Once on the tile floor, they took off through the hallway into the kitchen. Zack stopped when he didn’t see a back door, but Emily knew there wasn’t one in here.
“This way,” she said and took off towards the second family room in the basement. Quickly down the steps, they came into the finished basement, but Emily knew there was a way out here.
Into a breezeway and down a short hallway they came to sliding glass door. Emily flicked the lock and they plunged out into the night.
They hurried through the backyard, past the fence, and couldn’t believe how much of the house was already engulfed in flames. They ran across to the neighboring yard and out to the street. A few neighbors were already out on the sidewalks looking at the blaze, so they ducked back behind the houses and ran back to the park as quickly as possible.
Back at the car, they quickly jumped in. Sirens screamed in the night and lights seemed to be heading towards them. A police car sped into the lot behind them. Zack looked back, then jumped across the seat and threw his arms around her and started kissing her.
Emily was completely confused for a second, but then she understood what he was doing, so she kissed him back. After a couple of seconds, she totally forgot what she was doing and where she was. She just let Zack’s lips rule over hers, reacting to his every move. Their tongues fought hard as his hands moved through her hair and on the back of her neck. She started pulling his shirt off.
The knocking on the glass didn’t even seem to be real, but it didn’t stop her either. After another few knocks, Zack pulled away. She looked up and saw a cop with a flashlight blasting her in the eyes. It wasn’t easy to sit up, her head was spinning from the intensity of that kiss. Her breath was heavy but started to return.
She wiped the moisture from her lips and smoothed her hair out of her face as Zack rolled down the passenger window.
“Hello, Officer, what’s the problem?” Zack said.
The cop bent in the car and shined the light at them. “This park closes at ten.”
“Oh, we didn’t know.”
“You two have ID?”
Zack took out his wallet and handed over his driver’s license. The cop looked at it for a second and handed it back. Then he asked Emily, “What about you, miss?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t get my new license yet.”
The young cop looked closer at her. He realized who she was. “Oh, okay, I didn’t recognize you, Miss Bontrager, my apologies. Did you two see anyone or anything suspicious? We have a fire down the street and a report of two kids fleeing the scene.”
Emily shook her head. “I didn’t see anything, we were…I was just—”
“It’s okay,” the cop said. “But I’m going to have to remind you two to please make sure you keep it civil in here. There’re kids in this neighborhood and a lot of nosy parents who walk dogs here in the early hours.” He turned away and then stopped and looked back. “For the record, what you two did was incredibly brave. If you ever need anything from the department, don’t hesitate to ask.”
They watched the cop car pull away from the park.
Chapter 38
Zack drove slowly out of the neighborhood. Glancing over at Emily, he could tell she was still a bit disheveled from that little kissing scene he had to create. He felt bad about it. That totally wasn’t his style to just force himself on someone. “Hey, I’m really sorry.”
She twirled her hair in her fingers and looked at him, but didn’t say anything.
“I just felt like it was a good way to explain why we were all sweaty and in a park in the middle of the night.” She still didn’t say anything, so he kept talking. “I’m just…that’s not me, I wouldn’t do that normally. I need you to know that.”
After a few moments of silence, Emily said, “I know. You did the right thing.”
He nodded and turned out onto the main road out of the development. “Someone either followed us, or knew where we were going.”
“Kinda spooky.”
“We know neither one of us are bugged.”
“What about the car?”
“That’s what I was thinking. And I think I have a plan.”
***
They checked into the Marriot Hotel before dawn. Emily walked into the room and had a wow-moment. This was by far the nicest hotel room she’d ever been in. Zack insisted on paying this time and this honeymoon suite was the only room they had. Apparently, there was a huge comic book convention down the street and just about everything within a twenty mile radius was booked. Between the heart-shaped bed and the hot tub in front of the fifteen story windows, Emily wished they were here for another reason. But they weren’t here to stay for long. They were here to set Zack’s plan in motion. They just needed to waste some time first and set things up.
Emily sat on the edge of the bed and slumped back, looking up at the plain white ceiling. Her mind kept drifting back to that moment in the car. She and Zack had shared a couple kisses before that, but that was the first time she was absolutely ready to give herself to him. If that cop hadn’t knocked on the window, there’s no question in her mind what she would have done. Her body was still tingling.
Zack entered the room and closed the door behind him. “Whoa.” He tossed their bags on the bed behind her. “This place is unreal.”
She nodded. “Yeah, it’s too bad we’re not here to enjoy it.”
He looked at her and sighed. “Truer words were never spoken.” Flopping on the bed behind her, he said, “I’m just going to crash for a couple hours. Wake me up before seven.”
Emily went over to the long leather couch and plopped down. She’d slept quite a bit on the ride up here and wasn’t really sleepy now. The urge to turn on the television just wasn’t there. Not only didn’t she want to keep Zack awake, but she just wanted to enjoy the silence. She sat there for a long while, just letting the calm wash over her.
