Fatal Vendetta

by Sharon Dunn

  She patted his cheek a little harder. This time she got a groan out of him. The smoke grew thicker. She struggled for a deep breath.

  Zach coughed, and his eyes fluttered open.

  “We need to get out of here...through the window.” Her voice faltered.

  Zach looked at her, but his expression didn’t mirror the level of panic she felt. He still wasn’t coherent.

  She gripped his shoulders and physically turned him. “This way.”

  Though he moved slowly, he seemed to finally comprehend what she was telling him. He pushed himself through the window, landing feet first. When she peered out the window, the heat from the flames made her hesitate.

  “Jump clear of it, Elizabeth.” Zach’s voice sounded stronger.

  She pushed herself off the sill, but felt a burning sensation on her leg. When she whirled around, her pant leg had caught fire. Zach stomped on the pant leg and beat down the flames with his hand.

  “Are you hurt?”

  She sucked in air through her teeth. “It stings a little.”

  The flames continued to consume the trailer. He pulled her farther away from the intense heat. Her little compact car was gone, as was Kenny’s truck. They were in a remote enough area that it might be hours before anyone saw the smoke and called emergency services—if the fire was spotted at all.

  Zach tugged on her sleeve. “Let’s head down the road.”

  As they ran, the pain from the burn on her leg intensified. It could be hours before they encountered anyone. She favored her foot. Zach turned back.

  “It’s bothering you, isn’t it?”

  “A little, but I can keep going.” Craig couldn’t have gone far. He would be after them.

  He shook his head. “This way.” He led her down the embankment to a stream. He pulled her shoe off and then tore away some of the burned fabric with his hands.

  He lifted her foot and placed it in the stream. The river water was almost icy but soothing all the same.

  He pulled her foot out of the water. “Better?”

  She nodded.

  “Kenny got released today through some legal snafu,” Zach said.

  “It wasn’t Kenny who took me this time.” The words seemed to freeze in her throat. “For some reason, Craig Miller was behind all this.”

  “Oh, Elizabeth.” He touched her cheek tenderly. And then his voice filled with rage. “We’re going to get him.”

  She just wanted to get away from Craig. On the road above them, Elizabeth’s compact car appeared. A man got out and peered down at them. He had a gun in his hand. It had to be Craig.

  Zach lifted Elizabeth up by the shoulders. They splashed through the stream and out into a grassy area. Craig made his way down the bank and raced after them. Elizabeth was slowed by her injury and Zach stayed with her, wrapping an arm around her waist and trying to support her. They ran along the river until if opened up into a reservoir.

  “Can you swim?”

  She answered him by diving in. The cold water paralyzed her for a moment before her hand sliced through the current. She could hear Zach splashing beside her. They swam until they came to a rock outcropping. She rested her arms on the rock while her feet still dangled in the water. Craig had not followed them into the lake. Instead he skirted the edges. But he didn’t shoot at them.

  Zach pointed at the opposite side of the lake. “That way. He won’t be able to get around fast enough.”

  She pushed off the rock and stroked through the water. After ten minutes, they both stopped to tread water and catch their breath.

  Craig had disappeared from view, but she was sure he hadn’t given up. As bent on killing her as he was, she knew he would find another way to get at them.

  SEVENTEEN

  Though it was summertime, Zach was shivering by the time they dragged themselves onto the rocky shore of the lake. Both of them lay on their stomachs, gasping for breath.

  After a long moment, he rose to his feet and glanced around. He couldn’t see Craig Miller anywhere. That didn’t mean they were safe. Craig had seen where they were headed. The road ran parallel with part of the lake. Maybe he’d gone back for Elizabeth’s car and was waiting for them to reconnect with the road.

  “Let’s follow the road without getting on the road,” he said. “He’ll be looking for us there.”

  His soaked clothes hung heavily on his frame. They headed up a hill until they came close to the road. Zach checked where the sun was in the sky. It had been behind them when they’d run from the trailer. Now it was close to dark. “This way,” he said.

  He could see the road above them as they crouched low.

  He heard the sound of a car engine. Both of them dove into the tall grass. Elizabeth’s car eased by them. Craig must be patrolling the road looking for them. It was a risk to stay this close to the road, but the greater risk would be getting lost in the forest.

  They stayed low, shielded by the tall grass as they ran. When Zach looked over his shoulder, he could see the smoke rising up from where the burning trailer was. Would anyone spot it and be alarmed?

  He saw a flash of movement in his peripheral vision. Craig was running toward them at a rapid pace. Zach grabbed Elizabeth’s hand and veered back into the trees.

  Elizabeth still lagged behind. Her foot caught on a log and she fell. He ran back to help her up.

  “Are you okay, can you run?”

  She nodded, but he could tell by the look on her face that she was in pain from the burn.

  They stumbled forward. Something hit the back of his shoulder, a stinging pain radiated down his arm. It took him a moment to comprehend that he’d been hit with a tranquilizer.

  He could feel the strength leaving his body. He fell to his knees. Elizabeth tried to pull him up, but he wobbled on his feet. Elizabeth yanked the tranquilizer dart out of his shoulder.

