Page 13 of When the Silence Breaks

Reid Maddox had been a figment of her imagination. A ghost from her recent past. An unreasonable fear trying to grip her and convince her that someone was onto her.

Sarah exited the room and locked the door. She’d drop the key off later or mail it back. The night had turned chilly and rainy. Her favorite.

Hiking up that hill, sticking close to the road, might not be the best idea, but she’d been in worse situations on foreign soil. As far as she knew, the road hadn’t been closed due to the mudslide, so she had that going for her. Still, paranoia set in again. She’d be fine as long as she took no chances and stayed in the shadows. The rainy weather was in her favor. Her mind ran through all the possible future scenarios and the actions she should take to avoid them.

Three years ago, she’d resigned so she could work flexible hours as an intelligence analyst. Bought a small house on a hill in Port Angeles where she could look out her window every day and see the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Was she wrong to think she could finish what Aaron started? Was she moving out of her lane? As if in response to her silent question, the rain turned into a downpour. Cold and hard. She took a back trail through the city park and then started the hike up the state highway that connected the small town to the outside world. If she heard a car, she’d slip into the trees and hide.

Her skin crawled with the feeling of being watched, and thistime she couldn’t shake it. No, this wasn’t paranoia or exhaustion playing with her mind. Before she made her way across the street at the end of the historic downtown district, she glanced over her shoulder.

Yep. That same vehicle she thought she’d lost before turning onto the highway to Mercy Ridge was right behind her now. Following. Someone planned to scrape her right off the street.

And where would that leave Tessa and Jeremy? Sarah couldn’t let this happen. Still, even if she picked up the pace, it wouldn’t be enough. She wasn’t going to escape. Maybe, like her brother, Aaron, she’d never even had a chance.

Don’t give up. You can’t afford to fail.

She slipped into an alley, then sprinted to the back of a shopping center. Backtracked over to another street. Breathing hard, she kept up the pace.

Where can I go, Lord? Where can I run?

A Chevy Silverado with a winch whipped around a corner in front of her at the crossroads, startling her. The passenger door swung open to reveal the driver—Ryder. Her breath caught. So he was good at mud rescues and dangerous stalker-men getaways. Also good to know.

His stark gray eyes held her gaze.

“Get in.”

Six

Ryder navigated his truck back onto Main Street, then headed in the opposite direction of her stalker.

“Are you following me?” Her tone was indignant as she buckled in.

But behind that tone, he heard fear. She couldn’t be afraid of him, could she? No. That was ridiculous. She’d eagerly climbed into his truck, and he was so relieved he’d been here a second time for her—just in the nick of time, it would seem.

His mother’s prayers working overtime? He laughed inside but the danger factor around Sarah was nothing to laugh about.

After looking at the metal piece he’d found, Ryder had decided to reconsider guiding Sarah. But he needed answers, and he couldn’t let Dean be the guy to find them—or anyone else, for that matter. He needed to show her what he’d found. He hadn’t been completely truthful with her, but he’d been too stunned to tell her—a complete stranger with unclear motivations—about his discovery.

Once he’d gotten back to town, intending to knock on her motel room door, he saw her slogging through the park and that vehicle following in an obvious way, slowing as if to pickher up. Good thing he showed up. No telling what would have happened.

“You’re worried aboutme? When you’ve obviously got someone on your tail?” he asked.

“So youwerefollowing me.”

“Who cares? But I wasn’t, to be clear. I came back to town to find you and discuss guiding you. Yeah, I know what I said earlier, but...” He shook his head. How did he explain everything firing through his brain. More to the point, “When, who do I see but Sarah Ellison, backpack and all, lurking in the shadows, trying to escape a vehicle clearly creeping up on her to—I don’t know—what, kidnap her?”

“Oh. Well, thank you, Ryder. Thank you for pulling me out of that fire. Or should I saymud?”

“I’m not sure what you should call it because I don’t know what’s going on. Care to share?”

“You’ve already given me your ‘No, thank you, I’m not guiding you’ spiel, so if you want to help, maybe just take me back to my vehicle.”

She was a hard nut to crack in terms of getting information—enough to understand her treasure-hunting need to be on that mountain. He thought he understood, but what exactly did she know about that plane crash? Who was she working for?

“And where’s that, exactly?” he asked.

“Up the hill, just off the road. I ditched it when I was followed and hiked my way in, and that’s when I met you. But I’m concerned. Is the road even safe?” she asked.

“According to my contact, it’s safe for now.” In addition to reporting to the local ranger district and the sheriff’s office, he reported to Dr. Madsen at the University of Washington’s PNSN—Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. His sister Lainey—a seismologist—had interned under Madsen.