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“I missed in the parking lot, Bri. On purpose.” A hint of steel in his voice replaced the cockiness from moments ago. “I won’t miss again.” He lifted the gun.
“Fine.” She snatched up the key and shoved it in the ignition. She’d wait for an escape window that didn’t put anyone else in danger. But until she found it, why not ferret out as much as she could about what he’d been up to?
He spoke as if he’d read her mind. “No more talking. Just follow my directions. Take out your phone and turn it off. Then set it on the floor at my feet.”
Panic spiked her adrenaline.
The phone was her lifeline. The only way anyone would be able to track her. Without that, she was—
“Now, Bri.” He tipped his head toward the oblivious older woman again.
Putting a life at risk to protect herself wasn’t acceptable.
She did as he instructed.
“Circle the block and make a left at the intersection.”
After maneuvering the car out of the parking spot, she left Kirkwood behind by the back route he dictated—and peppered him with questions.
He ignored them all as they traveled north and merged onto I-64 west.
And as the miles whizzed by and the metropolitan area faded into the distance, Bri prayed.
Hard.
Because with a gun aimed at her heart and a man who, at this juncture, had nothing to lose, it was going to take a miracle for her to get out of this alive.
TWENTY-EIGHT
WHY HADN’T BRI CALLED OR TEXTED HIM?
Marc checked his cell again as he filled a glass with water and shook out one of the antibiotic pills the doctor at urgent care had prescribed for Nan.
“I can get that myself, Marc.” Nan appeared in the kitchen doorway, weariness etched on her features. She’d already changed into her comfortable sweats and seemed ready to fold.
“Too late.” He held out the glass and pill. “Why don’t you rest for a couple of hours after you take this?”
“That’s my plan.” She popped the pill in her mouth, washed it down with the water, and sighed. “I didn’t need an infection on top of a sprained wrist and the cancer treatments. Neither did you.”
“We’ll survive.”
“Yes, we will. And then you can get on with your life.”
“Iamgetting on with my life—and you’re a big part of it.”
She waved that comment aside. “All you do is wait on me hand and foot and hover like I’m a snowflake about to melt. I’m stronger than I look. And much as I appreciate everything you’ve done, I don’t want to put a crimp in your personal life. Have you heard back from Bri yet?”
“No.” If he hadn’t been checking his phone constantly for the past half hour, Nan would never have asked him what wasup, nor would he have had to explain. Not that he’d told her much, other than the fact he was trying to connect with Bri.
“Keep trying. She sounds like a woman worth pursuing. Once I get over this latest episode, I’d like to meet her.”
“I think that could be arranged.”
“Wake me in two hours.”
“I will. Drink all of that water.”
She rolled her eyes but took the glass with her as she retreated down the hall.
