Chapter 15
Quin stood on the gas pedal as his vehicle bounced over the gravel road. The turn was close. Christ, it’d been years since he approached the logging office from the back roads. He kept his gaze out for the break in the trees that would lead to another road.
Had he missed it?
Sweat poured over his brow almost as fast as the rivulets on the windshield.
He didn’t dare waste a second to crack a window.
He swiped his hand over his forehead. Dangling leaves morphed together, making every tree look like a replica of the one before.
Like the suffocating sensation he’d had the last time he was in a corn maze.
Goddammit to hell and back. He’d been driving too long. He must have passed—
He spotted a space between the trees and skidded to a stop. Bits of gravel spilled off to the left, like a beacon calling him to follow.
Halle-fucking-lujah.
He turned sharply. Branches swiped his vehicle, one nearly ripping off his antennae. He didn’t slow. If his memory was accurate, he was less than five minutes away. Way less since he was flying like a bat out of hell.
He’d kill Cody.
He’d tear off his fucking limbs. Make him swallow a bullet. No, that was too kind of an ending. Cody had said it was Quin’s fault Liam was dead. Bile burned his esophagus. If Cody filled Josie’s head with lies and then killed her . . .
Quin shoved that thought from his mind.
He leaned forward in his seat, blinking rapidly to keep his night vision in check. He needed to keep his eyes peeled for his old business.
The place he’d gone to every day with his two best friends. Once his second home. His baby. He’d put everything into that business, and then the shit had hit the fan.
None of that mattered now. He’d sign over his shares of the company if it meant having Josie back in one piece . . . then he’d slaughter Cody for touching her.
He lowered his gaze to the clock on the dash. It’d been four minutes since Cody hung up. His chest squeezed. A lot could have happened. Raindrops splattered on the windshield and his pulse kicked into high gear.
He sent a prayer up to God, the Universe, Liam if he was still hanging around. Please, keep Josie safe.
For the second time that day, fear made his hands shake.
* * *
Josie’s arm grew numb in Cody’s death grip. She stared into the face she’d known since childhood. Never in a million years had she suspected he was capable of such brutality.
“Cody, please. You don’t want to do this.” Begging for her life certainly wasn’t the way she wanted to exit this world. But something made her say the words, made her try to touch a part of Cody that still existed. Somewhere under the anger and resentment had to be the kid she’d grown up with.
“Your boyfriend couldn’t leave well enough alone.”
She balked. “Quin just said—”
“Not Quin.” He wiped the sweat from his brow with his arm. “Liam. He always needed to look at the books. Just because he had an accounting background, he thought he had a right.”
Ice prickled her veins. Realization closed in around her like quicksand. “What did he find?”
“It’s none of your fucking business, but since you’re going to be dead in about three minutes, I’ll tell you.” He towed her out of the room and down the hall.
“I ran this business. Quin always thought he had more say because he put up the most money. Liam always thought he was the brains and brawn. I’m the one who built the business.
I’m the one who grew the company and slaved in the office day and night getting us contracts.
I should have been paid more.” His voice grew angrier with every word.
He opened the back door, hauled her outside, and dragged her down the steps.
Rain fell on her face, cooling her fear-flamed cheeks. She searched the shadowed lawn. Trees closed in around the perimeter, broken only by the narrow gravel road behind the property. A spark of hope lit inside her. On the road, she had a chance of flagging someone down or calling for help.
He strode swiftly across the lawn to the woods backing the house, bringing the gravel road just a little bit closer. Only he was taking her to the dense trees. He didn’t care that Quin was on his way, didn’t care he’d get caught. She had to do something. Had to stall him.
She dug her heels into the grass. “You embezzled from the business?” She had to keep him talking until she could find a way to escape.
The moon sat half tucked behind a rain cloud, providing just enough light to catch the edge of the axe.
Panic coated her skin in a tight film. Her eyes strained as she darted them around the open yard outside the main building.
He licked his lips with annoyance. “Yeah, genius. Once Quin told us he wanted a buyout, Liam started poking around more than ever. Asking questions about our finances.”
The memory of the cut harness slammed into her mind. Her heart rate slowed. Moisture left her throat, leaving the surface as scratchy as sand. “How could you kill him?” The words came out breathless, as if she spoke through a straw.
