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It didn’t take long.
How sweet it would be to stay. To experience this final cleansing moment.
But I didn’t have to watch the last act. I knew how it was going to end.
As I turned and jogged through the darkness toward my car, tucked out of view on the national forest road, a sense of elation ... of euphoria ... swept over me.
I was free at last.
Unless Bri Tucker continued to dig for details she should leave undisturbed.
A branch slapped me in the face, and I shoved it aside.
Like I wished I could shoveheraway from the whole Kavanaugh mess. Killing an innocent person had never been in my plans.
Yet as another owl hooted, and a rustle of fallen leaves hinted at the presence of other woodland creatures who deemed darkness a friend, I accepted the truth.
If all the misfortune that had befallen her over the past week wasn’t sufficient to distract her and eat up any after-hours time she was devoting to the Kavanaugh fire and the man’s dangerous list, she’d leave me no choice.
Because after all my efforts to secure my freedom, anyone who threatened it had to be purged.
NINETEEN
BRI WAS STANDING IN FRONTof her duplex when Marc swung into her driveway Sunday afternoon, all set to go.
Not surprising.
She wasn’t the type of woman who would keep people waiting.
As she came down the walk from the front door, he got out of the car and gave her a swift, appreciative perusal. Her limp was almost imperceptible today, and she was dressed for yard work in worn jeans and an oversized sweater, her pair pulled back and secured at her nape.
Despite her understated attire and minimal makeup, she was still the most attractive and captivating woman he’d ever met.
“You’re prompt.” She smiled as she closed the distance between them.
“Always. Another lesson Nan taught me. She said punctuality was a sign of respect, and that it was rude to devalue other people’s time by being late.”
“I like this grandmother of yours.”
“You’ll have to meet her one of these days.” It couldn’t be soon enough for Nan after the grilling she’d given him over breakfast about his unplanned date last night. But Bri would have to be comfortable with that step first. “Any hitches getting your car?” He walked around to the passenger side and opened her door.
“No, but I had to endure an inquisition from my brother while he scarfed down the custard I shoved in his face when he came to pick me up. Unfortunately, it didn’t keep his mouth too busy to ask questions.” She slid in.
“About us?”
“Bingo. Also about the shooting—and Travis.”
“We’ll continue this once I get behind the wheel.” He closed her door, circled the car, and took his place. “So in the interest of keeping our stories straight, what did you tell your brother about us?”
“That the status had changed.”
He put the car in gear and backed out of the driveway. “And ...?”
“And then I filled him in on the news about Travis, which distracted him. I think he’s planning to connect with a few of his airline and rental car company contacts, see if they’ll unofficially run Travis’s name through their reservation databases. He’s got decent connections.”
“That can’t hurt.” He stopped at the end of the driveway. “You’ll have to direct me.”
“Go left and hang a left at the next corner.” She buckled her seat belt. “May I ask a favor? Let’s take a break from heavy subjects for a little while. Talk about our favorite book as a kid, or the funniest thing that ever happened to us, or the place we’d most like to visit someday.”
