Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Every shadow in the forest moved, swaying in the breeze. Delaney crept toward the Honda, careful of her steps so she wouldn’t alert Violet. She hoped and prayed the trees and bushes and shadows would hide her. She tried to control her breathing, to stay silent, to remain invisible.
When she came parallel to the car, she peered inside, desperate for a glimpse of Charlotte. It took a moment to make out what she was seeing. The seats, and…nothing else.
She gasped. The car was empty.
Its windows were dark, though. Delaney crept closer, praying she was wrong, searching for any sign of movement. But there was nothing. Nobody.
Where were they? Had Violet taken Charlotte deeper into the woods? Or had they been picked up by someone else? Had Violet abandoned her car here? Were they already long gone, miles away while the police set up useless roadblocks?
Delaney scanned the surrounding darkness for movement, a hint of what might have happened. She paused when a jet flew overhead, masking sounds that might guide her.
The noise faded, and she started forward again.
A twig snapped.
Delaney whirled.
Something glinted in the corner of her eye. She ducked, but not fast enough. An object whacked her temple. As pain exploded across her skull, she fell to her knees.
“How did you find me?” The voice was familiar. “Who’s with you?”
Delaney looked up, disoriented from the blow. A fuzzy figure stood over her, barely a silhouette in the darkness.
“Where are they?” Heather demanded. Not Heather. Violet. Focus.
Nausea rolled over Delaney, but she swallowed it back.
“Tell me!” Violet sounded one notch away from sheer panic. “Who’s coming?”
“Nobody.” Her voice was rough and shaky, but she was slowly regaining her equilibrium.
And her vision. The figure in front of her was getting clearer. Along with the item Violet held. A gun. Pointed at Delaney’s chest.
She scrambled up, backed instinctively, bumping into a tree. She lifted her hands. “Please don’t… Nobody’s coming. I’m alone.”
Very alone. What had she been thinking, getting out of her car? She hadn’t helped at all, only gotten herself caught and injured.
She was facing a crazy woman with a weapon, utterly, terrifyingly alone.
“You’re lying. You wouldn’t come out here by yourself.”
“I’m not lying, I swear.” Delaney wished she could make out Violet’s features. The moon was behind her, so Delaney’s face must be better lit. Another advantage for Violet, as if the gun weren’t enough.
“Where are the cops?” Violet looked around. “Are they about to move in? To shoot me?”
“Do you really think they’d send me out here by myself?” She didn’t know where the words had come from.
“I don’t…” Violet looked around again. She seemed confused.
Delaney knew how she felt as she touched her head, her fingers coming away sticky with blood. The wound throbbed with each heartbeat.
“How did you find me?”
“I’m here for Charlotte.” Delaney tried to keep her tone even, aiming for conversational. “Where is she?”
“She’s mine,” Violet snapped. “Not yours. She’s none of your business.”
Delaney needed to tread carefully. “You’re right,” she said softly. “She’s your daughter, not mine.”
Violet’s stance shifted slightly, the gun lowering a fraction of an inch.
Delaney couldn’t tear her eyes away from that weapon. She didn’t want to die here. Everything else seemed to fade until all she could see was the glint of metal not a yard away.
Delaney needed to distract her. “She’s a beautiful little girl.”
“I know that.”
“Of course you do. Of course you know. Like any good mother, you love your daughter.”
“I…I do.” Maybe she hadn’t expected anyone to believe that of her.
Delaney had no idea what was going on in Violet’s head, but she guessed understanding and compassion were her best options.
“Is she all right?”
“She’s…fine. She’s just not used to me yet.”
“It’ll take time.”
“Yes. You’re right.” Violet blew out a breath. “That’s all she needs, a little more time.”
“Where do you plan to take her?”
The gun rose again. “You’re trying to trick me! You think I’m stupid!”
“You’re not stupid, Violet. You pulled this off, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. I almost did it a couple months ago. Got all the way in the house before the alarm went off. I had to figure out how to get past it. I put a camera in the bushes so I could see someone plugging the code in.”
“Wow.” Delaney didn’t want to let on that she’d already known that. Noah had assumed Hayes had been involved in the kidnapping, but Violet made it sound as if she’d acted alone.
“You’re not gonna stop me.”
“You’re right, of course.” Delaney tried very hard to keep panic out of her voice. “I’m just sad for Noah and Jasper. They’re looking for her too. They’re worried.”
“Jasper? He’s here?” Was that a note of hope in her voice?
That was information Delaney could use. She had to figure out how to play it, how to keep Violet talking. Maybe find out where Charlotte was. The child had to be nearby.
“Jasper came back to see his daughter,” Delaney said carefully. “He’s been frantic, searching everywhere for her.”