Anger lit his face. “He would have turned me in. I saw it in his eyes. He knew what I’d done and he was going to put that money before our friendship.”
Josie shook her head. “You’re delusional. You’re the one who put money before your friendships.”
He shoved her back a step, his face turning a violent shade of red. The axe lifted an inch in his hold, making her suck back her breath and hover her hands in front of her. She was free of his grip, but all it would take was one slash and she was dead.
“I did everything for them, for our business.”
She wet her lips. “Why come after me now?”
His mouth twisted into a snide smirk. “I always wondered about you and what you knew. Your psychic card-reading bullshit. Then Quin told me Liam left you a voicemail and I knew it wouldn’t be long before you connected the dots, maybe started digging in files Liam took home.”
“And Rocco’s diner? You were responsible for that, too.” The statement blurted from her mouth, all the pieces clicking into place.
He snorted. “I knew that would derail Quin from the buyout. Didn’t expect him to leave town, but that worked in my favor.”
“What did you do to the harness?” Part of her wanted to know how he’d plotted Liam’s death.
The other part of her just wanted to keep him talking.
If she could put enough distance between them, she just might be able to make a run for it.
She slid her bare feet over the cold, damp ground.
Rain still splattered around her, but her senses ignored the drops on her skin.
A flicker of sadness crossed Cody’s face then vanished.
He worked his jaw back and forth as if willing himself not to answer, but he must have needed closure because he replied.
“Liam and Quin were always so diligent about inspecting the equipment. I knew I’d have to be smart about it.
I waited until they’d done their once-over then called them on the radio and asked them both to help the other team working on the other side of the property with a load.
I switched the lanyard while they were gone.
Then it was just a matter of messing with one of the hydraulics cables and I knew the bucket would tip when they tried to pull Liam down. ”
A deep, twisting ache started in her chest and spread to her limbs, making her knees wobble.
She brought her hand to her chest and held her cold palm against her wailing heart.
Hearing him spell it out in cold blood had taken the wind from her lungs.
Her sweet Liam. Dead because of mistakes Cody had made and didn’t want to pay the consequences for.
Searing fury filled her body, her anger so intense she shook. “I hope you burn in hell,” she wheezed through the vise around her throat. Her hand trembled against her chest, and something brushed against her knuckles—her pendant.
Cody’s skin paled a shade. “You’re the one who’s dying tonight, honey.”
Gripping the chain of her necklace, she yanked it off. The chain tinkled as it fell away from her neck.
“Look at it this way, Josie. You’ll be with Liam.” Cody’s tone softened, as if he actually wanted to reassure her.
She took a step backward again and wedged the jagged edge of her crystal between her fingers so it poked through her knuckles. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but it was all she had.
Cody lifted the axe. Headlights shined from behind Josie, making Cody blink.
He refocused his attention on her, his eyes as hard as lasers.
Her blood pumped viciously through her veins.
She let out a deep scream, a warrior’s cry of anguish as she dove toward Cody.
His eyes widened. She drew back her arm and drove a punch to his face.
The crystal slammed into his cheek. Blood gushed from his face.
Cody stumbled backward. He grabbed the handle of the axe with both hands, but she took another swing.
This time, the crystal slammed into the side of his neck.
Wetness coated her fingers. Cody choked and sputtered.
She barreled backward as she stared at the stone sticking out from beside his windpipe.
One of his hands left the axe to grab his throat.
Her body froze. Her brain went to war with her feet. One wanted to finish the attack, the other yelled at her to get away.
She turned and ran, pumping her arms and legs. The headlights coated her in their glow, almost warming her chilled skin. Quin. Gravel shot behind the vehicle as it bounced over the uneven terrain toward the grass, heading right for them.
“I’ll fucking kill you!” Cody’s roar bounced off her back—too close. She didn’t dare look behind her to see his approach.
Josie sprinted across the lawn, her breath huffing out around her, drowning out the sound of her heartbeat in her ears.
Quin was here. Her relief was so great she almost crumbled to her knees. She dared a glance over her shoulder. Cody’s face was twisted with hate, his eyes locked on her. He pumped the axe at his side as he ran.
As Cody closed the distance between them, Josie let out a scream that shook her chest and parted the sky.