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Gabe did a double take. “Elliot Bortsov?”
“Yes?” The giant man wrinkled his brow.
Amelia stepped forward. “We came up here hoping to talk to you. We were wondering if you’ve seen these two people.”
Aliza showed Elliot a photo of Josh and Chloe with her phone.
Elliot pointed at it. “I know ’em. They helped search for Peter. And my sister was obsessed with them since we’d seen them again the other day. Talking all crazy about how they shoulda helped Peter. Which is dumb, ’cause they couldn’t a done nothin’. He was already gone.”
“Your sister?” Gabe thought back to the video and Jacq’s comment. Of course, Jacq was always right. Gabe pulled up the picture he’d taken of the suspect. “This is her?”
Elliot’s shoulders slumped. “That stupid woman. Yes. Guess that explains where she’s been. I bet she took them. Is that what y’all think?”
“If you didn’t, that’s the working theory.” Gabe slid his phone back into his pocket. “Where would she take them?”
“Sheriff, looks like this is connected. Follow me.” Elliot’s urgency had turned to resignation.
Gabe patted the side of his leg for Poirot to follow.Please God, let this be the lead we need.
Josh jumped the last eight feet, much as Chloe had done, and his feet stung at the landing. That lunatic had taken off after Chloe, but Josh wasn’t about to let the woman he loved fall victim to this guy.
Leaving the backpack behind, Josh ran. Feet pounding against the solid dirt of the forest floor, he pursued the guy chasing Chloe.
He caught another glimpse of the red flannel, but promptly lost it in the thickness of the forest. Despite all the trees, there was much undergrowth to trip him up. He ran fast, but that meant the attacker was running quickly too.
The stock of a shotgun shot out in front of him, but he had no time to stop. It hit him in the gut.
Pain radiated through his middle. He fell to the ground and groaned.
He grabbed the end of the gun.
The person at the other end tried to whip it around, but Josh hung tight and stumbled to his feet.
He met his attacker’s eyes. “You’re not Peter’s brother.”
The brutish woman glared at him. “Of course not, you idiot. You thought I was Elliot?” She released an evil laugh and yanked the gun.
The woman was at least three inches taller than Josh and probably had fifty pounds on him too. And that weight was all muscle.
She stepped forward and grabbed Josh’s coat. Smashing him against the tree, she cackled. “Now, you will meet your fate.”
With all his strength, he pushed her. He’d always been taught never to hit a woman, but this was not his little sister trying to beat him up. This was a villainous monster who was trying to kill him.
He swung his fist at her head.
She blocked it.
Going at her again, he lunged.
She cocked the shotgun and aimed it at his middle.
He halted and raised his hands. She’d brought a gun to a fist fight.
This was it. He’d never see Chloe again. But if he died, he’d take Kristinn with him and pray that Chloe could find her way out and home.
Chapter Twenty
Theembankmentwasprobablya sixty- to seventy-degree incline, and Chloe hit the bottom of the slope with a thud. Climbing back up would be impossible.
