A barely audible response sounded in his throat. His Adam’s apple pierced the thin skin of his neck. The muscles in his face pinched.
“It’s going to be alright. I’ve texted the federal agents who are working on her case. They’re hot on your heels.”
“Stamos and the other thug mentioned an old lady. They said she’d hired them. I don’t have much to go on here, but the only person that comes to mind is Grace Vanderpoel.”
Ethan whistled. “No shit.” Then to Nate, “Think you can get some agents to their house?”
“Just sent another text. Someone will go there now.”
Ethan slapped his shoulder. “That’s huge, bro. This is coming to an end. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Cal nodded. But it didn’t feel okay. Nothing would be okay again if he didn’t have Lana. A void in his chest opened, swallowing his heart. He couldn’t survive a day without her—he took another breath.
“They’ve stopped moving.”
Cal’s stomach turned over. His heart stopped and started. This was it.
Chapter 24
The zip tie cut into the soft skin at her wrists. She twisted her hands. The sharp plastic only cut deeper. Panic beat its wild rhythm through her heart. She was going to die if she didn’t get out of here. The interstate was empty, only the odd car littering the dark road. Her eyes darted around the floor of Cal’s truck. She needed a weapon. Even if she could find something, though, it would be pointless with her wrists bound. There were two of them and only one of her. She took a slow, deep breath in through her nose. She had to stay calm. Stay calm and think.
By now, Cal would surely know she was missing. He would tear apart the city to find her. The awkward shape of Cal’s phone lay against her abdomen in her front sweater pocket. If only she had use of her fingers…
Tears stung her eyes. She didn’t want to die this way. She wasn’t ready to leave this earth, her family, and especially Cal. A lump pressed against her throat. The reality was, she had very little chance at escape. They would shoot her without batting an eye. She shifted her gaze to the cool, shiny metal of the gun that rested on the lap next to her, its deadly mouth at level with her stomach. She couldn’t use her hands, but she could use her words. Maybe, just maybe, she could talk her way out of this. At the very least, buy Cal some time.
“Please don’t do this, Grace.” She met the eyes of the older woman beside her. Eyes she had known for half her life. The once-kind, pale blue orbs now held enough ice to freeze hell.
Grace smiled. “Oh honey. Don’t worry, this will be quick. You won’t feel a thing.” She smoothed her blond hair back and tucked it behind her ear. “Unlike what your friend did to Tanner. But he’ll pay for that.”
Anger simmered inside her, and she clenched her hands into fists. “How can you do this to me? To my father?” She blinked away the tears that threatened to fill her eyes. She wouldn’t cry. If she was going to die tonight, she would die with dignity. “Why?” The word hissed through her lips.
Grace thinned her lips. “This was never my intention. I’ve always liked you, Lana. But I have to protect my son and my family’s name at all costs.”
“I don’t understand.” Her brows pinched together.
Grace shifted in her seat. Her thigh rubbed against Lana’s. The corners of her mouth dipped. “You accused Tanner of sexual assault, my dear. Do you have any idea what that would do to him? To me?”
“You’re doing this because of that?” Her voice dripped with disbelief. “I never told anyone about that—not even my father.”
“It was only a matter of time. You don’t know Tanner like I do. He doesn’t take rejection lightly. He would have made another attempt, and you would have taken it further.”
Grace knew. She knew all about Tanner’s past and had covered it up. That was why she had always appeared hard on him. Because with every slipup he made, she’d had to come in and pay people off.
“Tanner should be sitting here. Not me. I know about the young woman he raped. And about Andrea Reid.”
Grace’s breath sucked in sharply. “How do you know about that?”
“I’ve been talking to the FBI.” She raised her shoulder with indifference. “They know everything about Tanner.” She was revealing her hand, but what did it matter?
Grace’s eyes rounded. The lines on her face deepened, aging her before Lana’s eyes. She shook her head. “No. You’re lying. They couldn’t possibly know about that.”