Violet’s silhouette shifted, the gun wavering slightly. “He never cared before. Not about me. Not about her.”
“People change. You did, right? Change?”
“What do you know about me?”
“Nothing, really.” Delaney needed to be more careful with her words. “Jasper’s been out of his mind with worry.”
“Right.” Violet’s laugh was brittle. “The party boy suddenly cares about his kid.”
A faint sound came from somewhere beyond the trees—a soft cry that made Delaney’s heart leap.
“Where is Charlotte?” Delaney kept her voice gentle. “Is she okay? She doesn’t like the dark.”
“I know that,” Violet snapped, then softened. “I would never leave her alone in the dark.”
“Of course you wouldn’t,” Delaney agreed. “You’re her mother.”
Violet’s breathing changed, became less frantic. The gun lowered again. “I’m trying,” she whispered. “Nobody will give me a chance. She’s my kid. Mine.”
The crying came again, louder this time. Delaney strained to pinpoint the direction, but it felt nearly impossible in the shadowed forest.
“She sounds scared,” Delaney said. “Maybe I—”
“She’s fine!” Violet turned her head and snapped, “Be quiet!”
Charlotte’s cries cut off.
Delaney had to clamp her lips shut to keep from saying what she thought of that.
Help me, Lord. I don’t know what to do.
“How did you find me?”
She tried to come up with a good answer, then decided to tell the truth. “I never had a chance to tell you this, but my cousin is in the CIA. And my sister is a cyber-investigator. They figured out what kind of car you drove, and then the apartment you rented.”
“How? I didn’t use my real name. Freddie told me—” She cut her words off.
“Frederick Hayes, right?” Violet didn’t answer, so Delaney pressed on. “You should know, Violet. He told the police how you were trying to dig up dirt on Noah and me. About how you wanted to get custody.”
Violet swore under her breath. “I should’ve known. Nobody can be trusted.”
Hadn’t Delaney had the same thought before she’d gotten out of the car? But she’d been wrong. Sure, she’d bought Violet’s lies, and Owen’s. But Noah had been honest with her. He was trustworthy. Everyone in her family was trustworthy. There were plenty of trustworthy people in the world.
“How did you get here?” Violet asked.
“I have a rental car”—she tipped her head toward where she’d left it—“back there on the road.”
“Who’s with you?”
“Nobody. Noah…ordered me away.” It seemed right to say it like that, as if he’d been cruel. “He told me to get on a flight, but I couldn’t leave until I knew Charlotte was okay. If you’ll just let me see her—”
“C’mon, we’re leaving.” She flicked the gun like a pointer, and Delaney scrambled to obey. Anything to keep her from squeezing that trigger.
“Move. We’re gonna get my daughter, then you’re driving us out of here.”
Oh, no. What had she done? If she’d stayed in the car, maybe the police would have found Violet. Instead, she was going to be the woman’s escape plan.
Lord, help!
Charlotte’s tiny body trembled against Delaney’s chest as she stumbled through the underbrush, her arms aching from carrying her. The child’s tears soaked through Delaney’s blouse, her sobs muffled against her shoulder.
“Shhh, sweetie,” Delaney whispered, trying to keep her voice steady despite the gun pointed at her back. “It’s going to be okay.”
Except it wasn’t. Nothing about this situation was okay.
The sight of Charlotte tied to that tree like an unwanted pet had burned itself into Delaney’s memory—the rope marks on her tiny wrists, the terror in her eyes, the way she’d yelled when she’d spotted her through the trees. “Miss Laney! Help me!”
If only she could.
Violet jabbed the gun against Delaney’s spine. “Keep moving.” The words were a harsh whisper. Then, more softly, “Lottie, baby, it’s okay. Mama’s here.”
Charlotte’s little arms and legs tightened around Delaney’s body.
Delaney bit back the furious words that threatened to spill out. This woman had neglected her daughter, lost custody, and now kidnapped her—only to tie her to a tree. What kind of mother did that?
She focused on her breathing, needing to contain her rage for Charlotte’s sake.
“It’s okay, honey,” she murmured, stroking her tangled curls. “Just breathe with me.” She tried to temper her own breaths, which were coming too fast thanks to the trek through the woods with a child in her arms and the threat of death at her back.
They were almost to Delaney’s rental. When they reached it, they’d climb in and drive away. Just like that. She didn’t want to think about what would happen next. Maybe she’d survive, maybe not. But Charlotte… Poor Charlotte would be stuck with this…this maniac.
Headlights swept across the road ahead.
“Stop!”
Delaney froze as the car continued past, a word emblazoned on the side bright in the moonlight. POLICE.