  Though his vision blurred, he saw Craig step into the clearing and aim the gun at Elizabeth.

  * * *

  Elizabeth awoke tied to a tree. Craig Miller sat on the other side of the fire he’d built.

  He threw another log on the flames. “Pretty good fire for a city guy, huh?”

  She swallowed hard trying to form words, struggling to find a response. Terror made her stomach clench tight. She turned her head one way and then the other, not seeing Zach anywhere.

  “Too bad the two of you didn’t die in that trailer. That would have been the perfect story. So tidy,” Craig said.

  She wondered if Craig had already killed Zach. She suppressed the despair the thought created and cleared her throat. “The perfect story?”

  Craig poked the fire with a stick. “I had a local lawyer get Kenny released. The way it would have looked, my dear, is that Kenny killed the two of you in a fit of jealous rage. After he set the camper on fire, he took his truck and drove it into the lake. Murder-suicide. A classic.”

  Blood froze in her veins. Kenny was dead. Craig had killed him.

  She knew Craig wouldn’t be explaining things to her unless he intended to kill her, as well. “Why are you here, after all this time?”

  He jabbed at the fire some more. “They are still putting the case together, but you would have received a call from a lawyer in Seattle, maybe in a few weeks or so. I’m not supposed to know about it, of course, but it helps that I’m an attorney and privy to lots of gossip.” He pulled the stick out of the fire. It glowed orange at the end. “Always good to get the jump on things.”

  She shook her head. “The statute ran out for me to get any justice for what you did to me.”

  Craig raised an eyebrow. “For you.”

  All the air left her lungs and she shuddered. She could put the puzzle pieces together. Craig must have attacked another woman. So she was probably going to be calle
d as a witness to establish a pattern of behavior. She fought against her mind going cloudy. She’d found the strength to face Kenny’s tormenting. She wanted to believe that Craig no longer had power over her either. But the vibrations that started in her spine and worked their way through her limbs told her he still had a hold on her mind.

  She wiggled a little to test how tightly the rope was wound around her. She had very little room to move.

  Craig said, “I came out here to let you know all the legal ways I could destroy you if you chose to testify. Instead I ran into your number one obsessed fan, who was more than willing to help me out for a little money and the promise of being with you. Then I made a call to that other newscaster, so he could mess with your mind. I didn’t even have to get my hands dirty.”

  “You thought you could rattle me enough through Kenny, so I would fall apart again like I did last time.” Now she understood why Kenny hadn’t initially tried to kill her. But now, killing her was clearly on the table.

  “Nobody had to die. You just needed to be so shredded you would make a bad witness just like before.” Craig rose to his feet, broke the stick he’d been holding over his knee and tossed it in the fire. “But now you and your boyfriend have gone and ruined everything.”

  “Where is Zach?”

  He waggled a finger at her. “Always the curious little reporter.” Craig paced. “As it is, I’m going to have to make this all look like an accident.”

  That must be why he didn’t want to use the gun. “The police will figure it out.”

  “I’ve covered my tracks. As a lawyer, it’s amazing what you can learn from the criminals you represent.” He pulled a knife out of his pocket and cut the ropes that bound her. “Pick up the ropes. We don’t want to leave any evidence that we were ever here.”

  She gathered the ropes in her hands.

  When she straightened, he grabbed her at the elbow and yanked her. She pulled away as deep terror ignited inside her.

  “Still a little jumpy.” Craig grabbed her again.

  The fear she felt when he touched her nearly paralyzed her. Her stomach coiled into tight knots. “I’m just fine.” The falter in her voice suggested otherwise.

  Craig leaned close, his voice filled with menace. “Still as pretty as ever, Elizabeth. Too bad things didn’t work out between us.” His hot breath burned her cheek.

  She pulled free of his grasp. Rage like she had never felt before overtook her. She slapped Craig in the face.

  His eyes grew round with anger. He clamped his hands around her wrist. She tried to twist away. He grabbed the other wrist, as well.

  He pulled her toward his chest. “Such a pretty woman, but foolish.”

  Terror and rage wrestled within her. Something told her that it was the rage that would save her. She kicked him hard in the shin.

  He yowled and let go of her. She turned and darted toward the trees, heart beating wildly. Feet pounding. She sprinted, willing her feet to move faster.

  She felt the weight of Craig’s body on her back as he tackled her. He bent her arm behind her at an unnatural angle. “You dare to run away from me.”

  She clenched her teeth against the pain he caused. No way would she give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry out.

  He took his knee off her back. “Turn over,” he commanded. He pushed on her arm until the pain radiated up to her shoulder. “I said turn over.”

  She twisted slightly, and he let go of her arm.

  He offered her a menacing grin. “There’s my pretty lady.” His expression hardened. “Don’t try that again. Understand?”

  Some deep survival instinct told her not to fight back...just yet. She simply nodded.

  He reached out and touched her cheek. She jerked back as the terror returned tenfold. Would he have this control over her for the rest of her life? Not if she could tap into the anger she’d felt. No woman deserved what he’d done to her.

  She stood up and he rose to stop her from running.

