For Whom the Bread Rolls

by Sarah Fox

  Kirk’s mouth hung open. Once again, he stared at me and Chloe before returning his attention to Gavin. “Is this about the lab?”

  “The drug lab?” I said.

  “Shut up!” Gavin yelled at me. He glared at Kirk. “They didn’t know anything about the lab.”

  Kirk glowered back at him. “How was I to—”

  Gavin cut him off. “It doesn’t matter anymore. They won’t be telling anyone.”

  “But if this isn’t about the lab…” Kirk’s eyes widened. “You told me you didn’t kill that old broad.”

  “I had to tell you that, didn’t I? Otherwise you would have freaked out.”

  “Of course I would have freaked out! I’ve got enough grief to deal with as it is. The sheriff’s going to fine me for dumping junk by the river. That’s bad enough. I don’t want to go to jail.”

  “Neither of us will go to jail if you just shut up and do as I say.”

  Kirk didn’t look pleased, but his eyes settled on Gavin’s gun and he didn’t argue any further.

  Gavin took a step backward, away from the door, keeping the gun trained on me and Chloe. “We’re going to walk outside to my car. If you try anything, I’ll shoot you.” He took another step back to give us room to reach the door ahead of him.

  A streak of orange shot across the foyer, brushing against Gavin’s legs before disappearing up the stairs. Startled, Gavin stumbled. As the gun pointed up toward the ceiling, I threw myself toward him.

  Chapter 24

  I tackled Gavin to the ground, expecting to hear the gun go off at any second, maybe to even feel a shock of pain as a bullet tore through me. But we slammed to the floor with nothing but the crash of our bodies hitting the hardwood.

  Gavin let out an angry roar and reached for the gun, but it was too far away. He grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled hard. With pain tearing through my scalp, I clawed at his eyes. He bellowed again and let go of my hair. I rolled away from him and saw Kirk reach a hand toward the fallen weapon.

  I bounded to my feet, intent on diving for the gun, but Gavin had scrambled closer to it and closed his hand around it. I froze when he pointed the weapon at me.

  He pushed his hair off his forehead and climbed to his feet, keeping the gun trained on me, breathing heavily. Anger practically radiated off of him in frightening waves.

  “That was not smart.”

  Using the gun, he waved me over to stand next to Chloe, who appeared frozen with fear.

  “Open the door, Kirk,” Gavin ordered.

  “Where are we going?” the older man asked as he obeyed.

  Gavin ignored him, shifting his attention to me and Chloe. “Start walking. And if you try anything again, I will shoot.”

  I traded an uneasy glance with Chloe. Her face was still white with fear. Now that my attempt to overpower Gavin had failed, I didn’t know what to do. For the moment, I did as he told us, stepping out onto the front porch. Chloe stayed close beside me as we slowly descended the front steps.

  Although the sky was still light, the sun had dipped below the grove of fir trees that grew to the west of my property, and dusk had enveloped the yard.

  “Stop,” Gavin ordered when we reached his car. He had a key fob in hand now and pressed a button, his car beeping in response. “Open the back door,” he said to Kirk.

  “Marley,” Chloe said quietly, the fear in her voice unmistakable.

  “Just stay calm,” I whispered.

  I wished I could tell her that everything would be okay, but I really didn’t know if that was the case. I didn’t doubt that Gavin was willing to use his gun, and I didn’t know if we’d have another opportunity to attempt an escape.

  “Get in,” Gavin ordered us.

  I led the way, climbing into the backseat and shifting along to make room for Chloe.

  “Kirk, you sit in the passenger seat. You’re going to keep the gun on them.”

  “What about my car?” Kirk hooked his thumb at the beat-up truck parked next to Gavin’s car.

  “You’ll have to come back for it later. Now move!”

  Kirk yanked open the passenger door and dropped into the seat, clearly not liking the fact that his younger partner in crime was bossing him around. Gavin opened the driver’s side and handed him the gun before shutting the back door and climbing into the driver’s seat. Leaving his seatbelt off, Kirk sat sideways so he could keep the gun trained on me and Chloe.

