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But why the fuck was she standing there talking to Hayden? What did the bartender have to do with any of this?
He had Max on a leash. The dog was agitated and afraid. This wasn’t a case of Max running off and Hayden happened to be the one to find him. Something was wrong. I could practically smell it.
I ducked behind a tree before Hayden could catch sight of me. I didn’t need to know why he was the stalker to realize the truth—it had been him the whole time. There was no other explanation, no other reason for the scene unfolding in front of me.
As close as they were to the cliff, I also had no doubt as to his intent. They weren’t over there for the view.
I clenched my fists and ground my teeth together, trying to keep a lid on my temper. If I charged in from here, he’d see me and have plenty of time to push her off. I couldn’t risk that.
Which meant I needed to slow down and think.
There was no way to get close enough without being seen. The roar of the waterfall would keep him from hearing me, but there weren’t enough trees. I’d have to be out in the open for too long. No matter how fast I ran, he’d get to her first.
And he was going to push her off. I could see his face and the hatred in his expression was undeniable.
He’d brought her there to kill her. Maybe try to frame it as a suicide.
Fuck that.
They were talking but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Max sniffed the air and I wondered if he’d caught my scent.
My eyes kept going back to the cliff. I knew what was down there. A hell of a lot of wet rocks. I’d almost fallen a dozen times when my brothers and I—
Without another thought, I veered away from the river, darting from tree to tree, keeping an eye on Hayden to make sure he didn’t see me. I hated to let Audrey out of my sight, even for a few minutes, but there was no other way. I couldn’t come in from behind her.
Which meant coming up the cliff.
I’d done it before, so I knew exactly how dangerous it was. I no longer had the luxury of being a teenage idiot with no sense of mortality. I also couldn’t take my time. I’d have to free climb up that bastard as fast as I could.
What would I do once I got to the top? I didn’t think that far ahead. I was making this up as I went along. I wasn’t some action hero who’d grab her wrist as she went over the edge, saving her from falling. We’d both go down if it went that far.
So I’d have to make sure he didn’t have the chance to push her.
Thankfully, I knew the route and it wasn’t far out of my way. The trail was every bit as steep as I remembered. I dug my heels into the dry ground, but I slid down, displacing rocks and kicking up dust. I didn’t want to go all the way to the bottom. Just far enough that I could climb over and come up from behind Hayden.
I didn’t think about the danger or what my head would look like if I fell. I turned to face the cliff side, found a foothold, grabbed a small ledge of rock with one hand, and started to climb.
A rainbow glistened in the waterfall spray. The rocks were wet and slippery, every hand hold precarious. My brother Reese had almost fallen, right about where I was. Not over the deep pool we used to dive into, but over the deadly rocks below me.
That was a weird memory to have at that moment.
My teenage body had been more agile, but now I was more determined. I climbed as fast as I could while still making sure my feet were stable before shifting my weight. It felt painfully slow, but I knew only a few minutes had passed.
Finally, I got close enough to the top that I could hear their voices over the sound of the water. Hayden’s, at least. Audrey might have said something, but it was hard to tell.
My left foot slipped on the wet rock. I sucked in a breath and held on, my fingers and forearms aching with the effort. By some miracle, my right foot stayed put and I carefully found another toe hold.
Against my better judgment, I glanced down.
Bad idea.
I was high. Stupidly high and the safety of the pool was well to my right. If I went down here, I’d be hamburger.
So would Audrey, if he pushed her.
Resolve burned away all fear. Audrey was mine and I’d do whatever it took to protect her. If I died saving her, so be it. But I was taking that fucker down with me.
CHAPTER41
