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“Shut up!”
She could hear the fear in him now.
“Adjust,” he muttered. “He told me that things change so I need to learn to adjust.”
“Who? Dear sadistic Daddy? He’s gonna be pissed with you if you muck this up.”
“Shut up!”
She’d never heard that particular tone in Zander’s voice, and it scared Piper enough to do as he said... for now.
They heard the helicopter, and every time it hovered overhead, Zander dragged her down and forced the gun into her ribs.
They climbed and climbed, for hours, and Piper’s fatigue had long since turned to numbness. She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and continuing the punishing pace Zander forced on her. Focusing on the fact the people she loved would come for her kept her mind off what this man planned to do to Dylan.
Looking at the sky, Piper guessed it was now early evening, as the sun was lowering and the temperature dropping. Buzz was pressed to her legs, and she felt a small measure of comfort that he was with her. Zander had dropped his lead as soon as he heard the helicopter, but Buzz had stayed at her side. She just hoped Zander didn’t shoot him if he got in the way.
It was cold enough now that she was shivering, but having the fur ball close helped.
“I can’t see,” Piper complained as dusk eased into night.
“You can, now keep walking. We need more distance.”
Her eyes had adjusted, and Piper knew they were reaching the first ridge. There were some steep drops here, and a mistake could be fatal. She walked, because he kept nudging her. Like her, he was scared. All his plans had been shot to pieces. Zander had to hope that he could get her back down off the mountain without anyone noticing, which was not going to happen. There were only a few places you could safely walk off Roxy, and those would be covered by people, but she didn’t tell Zander that. Or that he was never going to get away with this.
Piper placed her foot on the ground as she had been doing since they’d started hiking upward, but this time it started to slide. Seconds later she was heading over the edge.
“No!”
She heard Zander’s roar, then felt his hands reach for her. Piper grabbed him, and together they fell.
Chapter 40
Dylan heard Piper’s scream and started running. Adrenaline gave him strength and pushed aside the tiredness. He was behind Fin and Joe, and the others behind him in single file. The sudden pounding of their feet filled the cool night air.
“It’s coming from the ridge!” Joe roared the words over his shoulder as he climbed.
Dylan tried to shut out thoughts of how Piper was suffering. Shut out images of what Field had done to the women he’d tortured.
“No time,” he rasped. “He’s had no time to hurt her.”
Not Piper, not his girl. Any suffering she experienced was down to him. He was the target, and the people he cared about were just pawns in the game to catch him... to make him pay.
“Stop!” Joe lifted a hand.
Dylan listened for a sound, anything to tell him she was all right.
“I hear something,” Luke said. “Beyond these trees is a sheer drop down, and I’m sure it’s coming from below us.”
They listened again, and heard raised voices, then a loud woof.
Moving cautiously through the trees, they found Buzz lying on his belly. Dylan dropped to his front beside him, running a hand down the frightened dog’s spine. Edging forward slowly, he looked over the edge. He kept the curse inside his head as he saw Piper and Zander about ten feet below him. Piper’s arms were wrapped around a branch, and Zander’s around her waist. Both were balanced on a small ledge, no bigger than two feet wide.
Dylan tapped Fin’s shoulder, who was next to him, and pointed down. Soon everyone had seen what the situation was.
“Move back so we can talk,” Cubby whispered into his ear. He didn’t want to. Fear that she would fall if he left had every muscle in his body urging him to go down there and rescue her.
A hand on his shoulder pulled him upright.