  “Where are we going?” Kirk asked.

  Gavin started the engine. “Into the woods.”

  He stepped on the gas, backing the car up like a shot before turning around and careening along the driveway. Chloe and I were jostled about in the backseat, both of us staring at the barrel of the gun. I hoped fervently that the car’s bouncing wouldn’t accidentally knock Kirk’s finger against the trigger.

  As Gavin turned left onto Wildwood Road, I saw a flash of pale blue off to our right. A car, maybe? Even if it was a vehicle, it was too far away for the driver to see Chloe and me, or tell that we weren’t willing passengers. We met no other cars on the road, and we traveled only a short distance away from town before Gavin turned off onto a dirt road leading into the forest.

  I took hold of Chloe’s hand and gave it what I hoped was a reassuring squeeze. I could feel her tension, and I knew it matched my own.

  We continued to bounce along the rugged road, encroaching branches occasionally scratching at the side of the car. After a few minutes, Gavin pulled to a stop and cut the engine.

  “Stay there until I’m ready to take the gun from you,” he said to Kirk. He got out of the car and then leaned back in, holding out his hand. “I’ll take it now.”

  Kirk hesitated. “But—”

  “Just do as I say!” Gavin barked.

  Kirk frowned, but he handed over the weapon.

  “Both of you, out now,” Gavin said to me and Chloe.

  Chloe opened the door and we both climbed out that way, Gavin keeping the gun aimed at us the entire time. Kirk climbed out the passenger’s door and circled around the car until he stood next to his buddy.

  Gavin jerked his head toward the woods. “Start walking.”

  Sticking close together, Chloe and I stepped into the forest, ferns and other undergrowth brushing against our bare legs. We had flip-flops on our feet, and I winced as a sharp twig poked at my exposed toes. I was trying my best not to panic, but there was no getting around the fact that we were walking to our deaths. Somehow I needed to change our fate, but I didn’t know how.

  “Don’t do this, Gavin,” I said as I brushed aside a tree branch so I could keep walking. “You don’t need to make things worse for yourself.”

  “Shut up,” he said from behind me.

  “Why did you kill Ida, anyway?”

  “She was going to ruin everything.”

  “You told me she didn’t see anything,” Kirk muttered.

  “Yeah, well, she did.”

  “What did she see?” Chloe asked, a tremor of fear in her voice.

  “We had an old camper set up in the woods,” Gavin said.

  “For your meth lab,” I guessed.

  He didn’t deny it. “She was out picking berries and saw us there. Figured out what we were up to. So I went to her place later that morning to have a chat with her. Only she wouldn’t see reason. I told her it would be a good idea to keep quiet, but she wanted money for her silence.” He snorted. “I wasn’t about to give her any money. I need every cent I can get for med school.”

  I tried not to shiver at the chill behind his words. “Your parents can’t help you out with med school?”

  “The way they spend money on clothes and cars and vacations? Yeah, right.”

  “What about you, Kirk?” I said as I picked my way through some waist-high ferns. “If you go through with this, you’ll be going to jail too.”

  “Nobody’s going to jail,” Gavin said. “Don’t listen to her.”

  Kirk stayed silent, and I wondered if Chloe and I c
ould count on him to help us out of this situation. It was worth a try to get him on our side.

  “You can end this now, Kirk. Hasn’t it gone far enough?”

  “Shut up!” This time the order came from Kirk. The ferocity behind his words dissolved the slim hope I had that he’d be the key to saving Chloe and me from what Gavin had planned for us.

  “Kirk knows what’s in his best interest,” Gavin said.

  I pushed my way through a huckleberry bush as I tried to come up with a new strategy. Maybe I could keep Gavin talking until I found a way to distract him and Kirk, no matter how briefly. If Chloe and I were in danger anyway, I figured we might as well make one last attempt to get away. Picking the right moment would be key, however.

  “What about that note you left for me at The Flip Side?” I asked. “What were you planning to do when I showed up in Ida’s yard?”