Ignoring her, Lana continued. “The question is…” She spoke slowly, deliberately. “How have you been able to live with yourself? Tanner needs to be in prison…and so do you.”
“I did what I had to do to protect my family. As for the FBI, I would know if they were investigating us. You’re full of shit.”
Lana scoffed. “You’re wrong. They know everything. They know about Shawn, Will, and Stamos. If you kill me, that’s one more felony tacked to the Normand and Theroux names.”
Grace’s cheeks tinted with red. She pressed her trembling lips together. Her eyes turned to gray stones.
“You’re going to be sorry, Lana. If you think for one minute that the law is above my name, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“If you weren’t so worried about conviction, you wouldn’t be killing me to silence the secrets.” She shook her head sadly. “You can’t pay or kill people off anymore. Too many people know. It’s hopeless. Your only chance is to turn yourself in.”
The driver cursed. Grace’s eyes flitted to him, then back to meet Lana’s. “I don’t believe you.”
Lana lifted a shoulder. “Then don’t. But the man you hired—you know, the man who was to kill me?” Disdain laced her voice. “He won’t let this go. He will see to it that you pay for this.”
Grace snorted. The sound rode from her immaculately made-up lips. “I’m sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but I sent two men to his house to take care of him. He won’t live to tell a soul.”
Lana laughed. The sound rang out through the quiet truck. “You actually think you can hurt him? He had one unconscious in the kitchen and was taking care of the other one by the time I made it to the garage. Sorry to break it to you.”
Grace’s jaw worked. “If that’s true, it doesn’t matter. I have law enforcement on my payroll. I can have him framed and charged in a matter of hours. No one will listen to a damn word he has to say.”
“What do you think the chances are those idiots you sent to Cal’s house will remain loyal to you? And the FBI agents I mentioned? Those are Cal’s friends.”
Silence reverberated through the vehicle.
“I can’t fucking believe this,” the man in the front seat breathed. Lana leaned forward in her seat.
She gasped through parted lips. “Shawn?” She hadn’t been able to see his face before. In the garage, Grace had ushered her into the back of the truck and tied her hands. It had been dark, but she’d recognized Grace’s voice.
He met her gaze in the rearview mirror. His face hardened. A glint of remorse shone in his eyes. He shifted his attention back to the road.
“How can you do this to my father?” she whispered. Edward had always been kind and generous to him and Vanessa. His Christmas bonus alone rivaled an average person’s annual income. Red-hot anger seized her. “You won’t get away with this.”
Shawn sighed. “I had no choice, Lana. Believe me. Tanner and I go way back…if he went down, he would take me with him.”
Grace’s icy fingers wrapped around Lana’s bicep. She pulled her away from the edge of her seat. “Enough of that.” Her voice trembled with warning.
Lana yanked out of her hold. She turned to the woman, the woman who had been at her graduation, whose vows she’d professed to her father on their wedding day years ago. Grace had been not just her stepmother, but someone Lana had cared for and respected.
Nausea rolled in her stomach like acid. She didn’t know this woman. All this time she had been nothing but a façade. How could she have been so stupid? She had even snuck under Edward’s sharp radar.
Lana narrowed her eyes and leaned in close to Grace. Her nose hovered inches away from her face. “If you follow through with this, you will be prosecuted. Everything is going to come to light, and your family name and history will be wiped of its pristine image.” Grace’s eyes never wavered from hers.
“But it doesn’t end there. You’re going to rot in hell, Grace. And your son will be right beside you.”
Grace’s mouth tightened. A vein beneath her eye twitched. She turned her attention to the road. “Take the next exit, Shawn. Let’s get this over with.”
Hope deflated in her chest like a burst balloon. Grace didn’t give a damn. All those years, all the memories…nothing. A bright light cut through the darkness. Grace held her cell phone, her thumb gliding quickly over the keys.
