by Maya Banks
Lauren recognized the direness of the situation. She knew they were going to be pulverized between the two vehicles. Neither had any intention of avoiding the inevitable collision.
“Hold on,” Noah said tightly. “There’s only one way to avoid this, and I have to hope to hell we survive it.”
When she realized his intention, her pulse exploded in her veins. She squeezed her eyes shut just as he turned the SUV and dove right over the edge of the mountain.
For less than a second, but what seemed like an eternity, they were airborne, and then they landed with a jolt that shook Lauren to her bones. She heard shattering glass, the crunch and groan of metal giving way.
And then they were rolling. Over and over until the world was a crazy Tilt-A-Whirl flashing before her eyes. They bounced and slid and then rolled some more, until finally the SUV landed hard on its wheels and the front smashed into a huge pine.
It was instinctive to throw her arms in front of her face to shield her from the air bag, but it never deployed. Glass sprayed her, and she screamed when a branch shot through the windshield and drove itself into the seat a mere inch from where her shoulder rested.
Oh God, just a few inches over and it would have impaled her.
She took mental stock, trying to determine if she had any injuries. But she felt no pain. She couldn’t feel anything. She was numb from head to toe. For all she knew she’d broken every bone in her body, but she had no way of knowing.
She looked down and then over at Noah. Her cry of horror was muffled by her hand as it flew to cover her mouth. The dash had caved in, pinning him in his seat.
Liam. She had to see about Liam. Her hands fumbled with her seat belt, but it wouldn’t come lose. She yanked and pulled, nearly screaming with frustration. Finally it came free and she awkwardly tried to maneuver in the much smaller space.
She managed to hoist herself high enough to see that Liam was sprawled in his seat, his head resting against a shattered window. Blood streamed down his cheek and he wasn’t conscious.
Then she heard a sound from Noah.
Her gaze flew to him and she pulled herself above the limb that was embedded in her seat.
“Noah? Noah? Can you hear me? Please talk to me. Oh God, I’m so scared. Liam’s unconscious. I don’t know how badly he’s hurt.”
“Listen to me,” Noah said hoarsely. “Can you reach Liam’s gun?”
She froze, staring at Noah in confusion.
“Get the gun, Lauren. We only have a few minutes before they arrive. They’ll drive back down the mountain and they’ll come looking for us. They’ll kill us. Do you understand? They’re after you.”
“Can you move?” Lauren asked anxiously. “Can you get out on your side? We could take Liam with us. We have the time.”
“Listen to me, honey,” Noah said, his voice calm, a direct contradiction to the screams echoing inside Lauren’s head. “I can’t move. I don’t think I’m badly injured, but I can’t tell. I’m probably in shock and can’t feel pain. But my legs are trapped. There’s no way I can get out.”
“They want me,” she whispered.
“Yes,” he said bluntly.
The haze lifted and suddenly she was sharply focused on the matter at hand. These assholes were after her, and if they found her with Noah and Liam, they’d kill them. But if they thought Noah and Liam were already dead and she was nowhere in the vicinity . . .
They’d come looking for her and not waste the time on Noah and Liam.
She hauled herself over the seat and fumbled with Liam’s jacket. She grasped the stock of the gun and yanked it out of the holster.
“Good girl,” Noah praised. “Now listen to me—”
“No, you listen to me,” she said fiercely. “I’ve got a lot to say and not much time. I love you. I love you and Liam so damn much and I’m not giving either of you up without a fight. I’m sorry I haven’t told you before now. It just never seemed like the right time. Not saying now is either, but I’m not going to die without you knowing how much I love you.”
“I love you too, honey,” Noah said. “Now please, listen to me.”
She shook her head. “This is what’s going to happen, Noah, and I swear to God if you argue with me or if you don’t do exactly as I say and you end up dead, I’ll kill you all over again.”
His eyes widened in surprise.
“Can you reach your gun?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Okay take it out and keep it hidden. Don’t use it unless you absolutely have to. I’m taking Liam’s gun and I’m taking off. These assholes want me. If you pretend to be dead and Liam is unconscious and seems dead and I’m not here, they’re not going to waste a lot of time with either of you because neither of you are any good to them. It’s me they want.”
“Whoa, what the fuck? No fucking way, Lauren.”
“There’s not a damn thing you can do to stop me,” she said calmly. “It’s a good plan and you know it.”
“It’s the dumbest plan I’ve ever heard!” he roared. “I love you, goddamn it. I’m not letting you take off on your own with no protection.”
“And I love you!” she roared back. “I love both of you, which is why I’m going to protect both of you by getting the hell out of here. Liam still has my phone. You can call for help once the dickheads figure out I’m gone and go after me. I’m going to try to make it to the Colters.”
“Goddamn it, Lauren, please don’t do this.”
Noah was begging her, his eyes glossy with unshed tears. There was stark terror reflected in those shiny pools. Terror for her.
“I love you,” she whispered. “If I stay here, they’ll kill us all. We’ll be sitting ducks. You’re pinned, Liam’s unconscious, and there’s just me with Liam’s gun. I have to give us a fighting chance, Noah. If we make it out of this alive, you can yell at me all you want.”
