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A hard grip on her bicep jerked her to her feet.
“I should thank you,” the man said. “You just got rid of a pesky problem.”
She struggled against his hold, refusing to meekly obey. She squinted through the darkness, searching for another answer. Another solution. Another idea that could get her out of this mess. The splatter of bright stars against the inky sky cast a dim glow on the half-built lodge. An endless maze of pallets and large equipment dotted the area.
She had to get away from this man, but no ideas penetrated the thick fog of fear covering her brain.
“Get moving.” The man loomed over her, his full beard hiding his jawline. The long shadows from the surrounding trees made it impossible to make out the color of his beady eyes.
Something about him struck her as familiar, and she studied the deep lines on his face. “Who are you? Why won’t you leave me alone?”
He took another step closer and pushed into her personal space. “Because you’ve seen our faces, you know our names. Letting you get away was a huge mistake that can’t be tolerated.”
Recognition flashed in her mind. “Oh my god. You!” She pointed a finger at his chest. “I saw you earlier today. With Brooke. You work here.”
He smirked. “Aren’t you smart? Now come on.”
A loud groan of agony drew their attention under the dump truck. “Tony.” Cory stretched the name into four long, weak syllables.
“Well, shit,” Tony said half under his breath.
With his heavy palm between her shoulder blades, he forced her back on the ground. The hard gravel threatened to rip through her shirt and burrow into her skin. All the air squeezed from her lungs. She inhaled, the scent of dust and dirt shooting up her nose, but her breath was cut short by the pressure on her back. Panic ripped through her as she struggled to pull in air. She’d endured all this just to suffocate on the hard ground. She braced her palms on the gravel and it scraped against her skin, giving herself just enough space to breathe.
Tony dropped to his knees beside her. “Sonofabitch.”
“Tony. Help.” Cory’s body was wedged under the truck. His face contorted in pain, his eyes half-open and arm stretched out. Blood pooled on the ground. His leg was twisted at an awkward angle.
Izzy tried to squirm out from under Tony’s hold, but he kept her pinned down. Her stomach rolled at the carnage her actions had wrought. She turned her face away, when something on the ground caught her eye on the other side of the passenger side tire.
Cory’s gun.
Her palms itched to dive for the weapon, but she’d never reach it with Tony’s meaty palm holding her down.
“Can’t breathe,” Cory rasped out the words. “Call. 911.”
Tony chuckled, and the sound sent chills of terror down Izzy’s arms despite the dots of sweat beading on the back of her neck. “Sorry, pal. It’s time to say goodbye.” He stood, pulled out a sidearm from the waistband of his baggy jeans, then angled his body to aim the weapon under the truck before blasting a bullet in between Cory’s eyes.
She lunged forward, scooped up Cory’s gun, and flipped onto her back with the weapon trained in front of her. Her heart hammered in her ears. Her palms grew damp around the handle of the gun.
“Well, well, well. Little lady’s got some spunk.” He swung his weapon at her.
She squeezed the trigger. The explosion of gunfire made her ears ring. The force of the blast vibrated her arms and the gun bounced in her hands.
Tony staggered backward and slammed against the truck. He pressed his hands to his side and blood stained the material of his shirt, oozing between his fingers.
She pulled the trigger again and again, but nothing happened.No more bullets.
Abandoning the gun, she jumped to her feet and ran. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and blocked the horror of just shooting a man. The break in the tree line that led to the main road loomed to her left and she aimed straight for it.
A feral growl sounded behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and fear assaulted her like a punch in the gut.
Tony stormed after her with long, slow strides like a horror movie villain. He kept one hand pressed to his side and bent slightly at the waist as he moved.
Tears blurred her vision as the hope for freedom became smaller. How long could she run from him? How well could she hide? Her heart splintered into a dozen pieces. Fear had paused her life, kept her hidden away from months. Hell, if she were being honest with herself, fear was what had pushed her away from Pine Valley in the first place—away from a future with Beau.
And now that she finally understood what she really wanted out of her life, she’d be ripped away and tossed to the wolves. Forced into a life not even worth living.
The beams of headlights poured onto the lane and bounced across the lot.