Lana worked her hands again. Dammit. There was no give in the tight plastic. Thankfully, they hadn’t wasted time tying her feet. She’d attacked Cal successfully with her hands bound. This time, though, her hands were secured at her back. She wouldn’t be able to throw her fists. It didn’t matter. She would find a way. She had to.
The soft click of the turn signal chimed. Shawn took the exit, and the vehicle slowed. Her pulse beat against her throat. She pressed her knees together to keep them from shaking. No. She wasn’t going to die tonight. The headlights cut down the gravel drive, illuminating the thick foliage ahead.
She had to get away.
Shawn’s resolve had wavered. He was her chance. Lana’s eyes locked on the gun resting casually on Grace’s lap. She had to disarm her. Without the use of her hands. She swallowed over the lump in her throat. What choice did she have? They were going to shoot her regardless. If she could divert them enough, maybe she could escape. She had Cal’s phone. If she could get far enough away and hide, she might be able to work it out of the pocket and dial.
She had to try.
The vehicle slowed, and Shawn cut the engine. Rain fell in thick drops to splatter the windshield. They picked up with frequency as the seconds passed. The headlights switched off. Darkness closed around them. Grace opened her door first.
“Get the flashlights,” she instructed Shawn as she climbed out. She stood at the door and waved the gun back and forth, gesturing for Lana to follow.
She gulped. The sound echoed in her ears.
“C’mon, I don’t have all night.”
Shawn slid out first. Lana shuffled across the seats. God, if only she had on running shoes. Flats would be a challenge to outrun them in. She kept her eyes down.
“Where’d you put the flashlights?” Shawn asked from the open driver’s door.
Lana curled her toes. She shifted her weight to her hip on the seat.
Grace huffed. “They’re under the back seat—”
She snapped her foot out with rapid speed. The top of her foot caught Grace’s hand. The weapon careened through the air.
“You little bitch!” Grace barked into the wind. “Shawn, get the flashlight over here, I can’t see.”
Lana flung herself out of the vehicle. The balls of her feet landed on the gravel. Grace shot her hand out. Her fingers locked around her wrist. Lana twisted until her hold broke. She tore through the night, as if she was running on hot coals.
“Shawn, get her!”
Lana took flight. Her feet pounded through the stones. Dirt flung around her. She charged for the trees. Rain pelted her forehead and hair. Hurried feet crunched the ground behind her. Her breath came out in sharp pants. Her shoulders screamed for release. She tore through the bushes. The trees welcomed her into the shelter of their arms. The smell of rain and rotting vegetation settled in the air. Grace yelled something at Shawn behind her.
Her hair whipped in front of her face. She shook it free. The dirt was moist and slick from the rain earlier that evening. A tree root caught her toe. Her breath sucked in on a cry. She caught herself in a lunge and leapt back to her feet. Branches clawed at her face, nicking her skin. The soles of her feet caught a sharp rock. She bit her lip as pain shot through her toes.
God, please don’t let them find me.
The violent beating of her heart pulsated through her body. Her lungs burned in her chest. She surged on. She threw a hasty glance over her shoulder. A bright yellow globe bobbed in the air…then another. They had flashlights.
No, no, no!
They were going to catch her.
She needed somewhere to hide. Needed to call for help. Tears stung her eyes. She fought them back. She wouldn’t die out here. She ducked low, blending into the darkness. Thank God for her dark clothing and hair. The lights cut through the leaves to her right, but the beam was unsteady.
She weaved deeper between the thick tree trunks. Cold, wet mud sucked her feet into its hold. She tore her foot out and her shoe remained glued to the sludge. She took a wide step out of the muck, and lost her footing. A cry caught in her throat, but she silenced it as she went down. Her knees sank deep.
She squeezed her eyes shut. The bouncing yellow circles grew to the size of tennis balls. They were getting closer. She squinted through the darkness. All she needed was cover. Her eyes zeroed in on the darkness. A few feet in front of her, the land dropped off.
A ravine.