Restlessness started to set in, so she got up and walked up the three red-carpeted steps that led to the hot tub. It looked so good. She pressed the button on the control panel and the tub sprang quietly to life. Blue and white LED lights glowed from the bottom of the tub, giving the churning water an almost dream-like quality. It was way too cool to leave alone.
The room was dark. She glanced back once at the bed to see if Zack was sleeping. Part of her wished he wasn’t. She slipped out of her clothes and stepped down into the bubbling water.
It was so warm and relaxing. She just wanted to enjoy a few moments of this while she watched the New York City skyline. The orange glow from the approaching sun was just a small sliver in the background of the cityscape.
She closed her eyes and leaned back. Falling asleep in the water wasn’t a smart idea, but she managed to balance on that fine edge of rest and sleep until she started to feel so perfect. Opening her eyes periodically to look at the skyline kept her from being too relaxed. It proved a good recipe. The next time she looked up, Zack was walking up the steps to the window.
“The sun should be up soon,” he said.
She felt a little nervous about being naked under the water, but she knew he would look away when she climbed out if she asked him to. But she wouldn’t ask him to. She stood up and let the water roll off her body for a few seconds until he turned to see her in the dim light. She felt her heart quicken as his eyes fell on her naked body and lingered.
He blew out an audible sigh and said quietly, “Lord have mercy.”
She climbed up the steps to the landing and started pulling off his T-shirt. He didn’t argue with her and she wasn’t over-thinking it this time, she’d waited long enough. Life was too uncertain.
Reaching up, she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled his lips onto hers. The passion he’d ignited in the car earlier rekindled instantly and an intense kiss took over. Her hand glided to the button on his jeans and she snapped them open, letting the loose denim fall to the floor.
Pulling away from him, she took his hand and turned a
round, walking him back into the hot tub and easing him down onto the seat that ringed the tub. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in.
He pulled away. “Are you sure about this?”
She met his eyes. “As sure as I am that sun is going to rise.” She leaned into his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck, letting her legs slide around his waist. His hands moved up her side, sliding up her ribcage and up to her shoulders and neck. The feeling of his hands as they moved up to her face and intertwined into her hair brought her to a feverish intensity. She gripped him tighter and their kiss became more passionate.
She felt him under her, searching. Leaning into him, she tilted her hips back so he could complete their embrace. She had to stop kissing him as she nearly lost her breath. Their panting grew rapid, his lips sucked into her neck and he thrust up to meet her rocking hips. Everything she’d ever known about making love quickly became completely irrelevant as he ignited something inside her that she didn’t know was there. It felt so amazing. She could feel every pore of her body completely immersed in the moment.
Every nerve ending both inside and out swelled in anticipation. A rush of intense heat flooded her until it felt like the very molecules of her being were going to catch fire. With a few more grinding hard moves, she shuddered, unable to hold back the moan she wanted to quell turned it into an involuntary screech as she exploded into a quivering fit that didn’t seem to stop. She had to grip him with all her strength just to keep from falling into pieces as their fervor slowed to a writhing embrace.
She stayed there, locked into him for several minutes trying to catch her breath, but it was taking longer than usual. Reluctantly she slid off his lap and sat on the seat next to him. His hand found hers under the water, and interlaced with her fingers. He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it.
He put her hand on his chest, over his heart. “Do you feel that?” he said. He pressed her open hand against his flesh.
She nodded.
“You own it now.” He leaned over and kissed her softly, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back to his chest. “Use it wisely.”
They just sat there, looking out at the sky, waiting for the sunrise.
Chapter 39
Zack pulled the large door down on the carwash and started looking around for the tracker he suspected was there. He didn’t want any potential prying eyes to know that he was looking for it.
Dropping down to the concrete surface, he started at the rear of the car. And in almost no time at all he saw the blinking red light. “Found it!” He slid out from under the car and looked up at Emily. “I knew it.”
She blew out a breath and tentatively bit her lip. “I still don’t like this.”
He got up, leaving the tracker exactly where it was. “It’s the only thing I can think of.”
“It’s just so sketchy.”
“I know.” He wiped his hands off on his jeans. “But we have to try something, and this way, we get the drop on them.”
Emily got into the driver seat and started the car. When they got to the rental place, she dropped him off and drove away. He hated the idea of them being separated even for a short time, but this was probably the best plan. Or the worst plan.
Zack went inside the building and walked up to the smiling bleached-blonde behind the counter. “Hi, welcome to All City Rentals. How can I help you?”
Zack plunked his driver’s license and a credit card down on the desk. “I need a car for the day.”
She started going into her routine about options and all those goodies but he stopped her. “Please, I’m in hurry, so just give me the basic agreement.”
She nodded and started typing until the printer started spitting out pages. Sliding a page for him to sign down on the desk, she said, “Here’re your keys. The car is parked in space C-20.”
