“Opal!” Maren screamed and took off after her sister.
EIGHTEEN
Fear slid along Colt’s limbs. He couldn’t hear anything coming from Maren’s comms. Running with Rusk at his heels for all they were worth, they came out through the trees to a small clearing where he found Opal’s campsite. The sound of more gunfire burst through the forest.
He swiveled toward the noise. Believing the gunfire came from the north, Colt and his K-9 took off in that direction into the forest.
When the gunfire ceased, Colt skidded to a halt, realizing he had no idea which direction to go. Where had Maren and her sister run off to? Back toward the road? Up the mountain toward the summit? East, west, north or south?
“I lost them,” Colt said, unable to keep the despair from his voice.
“We’re almost to the coordinates. Meet us there,” Emmett said, referring to the location of Opal’s campsite.
Heart in his throat, he and Rusk backtracked to the makeshift campsite, but he couldn’t reverse the fear crowding his mind.
* * *
Maren caught a glimpse of Opal up ahead and pushed herself to move faster, using every bit of energy she possessed to gain on her twin. Finally, she caught up to Opal, who had slowed and was wheezing slightly.
Maren grabbed the back of Opal’s army green jacket and pulled her behind a fallen pine tree.
Opal gasped and clutched at her chest. “You scared me.”
“What are you thinking?” Maren said. Anger and fear and frustration vibrated in her voice and throughout her body. Haven moved closer to Maren. “You could have been killed.”
“You were followed,” Opal accused. “How do I know you’re not in league with them?”
Reining in her upset and taking deep, calming breaths, Maren gentled herself enough to say, “Opal, I’m on your side.” She put a hand on Haven and could feel the tension in her body. “I don’t know how I was followed. But I need you to know I will not let anything happen to you. You must trust me.”
“I do,” Opal said. The fight drained from her and her whole body slumped onto the ground. She drew her knees up to her chest and put her forehead on her folded arms. “I’m so tired.”
Sympathy and empathy grabbed a hold of Maren, and she gathered her sister in her arms. “I’ve got you.” Needing to know what Opal knew, Maren said, “I understand you can identify Shadow.”
Opal lifted her head and met Maren’s gaze. There was sorrow in her blue eyes. “Georgy warned me to stay hidden while he told Shadow we wanted out. But I had to see what was happening. And then Shadow shot Georgy and I screamed. I know Shadow saw me. I ran and managed to escape.”
“Can you describe him?”
“Yeah. Thin, dark-haired, dark mustache. Weaselly,” she said with a shudder.
Maren recognized the description. “That sounds like Agent Henry Spares. You don’t have to worry. He’s dead.”
Though the mystery remained of who killed him and why. Was it simply a matter of cutting off the head of the snake and a new one growing back?
“He’s only part of Shadow,” Opal said, her voice sounding weak.
Putting her hand on her arm, Maren asked around the trepidation clawing up her chest, “What do you mean?”
“He has a partner. I don’t know who. But I do know there’s someone else. At least, Georgy was sure of it. My Georgy was smart. We were going to get out of the life. Run and take our baby as far away as we could.” Tears slipped down her face.
Maren’s heart bumped against her rib cage. “Why didn’t you contact me? I could’ve helped you both.”
A spasm of grief and pain marred Opal’s face. “I didn’t know if I could trust you.”
Heart sinking, Maren pressed her lips together.
“I’m sorry, Maren,” Opal said. “I should’ve known better. But it had been so long and there’s been so much—”
The sound of pounding feet running toward them had Maren tensing and Haven growling. The Doberman moved to stand in front of Maren.
