Chapter 13
Aiden drove up the mountain, the swells and bends in the road making the drive that much longer. Sweat dampened the space between his shoulder blades, and the little droplets rolling down his spine brought the hair on his arms to stand at attention.
Dez’s stalker had been right under his nose.
Next fucking door to be exact. He should have seen through Meredith.
The signs were there. After they’d slept together, she hadn’t wanted to leave the next morning and it had been awkward trying to get her out.
Even though they’d agreed things would be casual.
More than casual. He distinctly remembered telling her he didn’t want a relationship, only no strings attached.
She’d laughed, said she wasn’t surprised and he was a catch and all but that she didn’t want to be tied down either.
Then he’d come home from work one day to find her in the process of moving in next door, weeks after he’d told her he was too busy to get together again.
“This isn’t too weird, is it?” she’d asked. “I promise to stay out of your hair.”
He’d said it was fine and welcomed her. And he hadn’t seen much of her after that.
So what had happened? Had she moved in to keep tabs on him? Maybe try to get closer without being obvious?
And then she’d seen him with Dez and gone off the handle? He dragged his hand through his hair. He couldn’t make sense of it. He had to get through to Meredith.
Before he found Dez’s body in the woods.
He dialed Meredith’s number. The line rang over the speakers until her voicemail kicked in and he slammed his palm against the steering wheel.
He redialed. He had to talk to her. Maybe this was all one big misunderstanding and Meredith wasn’t behind it.
The ringing echoed through the car as he drove deeper into the mountains.
He’d hiked this way more than once, but never at night.
He blinked and hit the switch next to the wheel, turning on his brights.
The headlights expanded over the edge of the road, catching glowing animal eyes, moths, and other insects.
“Hello?”
Aiden’s tongue faltered at the sound of Meredith’s terse voice, and he eased his foot off the gas as panic filled him. “Meredith. It’s Aiden.”
“I know who it is,” she said. Her breath huffed and puffed into the mouthpiece, as if she were hiking. “Look. I don’t mean to sound angry. I’m just tired and frustrated and . . . it’s not your fault, okay? None of this. It’s all her.”
All the moisture left Aiden’s mouth. He grappled with words, but no sentences pieced together in his mind. He cleared his throat. He had to play this right or Dez could be in more danger. “Are you close to town? I think we should meet and talk in person.”
Meredith heaved a sigh. “Well, I’m a little busy tying up your loose ends, but I should be able to meet in a bit.”
“My—” He swallowed. “Meredith, if you have Desiree, you need to let her go. Now.” He let the venom take over his voice, the threat palpable. He stomped on the gas.
Please, God. Let me be close.
“I need to end the spell she has on you first. I’ll call you soon.”
The line went dead.
“Fuck!” He ran Meredith’s words through his mind.
If Dez had been with her, she hadn’t said a word.
She could have been bound and gagged, but Dez wouldn’t have gone down without a fight.
Especially if she knew he was on the phone.
She’d have given some kind of sign. Meredith had sounded annoyed and out of breath. Tying up loose ends. Had Dez escaped?
He picked up his phone again and called dispatch to confirm that Meredith was involved.
He rounded another bend, and his headlight caught a reflector. He skidded to a stop, his tires screeching.
Tucked off on a gravel road was a blue Toyota. He steered and parked behind it. Grabbing his flashlight and unclipping his gun from its holster, he got out, keeping the weapon trained on the ground.
“Dez?” he called. “Meredith?”
An owl hooted, the eerie call almost a warning. He shined the flashlight on the license plate and it matched the one he’d committed to memory. The constriction in his chest eased a fraction.
He’d found them. They couldn’t be far.
He wiped his brow and shined the flashlight into the interior of the car. Empty. His gaze caught Dez’s phone on the passenger seat.
He jogged into the woods, keeping his flashlight and gun locked in front of him. “Dez!” he yelled into the night. “I’m here. Meredith, it’s over. The police are on their way!”
Critters scurried away, shaking the foliage around him.
Otherwise, there was silence.
He lit the ground with his flashlight. Some of the earth had been kicked up by feet. Not a perfect trail of breadcrumbs, but a start. He followed the footprints off the path and headed deeper into the woods. The rush of the Twin Sisters River reached his ears. Fuck.
