Chapter Twenty-Five
The sky bled from navy to crimson as Dani pulled out of her aunt's gated community. She glanced at the burning horizon as she drove away from town, keenly aware that time wasn’t on her side. What was that old saying her father used to say?
Red skies at night, sailors delight.
Red skies at morning, sailors take warning.
Good thing she wasn’t at sea.
Dani hid the knife in the duffle bag, powered up the burner phone, and plugged her aunt’s number into the keypad. Even though it was early, Dani knew her aunt would be awake. Linda Spencer was an early riser.
“Hello?”
Relief washed over Dani as her aunt’s voice flowed through the earpiece. Maybe things were going to be okay after all.
“It’s me,” Dani said. “He’s back.”
“I figured,” she said. “Are you on your way?”
“Yes. I had to get the burner phone from your house. He was there. I’m so sorry but he tore everything apart looking for something. It’s a big mess.”
“Good thing I got outta Dodge then, huh?” She chuckled. “You’re okay?”
“I’m fine. I’ll see you soon.”
“Love you, girl.”
“Love you too.”
Click.
Dani stashed the phone in the center console and turned on the radio.
What was he looking for? Maybe nothing. She shuddered to think of what would have happened if he showed up while her aunt was still there.
Lisa Spencer would have put up a good fight, but still, Dani would have felt responsible if she had gotten hurt too.
Perhaps he destroyed their homes because he knew that was the last thing Dani had left.
If he wiped away all of her loved ones, her friends, her family, her memories, there would be nothing left for him but a shell.
He only wanted the idea of her, the fixation.
He may have stalked her, but Matt Vickers never knew the real her.
He wanted someone he could isolate and imprint his fantasies on.
A chilling thought brushed against Dani’s spine.
Could Vickers have known about her escape vehicle too?
She didn’t want to stop, but she had to know for sure.
Dani pulled into a gas station, got out and began to inspect her tires.
Sure enough, a little black box had been placed inside the wheel well on the rear passenger side.
She plucked the magnetic box from its hiding place and tossed it in the trash, but the damage was already done.
If he planted a tracking device on her truck, it was likely that he had planted one on her aunt’s vehicle too.
The cabin. An image of their idyllic little cabin in flames flashed before Dani’s eyes.
She had to get to her aunt before he did.
If she drove straight through, it would only take eleven hours.
It would be a long day of driving, so she needed to get into a good head space.
She wanted to drown out her racing thoughts and think of something, anything other than what had happened that night. She needed fresh air, a fresh start.
Dani rolled down the windows as she passed Lake Seminole Park and breathed in the deep, heady scent of the pine scrub landscape she had grown to love.
Somewhere in the distance a blue jay cried its shrill song.
Blue jays were her favorite bird, always busy little creatures who could be abrasive yet beautiful.
It made her a little sad to think that she would never be able to jog on her favorite walking trail again, the place where she worked out so many of her demons over countless miles.
She stepped on the gas, propelled by the horrific thought of Matt Vickers taking her aunt by surprise.
As she rounded the corner near the entrance of the park, a familiar blonde ponytail darted in front of her truck.
Dani slammed on her brakes, and her tires screeched as she came to a hard stop.
Her heart pounded in her chest as the jogger took off her headphones and turned to face her.
“Watch where you’re going, jerk!”
Dani recognized the jogger before she even spoke. “Missy?”
“Dani! Is that you?” Missy blinked into the bright headlights, shielding her eyes with her hands.
“Yeah,” she said. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Missy said. “Holy shit! You nearly gave me a heart attack!”
“Oh my god!” Dani held a hand to her chest and let out a shuddered breath. “I’m so sorry. I almost hit you!”
“When did you get the truck?” Missy asked.
“I’m borrowing it from my aunt.” Dani lied. “What are you doing out here so early?”
“It’s too damn hot to run any other time of day,” she said. “I lost my evening jogging buddy, so I had to start running before work. What are you doing out here?”
“I was just over at my aunt’s house,” Dani stammered. “To uh, pick up the truck. I need it to take some trash to the dump.”
“Oh, right. She lives nearby,” Missy panted and wiped her brow.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Dani asked. Her heart was still beating a mile a minute.
