Page 85 of Slow Burn


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“The signal’s started moving. We need to get there. Fast.”

Deva

I was runningout of time. I didn’t know how I knew, but something in my gut told me if I didn’t make a move soon, it might be too late. Two to one wasn’t exactly great odds, but Agnes and Sherman were up there in years, so I’d have more luck outrunning the two of them. The problem would lie with Mathias. He was young and in good shape from a life of hard work and manual labor. I needed to get out of there before he got back.

My nails were bleeding from trying to pry the nails from the boards over the window, but I refused to give up. There was no way I could get them all off in time to squeeze through, but maybe if I could get one off the window, I could use it as a weapon to fight my way out.

It was the only shot I had.

I whimpered in pain, blood dribbled from the cuts on my fingertips, but I finally managed to pry the last nail loose, and with it, the board fell away from the window. I tested the weight in my hands, praying it would be enough. It was sturdy, the wood solid despite its age. I just hoped it would hold up against a person’s body.

I carefully stepped off the bed, holding my breath and praying the springs didn’t creak beneath my weight as I gently lowered myself back onto the floor and tiptoed to the bedroom door. Standing to the side, I raised the board like I would a baseball bat, squeezing so tight my knuckles turned white and splinters embedded themselves in my palms. But I didn’t care. The pain didn’t matter. I needed to be ready.

I held my position, and with one last fortifying breath, I kicked the door as hard as I could, making as much noise as possible. Then, with my heart in my throat, I waited.

It didn’t take long. I could hear the commotion outside the room, and sound of Agnes shouting, “Hurry, Sherman!”

A second later, the lock disengaged, the door flung open, and I swung with all of my might. My arms rattled painfully with the force of the board colliding with Sherman’s face. The board split right in half, but it did the job. He went down to the ground like a sack of bricks, but I didn’t give myself time to stop and think. I dropped the now worthless piece of wood, leaped over his body and ran out of the room, the phone on the table my destination.

Only, Agnes got in my way before I could reach it. “You little whore!” she shouted, lifting the gun in her hands. “You’ll pay for that!”

I dove without thinking, grabbing hold of her wrists and forcing her arms up as we both struggled for the gun. It went off, the crack of it nearly deafening.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I fought Agnes with every bit of strength I had. A second shot fired, causing me to flinch, and Agnes took advantage, bringing the gun down between us. I gritted my teeth, trying to twist the gun away from my chest as she tried to do the same, but when the third shot fired, time stood still. I waited for the bloom of pain, for the fire that had to have gone hand and hand with being shot. But it never came.

I realized why when Agnes stumbled back a step, her eyes wide, mouth silently gaping open, the gun clattering to the ground between us. And there, on the front of her dress, a red stain expanded. A moment later, she crumpled to the floor. It felt like an eternity had passed as I stared at Agnes’s body, my brain trying to process what had just happened, but the sound of tires jolted me out of my daze.

I quickly snatched the phone off the table and bolted for the door, throwing it open and running out just as Mathias threw his truck into park.

“Deva!” he shouted as he wrenched his door open, and at the sound of his voice, I turned and took off into the woods, runningfaster than I ever had before as Mathias yelled my name behind me.

Chapter

Thirty-Four

LAETH

The plan tocome in stealthily flew out the window when Deva’s cellphone started to move. We couldn’t risk them moving her to a different location, not when we were so close.

“There!” I shouted, pointing past the windshield as a structure that was more shack than cabin came into view. Gage slammed to a stop and the three of us poured out, armed and geared up, ready for whatever might happen. I could barely hear anything over the blood rushing through my ears at the sight of the truck idling in front of the cabin, the driver side door flung open like someone had been in a hurry.

I had my rifle at the ready, the butt of it tucked tight to my shoulder, finger along the side as we moved around to inspect the truck. It was empty, no signs that Deva had been in it.

“Laeth,” Jensen barked from the front porch.

I moved his way, noticing the front door was also open. “What have you got?”

He jerked his chin toward the entrance. “Two bodies, neither one of them is Deva.” I stepped inside, taking in the scene as he spoke. A woman in her mid-to-late fifties lay in the middle of the living room floor, a gunshot wound to the chest leaking bloodlike a sieve. I recognized her as Agnes Oakes from the searches I’d done on her family after Deva had confessed everything they’d put her through. I didn’t need to check her pulse to know she was gone, the wide, lifeless eyes were clue enough.

The man who was sprawled in the threshold of another open door was still breathing, but unconscious, and in really bad shape. A look around told me he’d been bashed in the face with the broken board thrown a few feet away. The damage was bad enough that it was hard to recognize him as Agnes’s husband, Sherman Oakes.

“Jesus,” Gage hissed, taking everything in as I bound the man’s wrists and feet in case he regained consciousness, not that he’d be able to do much given most of the bones in his face looked to be broken. “Your girl did some serious fuckin’ damage here. She’s a fighter, brother, that works in our favor.”

It sure the fuck did, but I’d stop to appreciate Deva’s strength once I had her safely in my arms. Rising to my full height, I started toward the door to the cabin, my eyes scanning the ground for anything that might lead me to my girl.

“I got two sets of tracks here, one starting at the cabin and leading that way into the wood,” I said, pointing to the small impressions in the dirt that could only belong to Deva. Then I indicated the second, much larger set. “It looks like Mathias pulled up just as she bolted out the door.” I looked out into the dense forest, my heart hammering against my ribs. “He’s got a head start on us,” I murmured, panic threatening to crush my chest in a steel grip.

Gage came up behind me, clapping me on the shoulder and pulling me back before I could spiral. “Then let’s close the fucking gap.”

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