If Dez had escaped, he had to find her before Meredith did or this could end really badly. “Meredith!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. “Come out with your hands up!”
Nothing but the squawk of a pissed-off crow.
Sweat rolled off his brow. He mopped it up with his elbow, not daring to lower either the flashlight or his weapon. Fear pinched his chest, making his breath come out ragged. He yelled again, this time calling for Dez.
Branches snapped under his weight and tree branches swatted his chest and shoulders. Where the hell are they?
He had to refocus. He spotted a fallen tree and climbed onto the trunk.
Lifting the flashlight over his head, he swung it in a circle around him.
There had to be something he was missing.
The river was close. Had Dez run the other way?
Crossed the street rather than enter the woods near the car he’d found? Shit, if he’d missed—
Snap!
A twig cracked behind him. His body turned to stone.
“Hello, Aiden.” Meredith emerged from the trees.
Still standing on the trunk, he jerked the flashlight and aimed it down at her face. She squinted and lifted her hand.
“Where is she?” he demanded. He hopped down from the log. Part of him wanted to charge across the twenty feet that separated them and wrap his hands around her neck, but he couldn’t do anything to jeopardize Dez. He lowered the flashlight’s beam to Meredith’s chest so he could read her face.
Her mouth twisted with distaste. She lifted a shoulder. “Not far.”
He took a step forward. “Goddammit, Meredith. What the hell is wrong with you?”
She turned a gun on him.
He trained his on her forehead.
Forcing a calm he didn’t possess, he dropped the weapon a few inches. “Please. You don’t want to do this. I know you don’t.”
She flicked her hair over her shoulder. “I’ve wanted to get rid of that bitch since she opened her tacky, evil little store. When she put you under a spell is when I lost all my patience.”
“A spell? Is that what you think?” His voice rose an octave. “Look,” he said, striving for a placating tone but wanting more than anything to smash shit. Starting with her. “I thought we were on the same page and we both didn’t want anything serious—”
She tsk-tsked. “Guys always say that.”
He cocked an eyebrow. Oh, man. “Usually because they want to avoid this kind of obsessive bullshit.” He took a deep breath. “Listen, I thought we ended things on decent terms. I apologize for not being clearer when we parted ways. But the truth is, I care about Desiree.”
She scoffed. “You didn’t give us a chance. If she were out of the way—”
“Don’t you understand? If you do something to harm her, not only will I want nothing to do with you, but you’ll be in prison for murder, Meredith.”
Her expression faltered. “I’m sorry to do this.” She aimed the gun at his leg and her finger moved on the trigger.
He yelped and jumped out of the way. Darting for cover behind the fallen log, he fired. The bullet zipped by Meredith’s shoulder and smacked into a tree. The curtain of her blonde hair trailed behind her as she charged through the dense forest.
* * *
Dez crouched in the dirt behind a large boulder.
The moonlight filtered in through the trees, bringing a bit of light to the darkened forest. She clamped her lips together and let her breath wheeze in and out of her nose in small pants.
The rush of the river cutting through the forest was almost deafening.
There was no way to cross safely, but if she could, it would put the perfect distance between Meredith and her.
She needed a weapon.
Pushing her hair out of her face, she scanned the ground around her. There had to be something. Meredith had a gun. And there was no doubt in Dez’s mind that she’d use it.
If she got the chance, she had to take out Meredith.
Dragging her fingers over the mixture of dirt, leaves, and sticks, she searched the ground.
Her hand brushed over a patch of rocks. She swept away the leaves—the rocks were a good size.
Some almost as large as a baseball. She filled her cardigan pockets with as many as she could and then held one in each hand.
She stood, and the weight of the stones pulled down her sweater on both sides. Not heavy enough to slow her down, but with every step the rocks bumped against her legs. Now all she had to do was find Meredith before Meredith found her.
She walked parallel to the river. At least this way she wouldn’t get lost. The river flowed under a bridge on Pioneer Road. If she could make it there, she might be able to flag someone down. On high alert, listening for the slightest sounds, she swallowed over the thickness in her throat.
“Dez, I’m here!”
