruder had shown up on the same night was too great of a coincidence to ignore.
Holding her breath, she holed up a while longer as he passed by the driveway again. He never stopped or paused. Hoping she’d waited long enough, Liz started the car but left her own lights off.
It only took a few minutes to reach the parking lot. The gravel crunched under her tires as she swung around the perimeter, taking cover by the trees. She was about to get out and search for Alex when a figure stumbled into view.
The moonlight glinting off his blonde hair was all the confirmation she needed that it was Alex rushing forward. Relief stabbed her in the heart. He wrenched the door open and climbed into the passenger seat.
“You damn fool! You had me scared to death!” Before she could respond, he kissed her, plunging into her mouth and possessing her completely. The whole night – which had become impossibly crazy, confused, and dangerous – stopped. Here, for one brief, shining moment was peace and reprieve. It felt like standing in the eye of a hurricane.
Alex held her face in his hands and leaned his forehead against hers. Neither of them spoke. He traced his finger along her cheekbone and down along the length of her jaw before pulling back. He gazed at the windshield, assessing the damage there. “When I heard the gunshot…” He ran a hand through his hair and turned back to face her. “Promise me you won’t do that again.”
“I reacted and did what I thought I had to do. I’m sorry.” She gestured to the ruined glass before checking the rearview mirror and pulling out of the parking lot. “Things got a bit out of control.”
He scoffed. “A bit? If I wasn’t so happy to see you alive I’d strangle you. Dammit!” Alex slammed his hand on the glove box. “How the hell did he know where to find us?”
Liz hesitated to verbalize her theory, hoping he would come to the same conclusion she had. She didn’t have to wait long.
“Cynthia.”
She sighed with relief, glad that he was going to be reasonable. “I’m afraid so, yes. She and Josh must be connected in some way. I still have a hard time believing she’s the one calling the shots, though. Josh answering to any woman seems unlikely.”
Alex blanched. “She was at my dad’s house, Liz.”
“Do you think she would harm him? Should we go there right now?”
His shoulders hunched, the anger and stress vibrating off of him. He took a deep breath. “I don’t think she would harm him. I’m guessing she was there to keep an eye out for me. In fact, it may be safer for all of us if I keep my distance from him at this point.”
“Okay.” Liz checked her rearview mirror. “If it makes you feel any better, Cynthia may be a raging bitch, but I don’t think she’s the type of person to turn violent.”
Alex nodded. “I think you’re right. Our best bet is to get to the bottom of this and figure out who is in charge. So, what’s our next move?”
“I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. I think we should go back to Peter and see if he’s changed his mind about testifying.”
“Come on, Liz. Do you really think that’s going to accomplish anything? I know he’s your friend, but he’s a wreck.”
“He’s also our best hope!” Liz gripped the steering wheel and took a moment to consciously ease her foot off the gas pedal. Being pulled over for speeding wouldn’t help matters.
Alex didn’t respond to her outburst. After counting to ten, Liz tried again. “Why are you so sure it won’t work? Peter’s had some time to think it over. I’m sure I can get through to him this time.”
Exasperated with his continued silence, she asked, “Fine, what do you think we should do?”
“I’m not saying going back to Peter is a terrible idea, but we have gone that route once. Let’s try a new approach. Don’t get mad, but I was thinking we should go to Paul and see what he has to say about the whole situation.”
Her shoulders and neck tensed, but before she could open her mouth to argue, Alex raised his hands. “Wait, now…hear me out, Liz.”
The words she wanted to say burned on her tongue, but she let him continue. “I’m not saying he’s involved in all of this.”
“Good, because he’s not.” Liz’s chin jutted out into a stubborn point. “Besides, Olivia said they’ve already questioned him.”
“True, but if you could talk it out together, compare notes about what you’ve seen, and add the details of what we’ve been through, we might all be able to come up with something new. You two know that garage better than anybody else. If there was any evidence that something had been going on, you’d be the ones to recognize it.”
