Page 31 of Unmasked

Seconds felt like hours as the car bore down on her, and she suddenly realized it was headed straight for her. Her heart jumped into her throat as she threw herself out of the way just as the car swiped the spot where she had stood only seconds before.

She tumbled into the ditch where she finally sprawled at the bottom, head spinning and limbs aching from the hard landing. Shaking off the pain, she forced herself to focus and climbed to her feet. The car had stopped again, and her pulse kicked into overdrive when the white reverse lights kicked on.

The sound of a second vehicle approaching reached her ears, and she risked a quick look in that direction. The driver of the car idled there for a moment before throwing the engine into drive and speeding off. She breathed out a sigh of relief. No doubt if the second car hadn’t come along, he’d have come back for her.

A chill ran down her spine as she watched the vehicle drive away. Adrenaline rushed through her body, and she could hear the blood thrumming in her ears as her heart beat wildly in her chest. Whoever it was, they’d clearly thought this through. The license plate was covered in mud, the letters and numbers completely indistinguishable.

A sob suspended in her throat as the adrenaline began to wear off and the situation sank in. Swallowing it down, she forced herself to take a deep breath. Her hands and knees ached, and she grimaced as she climbed unsteadily to her feet. Tiny rocks had embedded themselves into the skin of her knees, and she brushed them away, smearing the blood trickling from the wounds.

She needed to get home. She had left her cell in her room, never once considering she’d need it. She shook her head. Stupid. She’d never go anywhere without it from now on. As it was, she’d have to hike two miles home. She threw a glance at the approaching vehicle, which began to slow as it neared. The large silver truck pulled to a stop, and the window rolled down. Shock rooted her to the ground when Mason and Vivi’s faces came into view.

She could only imagine the image she presented, covered in dirt, blood coating her hands and knees, tears streaking her face. Vivi stared at her with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open in shock. Mason’s brow furrowed as he studied her. “Everleigh, what happened?”

“I was running, and…” Suddenly, it was all too much. Her voice cracked and a fresh wave of tears hit, choking off the rest of her words.

Before she even realized what was happening, Vivi was out of the truck and had an arm wrapped around her shoulders. “Come on. We’ll take you home.”

She guided her into the backseat of the truck, and she forced her stiff, aching joints to move. Once she was settled, Vivi climbed back into the front seat. She swiped the tears away, embarrassed to have broken down like that.

“I—I’m s-sorry,” she apologized.

“Don’t worry about it.” Mason turned around in his seat to study her, and Vivi followed suit. “Did something happen?”

She nodded and swallowed hard before speaking. “Some guy—he ran me off the road.”

Vivi’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”

She nodded again, and Mason’s brow creased with concern. “Was the driver not paying attention? Maybe on his cell or something?”

She shook her head. “It was intentional.” She cleared her throat to rid her voice of the shaky quality it held, then continued.

“He stopped back there.” She pointed to a spot on the road. “I thought he was giving me space, so I waved him on. But he—he revved the engine a couple times before hitting the gas and aiming straight for me.”

Mason uttered a low curse, but she kept going. “I jumped into the ditch.” She held up her hands for their inspection. “He started to back up, but then I think he saw you guys coming.”

A muscle ticked in Mason’s cheek, and he adjusted his grip on the steering wheel, practically strangling it. “Anything else?”

She shook her head and shifted in the seat, grimacing at the bite of pain that raced over her wounds.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?” Vivi asked as she studied her knees.

“No.” She waved off her concern. “I’ll be fine. Thanks, though. If you could just take me home, that would be great.”

Mason put the truck in gear, then headed for her house. A heavy silence fell as they drove, and she stared out the window, a million things running through her mind. Who was driving the car? The same man who’d been leaving photographs for her? It seemed like a safe bet, but she really hated what that meant. Because if it was the same man, he was entirely too close for comfort. He potentially already knew where she lived and could come after her at home.

Mason pulled to a stop in her parents’ driveway and parked, then turned around to look at her. “You should report this to the police.”

She halted in the process of reaching for the door handle and gave a little nod. “I’ll stop in tomorrow. I’m not really in any shape to deal with that right now.”

He studied her for a second, then nodded. “I’ll take you. The house has an alarm, right?” He tipped his head toward her parents’ home, and she nodded. “Good. Keep it set, and I’ll be here tomorrow at eight. We’ll get it taken care of first thing.”

She offered a thin smile. “Thanks.”

Her joints ached as she climbed from the truck and made her way toward the door. Mason waited until she was ensconced in the house before reversing and heading out of the driveway. She went in search of Letitia and found her in the kitchen. The smile she threw her way disappeared just as quickly as it had come when she saw her haggard appearance.

“Miss Everleigh, what’s wrong?”

Everything. She fought the tears that welled up and gave a little shake of her head. “Had an accident while I was running.”