  “Get you out of the picture, of course. I overheard my parents talking about you and your snooping, and Joan Crenshaw mentioned that you were playing detective. I was worried you were about to connect the dots and I didn’t want to risk you finding out about the meth lab or the fact that I’d killed Ida. But I knew there was a chance you’d tell the police about the note. Joan asked me to fix a closet door in her guest bedroom, so I made sure I was doing that right before we were scheduled to meet. I saw the police sneak into the yard ahead of you, so I stayed away.”

  That explained the movement I’d seen in the upstairs window.

  My arm bumped against Chloe’s as we climbed over a fallen tree.

  “Get ready to run,” I whispered to her.

  Her eyes widened, but then she gave a barely perceptible nod of her head.

  As we pushed our way through the branches of a towering pine tree, I held onto a large branch at eye level. I pulled it with me as far as it would go, without being obvious about it. Right before it snapped, I let it go and it flew backward.

  When Gavin let out a garbled cry, I knew the branch had hit its target. I spun around. The branch still pressed into his face, Gavin stumbled backward into Kirk. They both tumbled to the ground, the gun’s barrel pointing up into the air.

  “Run!” I yelled at Chloe.

  We both plunged ahead into the trees. I heard a shout behind us and careened off to the left, while Chloe went right. Bush and tree branches scratched at my arms and legs, but I kept running as fast as I could. I stumbled, and nearly lost my right flip-flop, but I steadied myself with one hand on a tree stump.

  A shot rang out through the forest. I dropped to the ground, my heart nearly leaping out through my throat. I tried to keep my gasping breaths quiet as I listened for further noises, desperately hoping Chloe was okay. The sound of someone crashing through the undergrowth started up and grew louder with every passing second.

  Staying low, I continued to work my way through the forest. I tried to be as quiet as possible, but to my own ears I sounded like a small elephant crashing through the brush. My plan was to circle back toward the road, but I wasn’t entirely sure I was going the right way. I had a terrible sense of direction, and without any familiar landmarks to guide me, I knew I could easily be taking myself deeper into the woods.

  I paused and looked behind me. Although the encroaching dusk helped to keep me hidden in the forest, it did the same for my hunters. I thought I saw a flash of white in the distance, but it was gone so fast that I wasn’t sure if I could trust my eyes. Kirk was wearing a white T-shirt, and Gavin was in a dark blue one. Chloe was dressed in a gray top and denim shorts, so I doubted that I’d spotted her, if I’d seen anyone. While it would have been nice to think both Gavin and Kirk were that far away, there was a chance they’d split up.

  Ignoring all the stinging scratches on my body and the twigs poking at my feet, I carefully eased myself around the broad trunk of a large tree. An ominous click sent shards of ice through my veins. I stopped, frozen like a statue. Gavin stood a few feet away, aiming the gun at me. His hair had flopped down over his forehead again and he had a bright red scratch across one cheek. His T-shirt was torn and dirty, but he didn’t seem to care about any of that. All of his attention was focused on me.

  “It’s time to end this.” His finger twitched, moving for the trigger.

  “Gavin—” I started.

  “No!” The cry came from somewhere behind Gavin.

  I dove into a patch of ferns as another shot rang out.

  I expected to hit the ground and stop, but instead I rolled and tumbled into nothing.

  Chapter 25

  My left side hit something hard. I bounced off of whatever it was and fell another foot before landing on a steep slope and rolling downward like a log. The ground evened out and I came to rest against a knobby fallen tree branch. It took me a second to get air moving in and out of my lungs again, but then I was on my knees, trying to find some cover at the bottom of what I now saw was a dry ravine.

  The sides of the gully were steep, and aside from a few clumps of ferns, there was nothing that would shield me from Gavin’s bullets. I pushed myself to my feet and tried to scrabble up the far side of the ravine. A sharp pain in my left wrist stopped me from using that hand, but even with two hands, I wouldn’t have made it very far. Dirt crumbled beneath my feet and I slithered back down to the bottom of the ravine. I tried again, but the same thing happened, and this time one of my flip-flops slipped off my foot.

  I reached for it but froze when I heard someone crashing through the bushes above me. When Gavin barreled through the undergrowth and appeared at the edge of the ravine, a cold, sickening sensation washed over me. I was trapped, an easy target.

