New fear skittered up her spine. Her SUV couldn’t be drivable right now, not with the airbags deployed. If they weren’t looking for cash, that left her and Jenna as the likely targets.
He leaned in until there were mere inches between their faces. “You haven’t been listening, so we’re going to make things real clear.”
FOR THE FIRST TIMEsince he’d returned to Kincaid, Peter passed the site of his accident without having to fight off a panic attack.
He sped toward the road Hailey had named. He’d already called the police, and they’d promised to send someone, but no way was he going to sit around and wait for an update. He feared something bad had happened. There’d been a thump, like Hailey had dropped the phone, then muffled voices and scuffling, followed by a cry of pain. The line had disconnected a moment later. He’d tried calling her back, but it went straight to voice mail.
He slowed as he approached his turn. He’d need to watch his speed from here on out. The road the accident had occurred on didn’t get much traffic, but it was winding. Though he was chafing to be at her side, he had no idea if any of the involved vehicles were still in the road. The last thing he wanted to do was zoom around a curve and smash into them.
Finally, after a particularly sharp turn, he spotted Hailey’s SUV and another car with its hazard lights on. Both were pulled as far off the road as possible, but the narrow shoulder left themstill partially in the driving lane. He slowed to a crawl and took quick stock of the scene. Both cars showed damage, and the Explorer’s windows were lowered, but no one seemed to be about. No Hailey, no other driver. Had they stepped into the trees to put distance between themselves and the vehicles in case another car sideswiped them?
There was even less of a shoulder to pull off onto on his side of the road. He’d need to find a place to turn around so he could park in front of the other vehicle. But when he started to pass by, he caught sight of Jenna in the back seat. The little girl’s face was red and streaked with tears. When she saw him, she waved her arms and started wailing loudly enough he could hear her through his own closed windows.
His stomach dropped to his toes. No way Hailey would have willingly left her daughter alone in a hot vehicle, especially not one in so precarious a position.
He rolled his window down. No sound of an approaching engine, so he took a chance and backed up, then crossed the road to join the line of abandoned vehicles. Barely taking time to punch the button for his own hazard lights, he launched himself from his car and rushed toward the SUV.
“Help!” A thump and a muffled cry sounded from the trunk of the other car as he neared it.
Peter drew up short. “Hailey?” he called.
“I’m ... here. Find Jenna.”
He felt beneath the lip above the license plate but there was no trunk release. “Jenna’s still in her car seat. She’s safe. Stay calm—I’ll get you out.”
“Get Jenna first.” Though the words were muted by the trunk lid, he could hear the strength behind them. Hopefully that meant she wasn’t injured.
“Okay. Hold tight.” He jogged to the SUV and pulled the screaming toddler from her seat. He cradled her against his shoulder and gently patted her back. “There, there.” He murmured thewords even though he knew she couldn’t hear them. “Let’s go get your mum now.”
Sirens began to wail in the distance as they returned to the other car. Peter went straight to the driver’s door and yanked at the handle. It wasn’t locked and opened easily. He breathed a sigh of relief. Inside, he quickly located the trunk release and heard a satisfying pop when he pulled it.
By the time he circled back to the rear of the car, Hailey was sitting upright. Peter’s blood went cold. Besides being drenched with sweat from the hot vehicle, she’d clearly been roughed up. A large bruise was forming around a cut on her cheekbone, and her right eye was swollen and already turning black.
He helped her out of the trunk with his free hand. Immediately after gaining her feet, Hailey reached for Jenna. He relinquished his hold, but angled the girl so she’d end up on the opposite side of Hailey’s injury. “What happened?”
“It was a setup. They ambushed me.” Hailey was checking Jenna for injuries but paused long enough to turn terrified eyes on him. “They said it was a warning—to leave Kincaid. Why do they want me to leave Kincaid? Where do they expect me to go?”
“Back up a little. Who ambushed you? Wait. Don’t answer that yet.” He led her to his own car and ushered her into the passenger seat, then leaned over her to start the car and crank the AC. He wanted to hear her story, but he needed to get her cooled down. He angled the vents in her direction, then stepped back. “Sit tight. I’m going to set up some reflectors to warn people to slow down.”
He waited until she nodded, then retrieved his emergency kit from the trunk and set to work placing triangle reflectors where approaching drivers could see them before they rounded the bend. Normally, he’d also have Hailey and Jenna wait at a distance from the vehicles, just in case someone failed to heed the warning, but with today’s heat coupled with adrenaline and fear, he was afraid Hailey might be nearing heat exhaustion or worse. Preventing that took precedence.
What had happened in the ten or so minutes between when he’d talked to her and when he found her? And that warning to leave town—what was that about? If whoever did this was willing to go to such extremes as a warning, what would they do if she didn’t do what they said?
As he returned to Hailey, the promised police officer finally appeared, lights flashing. After squeezing onto the shoulder a yard or two behind where Peter had pulled off, the officer climbed from her patrol car. She scanned the line of vehicles and frowned, clearly not liking the setup any more than he did.
Peter continued past his car to join her. He motioned in the direction he’d just come from. “I placed reflectors on the other side of the bend.”
“Good thinking. Is everyone okay?”
“No serious injuries that I can tell, but this was deliberate.” He told the officer what he knew. Her frown deepened as he spoke. When he finished, he asked, “You wouldn’t happen to have a bottle of water or anything, would you?”
“I do, actually. One moment.” She retraced her steps and returned a moment later with the requested water. “I radioed Detective Thornton and asked him to come too. He’ll want to be involved.”
Peter felt better knowing the detective was on his way. He led Officer Owens, as she’d introduced herself, to where he’d left Hailey. She lowered the window as they approached. He offered her the water, and she accepted it with thanks, helping her daughter sip from it before taking a drink herself.
“I’m glad to hear you’re o—” Officer Owens halted mid-sentence when she caught sight of Hailey’s face. “You’re not okay.”
“Yes, I am. Just a little shaken and banged up.”