She relaxed her defensive stance and considered his words for a moment. “Okay, that’s not a terrible idea. But how would we even get ahold of him? If the police are looking at him that closely, it won’t be easy to avoid detection.”
“I don’t know. I think we should go to his house and then assess the situation.”
She wasn’t entirely convinced going to Paul was the best course of action, but she knew part of that was because she couldn’t believe he’d have anything to do with the situation she currently found herself in.
Maybe Alex was right. Maybe she was letting her own biases cloud her judgment. On the other hand, she was worried about her old friend, Peter. He hadn’t looked good the last time they’d talked. This would give her an excuse to check in on him. “Let’s try Peter first.” She raised her hand as Alex began to protest. “If I can’t get him to come around, we’ll do it your way and go talk to Paul.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Alex didn’t bother to reply, knowing not to push his luck. He was relieved she was willing to consider his plan. Well, at least for the time being. He’d never met another person that could be so damn exasperating. Her moods were as fickle as the New England weather.
Speaking of which, he reached up and flipped the radio on, hoping to catch the forecast. If they were going to be running around, it would be good to be prepared for once.
“To recap this breaking news. Police are searching for two “people of interest” in connection with the death of a white, male in his mid-twenties, who was found today at an apartment complex in Brunswick. Investigators say the male and female are wanted for questioning. If you have any information about their whereabouts, you are urged to contact the authorities immediately. We’ll update you with any new developments as soon as they are available.”
It took him a moment to register the words, but when he did, they seemed to echo in his mind. “Damn.”
“You don’t think…”
Alex shook his head and turned the dial, hoping to catch another news segment. Moments later it was confirmed. “Earlier this morning the body of a man was found at an apartment complex located here in Brunswick, Maine. His death is suspected to be a homicide. Ordinarily a quiet college town, there has been a notable rise in drug-related crimes over the last year. Two suspects are wanted for questioning by the police. One is thought to be related to a drug case from earlier in the week; the other is thought to be an accomplice. If you have any information regarding this case, contact police immediately. We’ve posted a link to the security footage captured from a building across the street. Please check our website for more details.”
The tears running down her cheeks twisted something deep in his chest. She swiped them angrily away. “I’m sorry, Liz.”
Her shoulders were bowed. It took her another moment before she managed to respond. “Do you think they killed him because we were there?”
“No.” He shook his head ve
hemently, as if to strengthen his assertion. When Liz didn’t respond, he shook it again. “No, Liz. I think Peter was running with a dangerous crowd and it finally caught up with him. Whether we visited him or not, they would have considered him a loose end.”
At her gasp, Alex winced. “I’m sorry. I know that wasn’t all he was. But that’s how these guys – whoever they are – would think of him.”
Some part of her must have come to the same conclusion, because for once, she didn’t argue. Drying the last of her tears, she sat back in her seat and glanced in her side mirror.
He did the same. “Is anyone following us?”
“Not that I can tell.” She squared her shoulders. “Well, I guess we only have one option now.”
“I’m sorry. If there was any other way…”
“No, I know.” They drove for a moment in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly, Liz said, “I hate this. How did my life spiral so out of control? After my parents died, I told myself I never wanted to feel that helpless again. I’ve spent my whole life solving the problems around me and repairing what needed to be fixed – maintaining order. But this!
“This is beyond anything I could have expected. Everything we’ve done the last few days has been a reaction to some guy in charge of a drug ring, of all things. How can we defend ourselves when we don’t even know who is calling the shots? We need to figure out a way to get a handle on this situation.” Her fingers flexed on the steering wheel. Under her breath she added, “Because, I don’t think I can stand playing defense like this for much longer.”
“I know the feeling.”
She shifted in her seat to face him, before returning her focus back on the road. “You know we do have one other option.”
“Liz.”
“I could turn myself in. Something Olivia said has me wondering if we’ve been going about this all wrong. Running only serves to make me look guiltier.”
“No, you can’t do that. What if there are more dirty cops? The stakes are even higher than they were before. It’s not just drug trafficking and distribution. This is murder.”
Secret Need (The Harper Sisters Book 2) Page 18