Hope soared through her. She kept her head low and crawled out of the mud on her knees. She inched her way to the edge of the ravine. The flashlights whipped around the trees, but not in her direction. Their hushed voices carried through the wind. If they reached the deeper mud of the trail, they would see her footprints.
This was her only shot. She scooted on her butt down the slippery slope of the ravine. Without the use of her hands, she struggled to stay upright. She made it down the leaf-covered slide. Six inches of ice-cold water covered her ankles and her one bare foot slipped along the stones at the bottom. Her teeth chattered. The moon shone through the canopy of trees, illuminating her way. About a hundred feet away, the ravine twisted around a bend. If she could make it that far, she could try to get the phone out and alert Cal.
She lifted her feet gingerly, one after the other, being careful not to splash. The sound would carry. She took long strides. Something slimy crawled into her pants leg.
Her teeth pierced her tongue to stifle the scream. She shook her leg wildly.
It’s okay. It’s just a bug. Keep moving.
Her teeth chattered in her face. The small pinch of tiny legs was gone. She took a deep breath. She craned her neck back to see the top of the ravine where she’d come down. No dancing orbs yet.
She just might make it.
Crack! Crack!
Gunshots rang through the night. The sound of critters scattering through the bushes followed. Birds squawked, torn from their slumber. She rounded the edge of the bend and dropped to her knees.
Her breath rasped out through her teeth.
A beam of light hit her in the face. Her heart slammed against her breastbone. Terror ripped through her. She threw herself to the ground, shielded by the curve in the ravine.
They had found her.
Bullets split the night. Their deadly shapes whizzed past her. She searched the darkness for another way out. She wouldn’t be able to climb the ravine—not without the use of her hands. She was a sitting duck.
Tears leaked out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks. The taste of mud and salt ran over her lips. Bugs buzzed around her. They weren’t far now. The crunch of branches reached her ears.
Cal’s phone.
She leaned on her side and bucked her hips. It slid out of her pocket and into the mud. She wriggled in front of it, her hands searching through the wet sludge behind her to pick up the device.
She licked her lips with new h
ope.
With the phone in her hand, her finger swiped over the screen. All she had to do was tap the call icon and it would dial the last number he’d called. Her hands fumbled awkwardly. The mud was too thick, and her fingers were caked in it. The phone slipped out of her grasp…and landed in the shallow water beneath her feet.
No!
Her head hung. She closed her eyes as tears leaked from the corners. She was doomed.
Chapter 25
Cal’s knee bounced up and down. One hand gripped the door handle; he was ready to bolt when they stopped. The other held his seat belt buckle. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end like metal antennae. They were almost there. He blew his breath through his lips. Ethan guided the truck to the off-ramp at Mount Tenerife.
Hang on, baby. I’m coming.
Ethan didn’t slow down. They bumped over the gravel road. The headlights caught his truck in their glow. Shit, shit, shit.
“There.” His fingers left the door handle to point ahead. Ethan nodded. Of course, he’d seen it. Three of the truck’s doors hung open. The interior light’s glow beamed through the night. A gunshot rang out, echoing in the still woods.
“Sonofabitch,” he rasped. Air expelled from his lungs.
Ethan screeched the truck to a halt. Cal flung the door open, and bits of gravel swarmed the air and pelted his legs. His feet hit the ground, and he ran as if the hounds of hell were on his heels.
“Go! I’ll get the flashlights and be right behind you,” Nate called.
He pounded the short distance to the forest. Sirens sounded behind him. Branches whipped his body. He ducked a low-lying branch and leapt over a scatter of tree roots. His heart raced in his chest. Sweat rolled over his brow. He wiped it away with his sleeve. Every muscle in his body flexed.
Crack, crack!
More gunshots. He swore. He was too late. No. It couldn’t end this way. He pulled his Glock out from the small of his back. Aiming at the trees overhead, he pulled the trigger. Once. Twice.
I’m here, baby. Hang on.
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