  More than anything she wanted Craig Miller to go to jail. If not for what he’d done to her, then for the other woman he’d destroyed.

  He made a tsk tsk noise. “Poor little scared Elizabeth.” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

  “You can’t keep doing this to women.”

  He lunged at her and she jumped. “Can’t I?”

  She hated that the fear had won again. All the same, she planted her feet and lifted her chin even though her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults.

  He leaned close to her. His proximity made her tremble. “The car is just up on the road. Don’t try anything, or I’ll make you hurt before you die.” He pushed on her back. “Go now.”

  She marched through the trees toward the road. Her red car stood out from all the green and browns of the forest. Without moving her head much, she searched the area for any sign of Zach.

  Craig opened the driver’s-side door and pulled out a roll of duct tape. “Hold out your hands.”

  She hesitated. Was there a way to escape? Once she was in the car and bound, it would be almost impossible.

  “I said hold out your hands.”

  She lifted her hands, palms together even as she looked around, hating the feel of his hands on hers as he applied the tape. If she ran, he’d just catch her again. He opened the back door and shoved her in, then got into the driver’s seat.

  She glanced around the backseat. There was nothing she could use to hit him with.

  “I’ve been thinking we can still work this into a murder-suicide angle.” He spoke casually as though he were relaying the plot for a television show. “There’s no reason why there can’t be two cars in that lake.”

  His words were like a blow to her face. How was she going to get out of here before he drowned her? Where was Zach? Her heart seized up. She feared the worst, that Craig had already killed him.

  * * *

  From the trunk where he’d been imprisoned once again, Zach felt the car start to move. Tires rolled along in the dirt. Craig must have lifted him into the trunk once the tranquilizer took effect. He’d been in such a hurry he hadn’t tied Zach up.

  The car picked up speed as Zach felt around the interior of the trunk. His fingers touched hard metal, a crowbar and a jack. Elizabeth’s car had an armrest in the backseat that folded up to create part of the seat. He pushed on it, feeling resistance. Weight must be resting against it. He punched it hard several times. A moment later, it opened.

  Light streamed into the trunk. He had a view of the back of the front seat. He pressed his face closer to the opening. He could see Elizabeth’s torso and her bound hands. His hands were free but he was trapped in the trunk.

  Craig was probably watching her closely in the rearview mirror. She was smart enough not to look through the opening. He felt around for the crowbar and angled his body in the tiny space so he could shove it through the opening. He set it on the armrest. She gave him a thumbs up with her bound hands but didn’t move the rest of her body.

  The car continued to roll down the road. It slowed and then they were traveling downhill. Elizabeth had the crowbar. He felt around for the jack. It was at his feet. He couldn’t reach it with his hands in the confined space. He pushed it up toward his hands with his foot. His fingertips just touched it. He scrunched his body closer toward it.

  The car slowed down even more. The guy was going to stop at any second. An inch more and he’d have a grip on the jack.

  If Craig saw the crowbar, he’d know something was up. Hopefully Elizabeth had enough freedom of movement to hide it from view. She wouldn’t be very effective at swinging it with her hands tied together, but they needed to use everything they had to fight back.

  The car came to a stop. They had seconds before they were discovered. He could touch the cold metal of the jack but not gri
p it yet. His feet pressed against the wall of the trunk. If he could just stretch his hand an inch more or bend his upper body in the tiny space...

  He could hear most of the conversation through the open armrest.

  “Yes,” said Craig. “I think this spot will do quite nicely.” His door opened and slammed shut.

  “Craig, please think about this.” Elizabeth’s voice faltered. “Do you want to go to jail for rape and murder?”

  “The thing is, my dear Elizabeth, I’m not going to get caught for either.”

  Zach’s whole body stiffened. The arrogance in Craig Miller’s voice fueled his rage and desire for justice.

  “They’ll figure out that Kenny died first,” Elizabeth sounded frantic.

  “Forensics doesn’t work well for bodies found underwater...if they are ever even found.”

  The car door opened. Elizabeth closed the armrest, and the trunk went dark again. Zach stretched his hand willing his fingers to be longer. He compressed his body so his hand would be closer to the jack. His fingers wrapped around the metal. He pulled the jack up toward his chest.

  When Craig opened the trunk, he’d be ready to spring on him. The car shook as though someone was moving around. A door slammed. Feet crunched on gravel. One set or two sets? He couldn’t tell.

  Several minutes passed. He tensed, ready to spring as soon as the trunk swung open. The muffled sound of Craig’s voice reached his ears.

  The armrest came open. Elizabeth poked her head in revealing that she was gagged. She tilted her head toward the front of the car, maybe indicating that was where Craig had gone.

  She craned her neck. When she looked back at him, her eyes had gone wide with fear. She fumbled to close the armrest. The car shook and a door opened, then closed.

  Zach gripped the jack and waited. The seconds seemed to last an hour each. Several times, something banged against the car and then the car door slammed. He waited, wondering what had just taken place. Maybe Craig wasn’t even going to get him out of the trunk. What exactly did the man have in mind if he was making it look like Kenny had murdered them?