  I opened my mouth to try to reason with him, even though I knew in my heart it would be pointless, but no words would come out. My eyes widened at a flash of movement behind Gavin. Chloe charged through the ferns and drove her shoulder into Gavin’s back.

  He let out a grunt of surprise as he lurched forward at the same moment his finger pressed the trigger. I dropped to the ground as the shot tore through the air, and could hardly believe it when no bullet hit me. Gavin bounced off the side of the ravine and tumbled downward, just as I had moments earlier. The gun flew from his hand and came to rest halfway down the side of the ravine, jammed up against a tree root.

  I scrambled out of the way as Gavin rolled toward me. Every one of my muscles remained tense as his body came to an abrupt stop on the ravine floor. I expected him to jump up and attack me, but he didn’t move.

  “Gavin?” I said tentatively.

  I received no response. Warily, I stepped closer to him and put a hand on his arm. He still didn’t stir.

  “Is he dead?”

  I glanced up to see Chloe standing at the edge of the ravine above me, one hand over her mouth. In the growing darkness, I couldn’t see her features clearly, but I guessed that her expression was as horrified as her words had sounded.

  I pressed two fingers to Gavin’s throat and felt a pulse beating steadily.

  “Just unconscious,” I called out to Chloe.

  “What about you? Are you okay?” she asked.

  “I hurt my wrist when I fell,” I said, “but otherwise I’m fine. You?”

  “I’m okay. Can you climb out of there?”

  “I’m not sure.” I noticed a rectangular shape in the pocket of Gavin’s jeans. Moving carefully—afraid that he might wake up at any moment, still bent on killing me—I slipped my hand into the pocket and drew out his cellphone.

  I tucked the device into my own pocket, planning to call for help as soon as I put some distance between myself and Gavin. Cradling my injured wrist against my stomach, I retrieved my missing flip-flop and carefully climbed up the side of the ravine. After progressing a few feet, my foothold crumbled away and I slid back to the bottom.

  “Do you want me to come down?” Chloe asked.

  “Better not, or we might both end up stuck here.” I reached into my pocket for the phone, casting an uneasy glance at Gavin’s unmoving form. “I’ll call f
or help.”

  Before I had a chance to wake up the device, something crashed through the forest, coming closer and closer. It sounded like a herd of large animals. Chloe swung around just as Kirk burst through a clump of ferns. He flailed to a stop at the edge of the ravine and stared down at Gavin.

  He turned on Chloe. “Did you kill him?”

  Before she had a chance to reply, he spun around and plunged back into the forest. At the same moment, a shadowy figure broke through the brush and grabbed Kirk. He hollered and tried to break free, but the arms holding him were too strong for him to defeat.

  “Ivan?” I stared up at the burly chef, completely stunned.

  There was more rustling from the bushes, and a second later Lisa stepped into view. She leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees, out of breath.

  “Marley, are you okay?” she called.

  Before I could respond, more crashing and snapping of twigs came from the forest behind them.

  “Over here!” Ivan bellowed.

  The noises grew louder, and two more people appeared at the edge of the ravine. Although it was growing darker by the minute, I could still see enough to recognize Sheriff Georgeson and Deputy Devereaux.

  I had no idea how they’d known to come looking for us in the forest, or what had brought Ivan and Lisa—of all people—out here, but my questions would have to wait. Devereaux took charge of Kirk, snapping a pair of handcuffs around his wrists while he let out a string of swearwords.

  Ray and Ivan slipped and slid their way down the embankment.

  “Are you okay, Marley?” Ray asked as he knelt down next to Gavin.

  “I hurt my wrist, but otherwise I’m fine.” As he checked Gavin for a pulse, I added, “He fell down the embankment and hit his head.” I pointed at the weapon lodged against the tree root, barely visible now in the thickening darkness. “His gun landed over there.”

  “He was planning to shoot you?” Ivan growled.

  “And very nearly did.” I shivered, remembering my terrible feeling of helplessness when Gavin had pointed the weapon at me from up above.