Before he could argue further, she turned to try to open her door. She could barely budge it, and the metal creaked and groaned as she attempted to push it far enough open to get out.
“Use the butt of the gun and break out the glass,” Noah said. “And hurry. You don’t have much time. I want you as far away from those bastards as possible when they get here.”
Bolstered by his grudging support, she broke out the glass with Liam’s pistol and pulled away enough of the shards that she could get through without cutting herself.
Still holding tight to the gun, she hoisted herself out of the window and prayed that she didn’t have injuries that would prevent her from running like hell.
When her feet hit the ground, she very nearly went down in a heap. Her knees shook horribly and reaction was setting in. Her hands shook. Her entire body quivered.
She had to get it together. Not only for herself but for Liam and Noah too. She needed to put as much distance between her and them for their safety. If her pursuers thought she was escaping, they would lose all interest in Noah and Liam and come after her.
She turned and ran.
CHAPTER 31
NOAH held his breath when he heard the sound of a vehicle nearby. Liam hadn’t stirred, which concerned Noah. But what scared the hell out of him the most was the fact that Lauren hadn’t gotten that big of a head start.
She was alone on the mountain with only Liam’s gun for protection, and Noah was trapped in the goddamn car, unable to move his legs.
Sitting duck was right. Lauren had certainly been accurate on that count. He and Liam were completely defenseless and as much as he hated to admit it, Lauren’s plan was a sound one for drawing attention away from him and Liam. But Noah couldn’t live with the results if her life were to be sacrificed for his.
The engine stopped, and then Noah heard voices as they drew closer. He leaned against the door and slid the hand holding the gun between the seat and the door so it was out of sight. He closed his eyes to narrow slits so it would appear he was unconscious. He tried to make his breathing as shallow as possible and to calm the fear
and adrenaline churning like a tornado inside him.
“Here it is!”
The shout went up, and Noah heard at least two responses, which meant there were at least three men. His heart sank. Three men who’d shortly turn their attention on hunting Lauren down. He had no idea what their orders were. Shoot her on sight? Take her into custody? Who knew what Joel Knight wanted? He was a twisted son of a bitch who got off on having absolute control over a woman.
It took every ounce of discipline he had not to betray himself. He wanted a shot at the sons of bitches. If he could take them out here and now, they wouldn’t pose a threat to Lauren.
“What do you see?” one of the men asked.
They were still a short distance away and they were obviously being careful to avoid an ambush. Too bad they had to be smart.
“The woman’s not with them. Looks like they’re dead or nearly so. One of them’s pinned in the driver’s seat. Doesn’t look good. The other cracked his head open on the window in the backseat and he’s either dead or unconscious. The passenger window has been busted out. Looks like she took off.”
There was a round of swearing, and then the next words sent a chill snaking down Noah’s spine.
“Come on, you two. How hard can this be? We’re talking one defenseless woman running around the mountain like a chicken with her head cut off. This’ll be the easiest job we’ve ever had. Spread out and let’s go find her. The sooner we find her and dump her on Knight, the quicker we get paid.”
Noah heard Liam stir in the backseat. The fact that his friend was alive sent a surge of relief through him that weakened him momentarily. The problem was, the last thing he needed was Liam coming around right now and making a scene that would get them both killed.
“Liam, if you can hear me, stay completely still and keep your eyes closed,” Noah said in a low voice. “I’ll let you know when it’s okay to move.”
The sound immediately quieted and Noah knew Liam had heard and understood.
Another good sign.
The sound of the vehicle starting made Noah open his eyes to mere slits, and he surveyed the area around the crash site. In the distance, two men were disappearing into the trees in opposite directions, while the other had apparently taken the vehicle to move it.
“Liam, can you get to Lauren’s phone?” Noah asked.
“What the hell is going on?” Liam asked in a foggy voice laced with confusion and pain.
“I don’t have time to explain right this moment. If you can move and reach Lauren’s phone, I need you to hand it up to me. Lauren’s life—and ours—depends on it.”
Liam let out a low groan and then a moment later, Liam leaned forward to hand Noah the phone.
“Where the hell is Lauren?” Liam demanded.
“Give me a minute, okay?”
He pulled up the address book on the phone and his first call went to the older Colter men. They were closest, and he needed people out to help Lauren and for someone to get out to free him from this damn vehicle.
His second call would be to Seth to pull out all the stops and have every available man on this mountain to hunt these bastards down and make sure they didn’t get their hands on Lauren.
CHAPTER 32
LAUREN stopped and bent over, holding her side and gasping for breath. Each expulsion of breath was painful and she didn’t know if it was because of her desperate flight through the woods or if it was the result of the crash.
Her head hurt. Her side hurt. Every muscle in her body ached.
A sound to her right had her jerking around, pistol up. A squirrel scurried up a tree and the gun wobbled precariously in her grasp.
She was losing her mind and she was rapidly losing any strength she had remaining. The brief adrenaline burst she’d experienced directly after the crash had long since fled, and she was barely existing on fumes.
