Chapter 16 #3
The question now was what she did with the information.
She had zero hope that Sheriff Adam Tillman would search for the missing woman.
Even if he was willing to believe that Victoria was still alive, he had the investigative skills of a turnip.
And she didn’t have the money to hire a private investigator.
At least not one that might have the skills needed to track down and expose Victoria.
So what did she do next?
Switching on the engine, Jesse slowly drove across the parking lot. She’d accomplished what she came to do, but she was oddly reluctant to make the journey back to Canton as she watched the traffic rush past with no interest in who she was or where she was headed.
There was an unexpected freedom in being just another anonymous motorist cruising through the city. No one was staring, no one was waving or trying to attract her attention. And she felt no fear that she was being watched by her unknown stalker.
Giving into a sudden impulse, Jesse pulled into the traffic, heading toward St. Louis instead of home. Why not spend a few hours enjoying some mindless activity, surrounded by complete strangers?
Dark had fallen by the time she left the large mall where she’d wandered in and out of stores before eating questionable sushi and enjoying the crush of shoppers who whizzed past her without a second glance.
Once in her truck, she headed north, the radio blasting to keep her from thinking about the empty building that was waiting for her.
It was only for a few more days. And then …
She didn’t know. And that was the honest truth.
She could return to Chicago to buy a nightclub she didn’t want with a man she wasn’t sure she loved. She could stay in Canton and battle the ghosts that felt dangerously real.
Or she could keep driving and see where she landed.
Like Victoria.
A shiver crawled down her spine, and Jesse instinctively glanced in the rearview mirror. As if she expected to see her stepmother appear in the back of the truck.
She wasn’t there, of course, but there were headlights that were closer than they should be, considering the highway was nearly empty. With a frown, Jesse slowed her speed, waiting for the car to pass her.
It didn’t. Instead, it remained stubbornly on her bumper, the headlights nearly blinding her as they reflected in the rearview mirror.
Her heart thundered in her chest. It could be nothing more than one of those annoying drivers who enjoyed tailgating. Some people got a kick out of pushing other drivers into road rage. Then again, it could be someone who was following her for a reason.
A terrible reason.
Doing her best not to panic, Jesse reached over to grab her phone from her purse. She didn’t want to call 911; not when it would more than likely be Adam Tillman who showed up. But if she was being followed, she needed someone to know where she was and what was happening.
Her thumb was hovering over the emergency number when there was the sound of an engine revving and the car darted into the passing lane, the horn blaring, as if they were pissed off they had to go around her.
Jesse breathed a sigh of relief. She’d overreacted. Thank God.
Waiting for the car to race past her, Jesse tossed her phone onto the passenger seat. A second later, a scream was ripped from her throat when the vehicle swerved directly toward her. What the hell? Were they trying to run her off the road? Or were they drunk?
Reacting on instinct, Jesse pressed on the gas pedal and yanked the steering wheel to the side.
Clenching her teeth, she rattled along the shoulder until she could veer off the highway onto an access road.
Even then, she urged the old truck to its maximum speed, ignoring the suspension that squeaked in loud protest.
It wasn’t until the car behind her sped past the exit ramp—either unable to get turned in time or tired of the game—that she slowed her speed and switched off her headlights.
She continued down the road before turning onto a dirt lane.
Canton was a couple of miles north, but she zigzagged through the countryside, her fingers clutching the steering wheel in a death grip.
She didn’t need to see the street signs; she knew these roads like the back of her hand.
She should. How many years had she spent riding her bike through the maze of fields and pastures?
Right now, her concentration was focused on making sure she’d lost whoever had run her off the road. She didn’t know if it’d been an accident or on purpose, but she was going to assume they wanted to hurt her.
Or worse.
She needed to get back to the bar, where she could lock and barricade the doors. Once she was safe she could decide whether she wanted to involve the sheriff. Or maybe pack her bags and head back to Chicago. The past could stay in the past and she would move on, as Parker wanted.
Reaching the edge of Canton, Jesse crawled through the quiet streets, backtracking and circling blocks to make sure that no one had followed her. Only when she was certain she wasn’t being tailed did she turn onto Main Street and park her truck in front of the Tap Room.
She grabbed her purse and darted across the sidewalk, hurriedly unlocking the front door.
Once inside, she slammed it shut and rammed home the bolt.
A part of her felt like a fool. She couldn’t count how many times she’d had an idiot driver weave across the center line, nearly causing a wreck.
Hell, there’d been a few times she’d cut off a car when she wasn’t paying attention.
But tonight, she wasn’t going to take any risks.
Dropping her purse on a nearby table, she grabbed one of the wooden chairs and carried it across the floor to wedge it under the knob.
Even if someone did have a key, they wouldn’t be able to push the door open.
Then, returning to get another chair, she dragged it through the main bar and into the back foyer.
She wasn’t going to be like one of those idiots in the movies who hid under the bed, hoping the monster wouldn’t find her.
She was going to make damned sure that she took every precaution.
Wrangling the chair down the narrow hallway, Jesse had her back turned to the foyer. Which meant that she didn’t notice the dark form that was hovering near the back door. Not until the sound of a footstep had her jerking around to see it lurch forward.
Her lips parted to scream, but they were smothered by a wet rag that was shoved over her face. She stumbled backward, her feet tangled in the chair. She would have fallen if it wasn’t for an arm that wrapped around her waist, keeping her upright, as the rag was shoved so tight she couldn’t breathe.
Oh shit.
Was she going to die?
The thought was oddly shocking. Despite being stalked, and tormented, and even locked in the cellar, deep in her heart she hadn’t believed they intended to kill her. Drive her out of town? Sure. Force her to stop her investigations into the past? Absolutely.
But not this.
And she didn’t know what was worse.
Dying without knowing who wanted her dead. Or without discovering what happened to her dad.
The world started to shrink, her thoughts condensing and narrowing until all she could see was a tunnel of light that slanted through the open door. Whoever was attacking her had obviously been waiting for her to return to the bar.
She tried to lift her hands to push away the smothering cloth, but they refused to obey. Instead, they hung limply as the tunnel slowly disappeared and everything went dark. A moment later, her knees buckled and she dropped to the floor with a painful thud.
She was on the edge of unconsciousness when a voice whispered in her ear.
“This is your last warning, bitch. Leave now or everything you love will be destroyed.”