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She promised not to stray, which seemed ridiculous, as this was her house and her property. But she still couldn’t look in the direction of the lake thanks to Grant’s body being found there. It might take a lifetime for her to feel comfortable again, and she’d never felt fully at ease to begin with.
The right answer could be to sell and find another small town nearby. It made sense, but she couldn’t take on one more thing at the moment.
She walked down the back porch steps and toward the small garden. Some of her vegetables were ready to be picked, and shocks of color from the flowers she planted not too long ago gave the backyard a homey glow. She bent down to touch a purple petal. One would never know so much death and danger lurked nearby.
As she thought it she heard footsteps off to her left, through the trees. She lifted her head, ready to tell Holt he could spare the lecture about how she needed to stay aware of her surroundings. Deputy Carver walked into view.
Instead of his usual cocky smile, hiding a heap of inexperience, he stared at her. His eyes were flat and his color seemed off. He almost looked a chalky gray. She thought about asking if he was okay, but she didn’t want to say anything that might make him feel welcome, since he was not.
“What are you doing here?” If he’d come to arrest her she just might pass out.
She’d been through so much lately and had handled it all. She was strong and smart by nature, but having Holt as backup increased her confidence. Together, they could beat whatever Simon Falls threw at them.
“I need to take you in for questioning.”
Fine, she’d grab Holt and Shane and drag them with her. Let the police or the sheriff or even the FBI deal with those two. But first she had a question of her own. “Are you the one who planted the false story in the news?”
“Lindsey, don’t make this difficult.”
He didn’t deny it. That meant he was in on it and no way was she going anywhere with him without backup. “I want Hank with me.”
She took a step toward the cottage and started to call out for help. A hand clamped over her mouth and a strong arm pulled her back until she slammed against a hard chest. A flash of a gun registered in her peripheral vision.
“Do not scream or you die right here.” The familiar voice, all threats and rasp and anger, whispered into her ear.
The deputy took a quick look in the direction of her house. “I have this handled.”
“One sound and her boyfriend will come running. You do not want to face him in a battle. Trust me.” Todd put his face close to hers. “Behave or I shoot the first man who walks out of that house, and I shoot to kill.”
She nodded and the tight grip pressing bruises into her cheeks eased. She didn’t expect much from Todd and men like Todd, but Frank Jr. should be different. “You’re working with him?”
Todd hadn’t bound her hands and she used them now. She put a hand on Todd’s restraining forearm. With the other, she slipped her phone out of her pocket. If there was a panic button of some type on there, she didn’t know about it. She counted on her other skills. She couldn’t see to call, but she knew where the text button was and typed all the time on that without looking. This message would be for Holt.
Todd answered her question. “Law enforcement in this county answers to us, and Mr. Falls would like to see you.”
The name sent an icy chill running through her. “Tell him to go to—”
The deputy held up both hands as he threw her a wild look. “Lindsey, stop.”
She could match his panic with some of her own. But she could also fight, so she hit the last button, hoping she came close to making sense. “He will kill me. You get that, right? You are setting me up to die.”
“I know.” Frank Jr. reached for his gun.
Todd proved faster. His grip eased as he leaned forward. A knife appeared out of nowhere and the blade stabbed into the deputy.
Lindsey was about to run, to scream, but the sight in front of her riveted her to the spot. Frank Jr. sank to his knees as his hands clutched his stomach. Blood seeped through his fingers. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out, which meant the screaming she heard was echoing inside her head.
Before her muscles unlocked, Todd was on her again. He had her in a strangle hold with the gun right there. “You are a hard woman to get alone.”
The menacing words sliced across her senses. She had to focus to stay coherent while terror ran rampant inside her.
“Holt...he will find you.” She stumbled over the pronoun and hoped she saved herself in time.
“Do you mean Hank?” Todd clutched his arm tighter across her neck. “I hope so, since I owe him some pain from those fighting moves in your house a few days ago.”