She had no idea if she was heading in the right direction or not. The crash had completely rattled her and she hadn’t logically thought about direction when she’d fled the crumpled SUV.
What bolstered her spirits was that she hadn’t heard any shots fired. She hoped that her supposition would be correct in that they would come after her and not bother with Liam and Noah. She just prayed that neither were seriously injured in the crash.
After catching her breath, she took off in a jog again, determined to keep on the move and her attackers at a distance. After one particularly steep climb up a rocky incline, she realized that she was back on the road.
Jubilation filled her and she set off in a dead sprint. When she heard an approaching vehicle, she turned, relief making her weak-kneed. Her relief turned to paralyzing fear when she recognized the Hummer that had forced them off the road. The Hummer skidded to a stop, kicking up a cloud of dust. The driver was out and rushing toward her before it had fully stopped.
It was time for payback. She raised the hand holding the pistol and took aim. It was a peculiar moment of disconnect for her. The person wasn’t real. The situation wasn’t real. The gun wasn’t real and neither were the bullets.
It took her back to some of the dreams she had when she was being pursued and she would point the gun and it either wouldn’t fire, or it would be out of bullets. She’d awakened, frightened and frustrated by her inability to shoot her attacker.
It would indeed be over her dead body if she wasn’t able to pull the trigger this time.
And evidently, the man charging her didn’t think she had the balls to do it either because he never let up. She waited until he was only six feet away, and then she calmly pulled the trigger.
The explosion was deafening. The gun jerked in her hand, the recoil so much that she feared she’d missed her target all together.
But then she saw the bloom of red on his chest. The faint shock that registered on his face. He staggered, barely keeping himself up right.
She shot him again, this time right through the forehead.
He went down like a rock.
Before she could register any relief or satisfaction, pain exploded in her head and she went sprawling to the ground. The gun flew from her hand and through the foggy haze of her semiconscious state, she heard the rapid exclamations from other men.
“Holy shit, the bitch shot Mark! We should kill her and be done with it,” he said, his voice full of shock and rage.
“Don’t be stupid,” the other man said, in a voice that suggested he thought his accomplice was just that. “It’s one less person to share the bounty we’re being paid to bring the bitch in to Knight. We split two ways now instead of three and the boss is happy. Now let’s get the hell out of here before the cops start showing up.”
Her stomach twisted into a vicious knot. She’d been so focused on the threat in front of her that she hadn’t heard the two men behind her.
Realization of her circumstances sent terror through her veins.
Joel Knight wanted her back.
He’d hired these men to do whatever was necessary to bring her to Joel.
They hadn’t blinked an eye over their fallen accomplice. It was a financial transaction for them and nothing else.
She was so fucked if they got her off this mountain and back in Joel’s world where he made the rules and nothing could touch him.
But at the same time, they hadn’t been ordered to kill her. Joel wanted her back. Alive. At least for the short term. Could he not know of what she’d done? Was this all about the blow to his ego because she’d dared to walk out on him?
If he didn’t know that she’d stolen incriminating evidence from his computer or that she’d spoken to the district attorney, she might manage to stay alive long enough for Liam and Noah to find her.
Most important she’d led these bastards away from Noah and Liam. She clung tenaciously to that thought. They were alive. They would come for her.
She was barely clinging to consciousness when the two men yanked her to her feet and dragged her toward the truck driven by the man she’d shot.
<
br /> They merely left him on the road, lying in a pool of his own blood.
At least Noah and Liam and the Colters would find the body, and they would know what had happened to her.
It was her only hope.
They took a roll of duct tape and roughly wound tape around her head and over her mouth. Then one taped her hands together, winding the tape around and around her wrists. Once that was accomplished, they tossed her into the back of the Hummer and grabbed her ankles, bruising her skin with the force of their grip.
After securing her legs with the same tape, they tossed the roll over their shoulder and slammed the back door shut. Without sparing another glance in her direction, they got into the cab of the Hummer.
The driver began the awkward task of turning around on the narrow road and several times sent rocks tumbling over the edge of the sharp incline.
After a moment, he had them turned in the way they’d come, and he floored the accelerator. She bumped painfully all over the backseat, the seat belt buckles digging into her skin and hitting her ribs.
They were bringing her to Joel and what he planned for her she had no idea. She could no longer deny the sort of man he was. The blinders had been off for a very long time now.
She knew what he was capable of. She knew what he’d already done to numerous women.
What was one more woman’s blood on his hands?
CHAPTER 33
WHEN Noah heard a shout in the distance, he breathed a huge sigh of relief. Liam had left, taking Noah’s gun with him, as soon as he’d learned that Lauren had struck out on her own.
He hadn’t wanted to let Liam go. Liam was obviously injured and fighting his hold on consciousness. He was bleeding steadily from his head wound.
But what choice had either of them had? How could Noah hold him back when Liam was all the help Lauren could expect so soon?
Liam had been terrified the moment Noah had told him what she’d done. And it was obvious that he was torn between leaving Noah in such a horrible situation and going after Lauren.
