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The waterfall?I’ve been watching the property for days, but I don’t remember seeing a pond or a waterfall. Then again, I had my eyes on more important targets.
Our hands lock together tighter as she turns back toward the dogs. “Go home.” Her command is low, and they listen instantly, whimpering as they dart back toward the house. The immediate threat is gone, but the gunshots still fire into the air.
“I think he’ll look in the pool.” I drag her toward the left. “Let’s make a run up the hill for my truck. It’s parked just beyond the light on the other side of the ravine.”
“I thought you rode a bike?”
I narrow my brows, wondering how this is an appropriate time to have this conversation. “I do. I rode it here, but I rented a truck to take you home in. You’re pregnant. It’s not safe for you on the bike.”
Her frame softens. “That’s nice.”
“Yeah, so maybe we head up there.”
The gun fires again.
She shakes her head and tugs me harder back toward the pond. “No. This is closer.”
I have a half a mind to pick her up and carry her away again, but the gunshots are getting closer, and we might not make it up the hill in time at this point.
“Okay, well, I guess you don’t value either of our lives.”
Another gunshot.
She lets go of my hand and runs, sinking into the water without pause, swimming toward the back of the pool and toward a waterfall that comes into view the more my eyes adjust to the night. “Hurry up!” She glances back. “I promise there’s a good hiding spot.”
In the dark, the pond doesn’t look like much of a pool, but maybe it’s planned that way. Broken branches lay half in the water and trees grow along the shore as bubbles from the waterfall send out a ripple. At the furthest edge, a large overgrown magnolia tree hangs, blooming with large white flowers that shadow in the night. Water splashes and the buzz of a mosquito circles.
Fucking hell!I sink into the warm water and follow Oakley toward the shadowed backdrop, sinking under the waterfall as two more shots ring out. This one is followed by yelling, though it’s muted by the sound of rushing water that hides us from the night.
“Are you going to apologize to me now?” Her tone is sure and cocky.
My brows wrinkle. “Apologize for what?”
“For showing up here thinking you know best! Look what you’ve done! Even if he goes inside, he’s going to check my room. When he sees I’m not there, he’s going to call people in from everywhere to search. This won’t end well.” She pushes wet hair back away from her eyes and stares toward me in the pale light that bounces off the fading spotlight on the waterfall. “When he stops shooting, you should make a run for it. I’ll play dumb like I went for a late-night swim.”
“And what’s the punishment for that?”
She shakes her head. “Stop. It’s the best solution for everyone.”
“No, it’s not. He stops shooting, then we both run. End of story.”
“Have you seen my stomach? I don’t exactly run. I waddle. I won’t make it.”
Another gunshot.Someone needs to take this guy out of his misery.
“Okay, so I’ll carry you.”
I can’t see much in this light, but the eye roll shines bright. “You can’t carry me up that hill. You were heaving carrying me across the field.”
Okay, now I’m pissed. “I wasn’t heaving.”
“You were heaving. It’s not your fault. I’m a lead weight.”
“If I was heaving, it’s because you were punching and kicking, which I hate to say is the reason all this drama started.”
“Oh, you’re right. I should’ve held your hand and let you kill both of us.”
“There’s no telling you anything. This is just like the whole Johnathan thing. I spend all day keeping you safe and you—”