She stopped in her tracks. Her fingers loosened around the stones in her hand.
Aiden. Oh, thank god. Maybe he’d already caught Meredith.
She moved swiftly toward the sound of his voice, coming from farther up the river—probably closer to the road.
“Aiden!” Her shout bounced off the trees, the flap of wings telling her she’d disturbed the slumbering wildlife.
Hope loosened the anxiety in her stomach. She broke into a jog and called out again, the sound rattling her chest. Oh, God. Please don’t let me be hearing things.
It was his voice. She was sure—
“Dez! If you can hear me, follow my voice.” Urgency lit his tone. “Meredith is still out here.”
No. The nightmare wasn’t over yet. Meredith was still searching for her . . . waiting to kill her.
Her dress caught on fallen branches as she raced in the direction Aiden’s voice was coming from. “I can hear you! Keep talking.”
A flashlight bobbed in the distance. Yes! She waved her arms. The globe grew bigger, its movement more frantic. Aiden’s tall, shadowed form came into view. Relief washed over her. She let the rocks fall from both her hands, and a sob caught in her throat. He charged toward her.
Less than thirty feet separated them, and she broke into a run.
Crack!
A gunshot exploded in the night. Dez let out a scream and cupped her hands over her ears, crouching to the ground.
“Stay down!” Aiden’s order penetrated the fog of terror closing in around her.
He held the flashlight and gun in his hand as he swept the two around the mosaic of trees and branches, keeping his pace moving toward her.
Part of her wanted to get up and glue herself to his side, but she couldn’t yet.
“Leave now, Aiden,” Meredith said from somewhere close.
Dez lowered her hands and swiveled her gaze, peering into the trees. Aiden wasn’t far now, less than ten feet away.
“Where the fuck is she?” Aiden’s whispered question made her skin ripple with goosebumps. “I’m not going anywhere, Meredith,” he called. “You’re done. Come out with your hands up.” His command was firm and unwavering.
Dez pressed her hands into the ground. Aiden couldn’t see their threat. There was nothing good about this situation. If she could spot Meredith, she could alert Aiden.
A movement behind one of the trees caught her eye. She narrowed her gaze on a light-colored tuft of hair. Ah-ha.
“Three o’clock,” she said, keeping her voice low. “Behind the tree.”
Aiden swirled in that direction. The beam of light illuminated the trunk protecting Meredith. The glow made Meredith’s blonde hair impossible to mistake.
“I see you, Meredith. Come out with your hands up,” Aiden barked. A metallic click told her he’d removed the safety.
There was a flurry of movement behind the tree. “Aiden,” Dez squeaked.
Crack!
A shot rang off. Aiden raced toward Dez, scooped her up to her feet with one arm, and backed her behind a cluster of trees. Her chest ached with the need for air but she didn’t dare stir the atmosphere.
With her spine against a tree and Aiden’s abdomen against hers she was protected. She let her body relax into the heat of his chest, pressing her hands into the warmth of his sides. The air was so much cooler near the river. He poked his head around the side of the tree, his gun in hand.
“Don’t move,” he said, his breath rustling the hair at the top of her head.
She wet her lips. “Fine with me.”
“You can’t keep this up, Meredith,” Aiden called into the shadows. “The police are on their way. It’s over now.”
Footsteps stirred the ground. Dez stiffened. “Is she on the move?”
“Can’t see. I dropped the flashlight.”
She glanced at his free hand, pressed to the bark next to her face. Shoot. Sweat rolled down from Aiden’s hairline. Her palms itched to stroke his cheek and soothe him, but she refrained from distracting him.
“I need to go out there.”
She pinched his shirt. “No, you can’t. She could shoot you.”
“She’s tried twice already. I don’t think she’s a good shot.” He brought his attention to her face. Lowering his forehead to hers, he closed his eyes. “I’m so sorry you’re involved in this.” He pressed his mouth to hers.
His kiss scorched her lips. She rose onto her tiptoes and gripped the collar of his shirt in her fists, needing more.
He broke away. “Stay put, please.” After brushing his lips over her temple, he strode around the tree.
“All right, Meredith,” he yelled. “Here I am. Now come fucking face me.”