Zack signed, snagged the keys, and headed out to the lot. He gave a quick scan of the area and saw the blue Nissan Altima sitting by itself. He hit the key fob and the lights blinked to confirm it was the right car.
A wave of relief hit him when he saw Emily sitting in the silver Chevy waiting for him. She pulled out in front of him, so he could follow as planned. He hoped to lure whoever was chasing them out and into the open.
***
Emily felt her nerves getting the better of her as she looked up in the rearview mirror at Zack behind her. She couldn’t disagree that this was the best play, but it didn’t make it any easier to do. It was starting to seem almost crazy. No, it was past almost.
She most certainly didn’t like the idea of being a piece of bait on the hook. At the same time, though, she was completely sick of running. And there was nowhere to run now. Whoever this person was, they had access to her mother.
Pulling up the hill, the road started to wind up and stretch narrow as thick trees crowded the roadway. Emily saw the old sign Zack was talking about and slowed to turn into the abandoned warehouse.
She got nervous as he drove past her up the street. The driveway was wide and spacious, and for an apparently abandoned warehouse, the place was still holding up well, which made Emily think it hadn’t been abandoned for long.
Pulling the car close to the building, she turned off the engine and waited.
***
Zack parked the car and hurried down the paved footpath to the other building. He knew this large corporate park was mostly abandoned. Here on the east side of the park there was nothing but empty buildings and warehouses. The occupied parts were a half mile to the west and north.
This warehouse section was empty even back when he was in high school. He and his friends used to come here when they started driving to have illegal drag races around the outside of the complex. It was better than doing it on the roads and risking the life of some innocent driver.
At the edge of the grassy area, he stood near the overgrown hedgerow and looked at the silver Chevy. He sent Emily a text:
You all good?
A-OK,
she replied.
He didn’t want to be seen by anyone so he just waited.
***
Emily kept an eye on all the mirrors of the car, occasionally glancing over to see where Zack was hiding, but she couldn’t see him. The afternoon was getting long and she was starting to think this idea was a bust. Maybe whoever was stalking her was too smart to fall for a plan like this. Maybe he couldn’t be drawn out into the open so easily.
She looked down at her phone again and wished it was her real phone, but Zack thought this was a good idea, too. Her good phone was in her pocket. This was an annoying piece of junk. The screen was horrible, but it had to be this way. She’d be happy when she could throw it into the trash.
After another hour, no one was around and nothing was happening. Clearly, this plan was a total failure. She sent a text to Zack saying as much and he agreed. He said he was going to head back to the car and to meet him at the end of the driveway.
She started the car and began driving away when a large truck turned into the lane. Waiting a second, she figured he was just going to drive by, but instead the truck sped up and slammed into her car, sending it backwards and crushing it into the concrete wall of the massive warehouse.
The airbag exploded into her face, knocking her dizzy. She reached blindly for the seatbelt, got it and clicked the button. Her door wouldn’t open at first, but she shoved it hard and got out of the car just as the interior popped in an explosion of fire from something that flew in through the passenger window.
Emily backed away when the heat hit her in the face. She turned into the barrel of a gun.
Chapter 40
Zack turned the corner and was stunned to see the wreckage, a large dual-wheeled box truck had crushed into Emily’s car and flames were streaming out in all directions.
He jumped out of the car and approached slowly, but the gas tank on the silver Chevy exploded, sending a concussion wave into the large truck. Zack got back into his car quickly and pulled
out of there, afraid the large truck was going to blow too, and he didn’t want to be around for that.
Speeding out of the lot, Zack prayed that Emily wasn’t in that burning car. He was pretty sure she wasn’t since the GPS tracker on her phone was still tracking. A quick glance down at his phone told him she was tracking somewhere close. The dot wasn’t moving, which bothered him. Maybe whoever had taken her found the phone and tossed it. He gave her a decoy phone, hoping the person wouldn’t look for her real phone.
He was just about to get out of the car and start tracking on foot when the red dot on his map started moving. Zack drove out to the main street and cut the wheel right to follow the moving marker.
The area was familiar to him, but he still didn’t know where most of these roads led. He just had to follow at a safe distance and wait for a chance to make a move. He didn’t want to give away his position.
***
Emily sat in the back seat with the gun to her head, held by just about the last person she expected on the planet. She turned to face her captor, Cheryl Moulton, Harry’s only child. “Why are you doing this?”
Cheryl gave her a dirty look. “Give me the phone.” She tossed it out the window and then looked back to Emily. “You ruined my family.” She looked up at the scruffy man driving the car. “Here, pull into this driveway.”
They pulled up a winding dirt driveway that led to a rundown house. The place looked like it had burned down long ago, but most of the structure still stood.
Cheryl told the man behind the wheel to stop by the side of the house. He turned off the car, and she promptly shot him in the back of the head.
Emily was shocked by the noise and the action. She looked into the menacing brown eyes behind the gun and saw the same psychotic look that danced in Harry’s.
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