“There are worse things than dying.”
His smile falters—just a little.
“What about your parents?” he asks. “Your mother? Your father?” He must notice the way my shoulders stiffen because he keeps going. “Won’t he care what happens to you?”
Yeah, I think.He cares multiple restraining orders’ worth. A joke, until I realize it isn’t. My daddoescare what happens to me. He sees me as his property; that much has been clear since the first time I noticed that blue Ford Taurus idling outside my foster home. He owns me, and nothing—not the police, not the courts, not the well-meaning social workers—is going to keep him away.
And god help anyone who damages his property.
“My dad will come for me,” I tell him. “He tracks people down for a living—fugitives who’ve skipped bail. Do you really think he’s going to have a hard time finding you?”
“I’m good at what I do.”
“Really? Then you know he was following us last night.” His eyebrows draw together; he clearly didn’t. “I spotted his car in the rearview mirror, right behind us in the drive-thru line at McDonald’s. That’s why I was so distracted, because I wanted to see if he’d trail us onto the highway.” I take another sip of the milkshake. “He did.”
“Why would he be following you?”
“Because I ran away from home. And he wants me back.”
“We’re in the middle of nowhere. I would’ve noticed if someone had been behind us—”
“Would you? You might be good at what you do, but trust me.” I lean toward him, like we’re sharing a secret. “He’s better.”
The storm in the backs of his eyes rages to life. His mouth buckles into a frown; his posture goes rigid.Fuck. I shouldn’t have said anything. I thought that maybe if he knew we’d been followed, he’d decide I wasn’t worth the trouble and let me go. But that was a mistake—a really fucking big one. I scrabble backward, a half crab walk, until my spine’s flat against the wall. This is it; this is the moment it all ends.
Except it doesn’t. Just as quickly as the storm started, it breaks. “Well,” he says. “I’d love to see him try.” He reaches for the plastic cup, then gives me one last smile before leaving the shack. I listen as the chain clanks into place and the padlock snaps shut.
This is all a game to him. He thinks my dad is some helpless chump who’ll lumber into the woods, unprepared, and he’ll get to hunt him down. And who knows? Maybe he could. My dad’s spent so long thinking of himself as the apex predator, but there’s always someone out there who’s bigger, stronger, deadlier.
I’m unprepared for the little shudder of hope that shoots through me.
No, forget that. If the two of them went mano a mano, it’s more likely they’d end up killing each other, and where would that leave me? Slowly dying of dehydration in an abandoned murder shack. Or, even worse, what if the two of them discovered all the things they have in common? Theysplit a six-pack in the woods, talk shop for a few hours (“What murder weapon do you use? I’m a chain saw guy myself”), then finish off the night by torturing and killing yours truly.
No way will I let either of these men take my life. Not after everything I’ve been through, not after how far I’ve come.
24NICOLA
“GREER?”
The knock on the door startles her upright. Her eyes frantically sweep the room, but when she notices me lying on the bed beside her, she relaxes. I’ve been awake for hours, now—too distressed by Zach’s betrayal to fall back asleep.
“Greer?” Another knock. “You in there?”
Connor.
“Yeah,” she shouts back, swiping her T-shirt from the floor and yanking it over her head. I do the same, in case he decides to enter, uninvited. “Just talking to Nic.”
“Are you coming downstairs?”
“In a few minutes.” She jumps off the bed and starts collecting her clothes.
“Do you want to talk to everyone now or have breakfast first?”
She drops to the floor and grabs her bralette, which has ended up wedged between the desk and the wall. “Talk about what?”
“About what we found last night.”
Her mouth screws up in confusion. It’s only then I remember that the others don’t know anything about the murder; they still believe Zach’s death was a tragic accident. She appears to realize this as wellbecause she slumps back on her bare heels. “Yeah, no, let’s get it out of the way. I’ll be right down.”