“I probably lost a year of my life, but I’ll live,” Missy laughed. “I’m pretty hot though. You don’t happen to have a bottle of water do you?”
“I think so. Let me check.”
Dani glanced in her rearview as a pair of headlights flashed. Instinct told her that she needed to get Missy out of the road and move. “Yeah, um. My aunt probably has some bottled water. Get in, she lives right over there.”
“Sure. My legs are jelly. I got in three miles before you nearly hit me.” Missy opened the passenger door.
Dani glanced at the rearview again. The headlights in the distance grew nearer. Faster. Her pulse picked up speed.
Missy slid into the seat and closed the door. “Hey, shouldn’t you be home getting ready for work?”
“Oh no.” Dani gripped the steering wheel and slammed her foot on the gas. “Hold on.”
The headlights illuminated the interior of the truck cab, bathing it in a horrific, almost angelic glow. Before Dani had time to react, the car rammed into the back left side of her truck, sending it spinning 180 degrees.
Missy screamed as the centrifugal force of the crash slammed her body against the inside of the truck door.
Dani’s neck snapped to the side as the seat belt pulled against her collarbone.
She hit the brakes in vain as the spinning truck slowed, finally coming to a stop.
Headlights blinded her vision as she realized the truck was now facing the opposite direction.
She held up a hand to shield her eyes as a giant, limping man crossed in front of the truck.
“Missy,” she coughed, fumbling for her seatbelt. “RUN!”
“What the fuck just happened?” Missy whined.
“He’s coming,” Dani said, still dazed. “You have to—”
“Ayiiiiii!!!” Missy squealed as a pair of gloved hands reached through the window and grabbed her by the shoulders.
Dani reached for her friend and grabbed her shoe, but she was pinned helplessly and stuck, her seatbelt refusing to unlock as her friend was pulled through the open window and into the early morning light.
“No!” Dani reached into the back seat, desperate to find her knife or anything she could use as a weapon.
If she could just cut herself free from the seatbelt, then she could help Missy.
She could kill him right then and there!
She rummaged through her open bag, and her hand closed around the handle of her gun.
Working on pure instinct, she leaned out the window and pointed the gun, at the man in black.
“Hey, asshole!” she called out. “Let her go.”
The man turned to face her with Missy still in a headlock. Missy struggled against him as he positioned her body to face Dani. All she needed was a clear shot, right between the eyes. She pursed her lips, exhaled and squeezed the trigger.
BANG.
It was easier than she thought. For one comical moment, he stood there, dazed as a single dime-sized hole smoked just above his left eye.
His arms went limp and released Missy from their grip.
She scrambled away as the man swayed and wobbled.
He took a step back and crashed to the ground like a tree felled by a lumberjack.
Missy screamed and covered her mouth with her hands.
And then, through the glare of the headlights, Dani watched as the driver’s side door of the car that hit her swung open wide.
At that moment, Dani realized exactly what kind of car had hit her.
A mustang. A black, late-model mustang. She froze like a baby deer as a second man dressed all in black emerged from behind the wheel.
A man with a face that had haunted her nightmares for over two decades.
A man with shark-like eyes. A man who was headed straight for her friend.
“Missy! Behind you!” Dani shouted.
Missy turned to face the second man, her eyes wide with terror.
A flash of silver.
One swift, sharp move.
Dani screamed as the man plunged a knife deep into her friend's gut.
She reached out of the window again, pointed the gun and fired again through fresh tears.
Her hand trembled as she missed, watching him stab her friend again and again.
She continued to fire, but despite her expert aim, the bullets seemed to skirt around him as if he were protected by some kind of evil force field.
When the last of her bullets were spent, Dani threw down the weapon and reached for her bag, but she was too late.
The man hoisted Missy’s lifeless body over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing and turned back toward his smashed up car.
In the distance, the sound of police sirens rose in sync with the early morning sun.
There would be more death if she didn’t leave. More destruction.
There wasn’t anything more she could do for her friend.
The police would be there soon, and she would only have to watch more people die at his hand if she stayed.
Like a coward, Dani threw the truck in reverse and sped away from the scene.
For whatever reason, she was still alive. She didn’t know if she deserved to be.
She needed to lead Matt Vickers away from everything and everyone she loved.
She needed to rest, recover and reload.
But what she really needed was more time.