Chapter 11
Bruno! Evie didn’t wait for the SUV to come to a complete stop before bailing out of the passenger seat.
She ran around to the back, frantically searching for the button to lift the hatch.
It opened so slowly she ducked underneath.
Wrapping her arms around Bruno, she buried her face against his fur.
“Are you okay, boy?” Her voice cracked as she lifted her head and ran her fingers over his thick pelt and down each of his extremities. She hadn’t heard him yelp, but everything had happened so fast she could have missed it. “You’re not hurt?”
Bruno licked her cheek.
“Evie, we need to get out of here.” Cam’s voice had her spinning to face him. “We can’t be here if the black truck returns.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. But then she spied the flat tire. “We’re walking?”
Cam turned and scanned the area. “Yeah, I don’t think we take the time to change the tire.”
“But—” She bit her lip. Walking wasn’t going to get them very far.
“My Jeep is at the Haven Suites.” He gestured to the open field. “We’ll run for as long as you’re able, then walk.”
“But our stuff . . .” She sighed and shook her head. “Never mind. Let’s go.”
“I’ll carry your backpack.” Cam made quick work of shoving the laptop inside, then shouldering the pack. She knew he was in better physical shape than she was, so she didn’t bother to protest.
As it was, Bruno and Cam could both go faster than she could.
“You go first,” Cam said. “I’ll back you up. Keep Bruno beside you.”
She couldn’t believe they were going to try outrunning a truck. She set out at an easy pace, keeping a wary eye on the uneven ground. The last thing she wanted was to fall flat on her face.
Cam stayed behind her. She wasn’t sure why he hadn’t taken the lead, until she realized he was covering her back in case the truck did return.
Lifting her heart, she silently prayed for strength and endurance.
Cutting through the field helped put distance between them and the road.
As she jogged, she tried to envision the location of the Haven Suites in comparison to the highway.
How far would they have to go on foot? Two miles?
Five? Her feet were already screaming in protest as her breath sawed in and out of her lungs.
She made a mental promise to get in better shape once this nightmare was over.
“Are you okay?” Cam’s low, husky voice wafted toward her. She risked a quick glance over her shoulder before focusing her attention back on the uneven terrain. Cam wasn’t breathing hard or even sweating. Was he a man or a machine?
“Fine.” She pushed the single word through her tight throat. There was no way she could have a conversation while jogging. She wasn’t even sure how long she’d be able to keep running.
Cam was silent for several minutes. She badly wanted to slow down to a walk but gritted her teeth and kept going.
Just as she was beginning to think the truck wasn’t going to return, she felt Cam touch her shoulder.
“Head for the cluster of trees to your left. Hurry!”
She didn’t waste her breath to respond. Instead, she dug deep, picking up her speed as she angled toward the trees. Thankfully, Bruno seemed to think this running for their lives was a big game and eagerly loped alongside her.
They’d barely reached the trees when she heard a crack of gunfire. Collapsing to the ground, she put her arm around Bruno and pulled him close, her heart hammering in her chest. Cam stayed on his feet, holding his weapon with both hands.
Had he fired the shot? As if in response, she heard another crack of gunfire. She sucked in a deep breath. The shot hadn’t come from Cam.
The driver of the black truck had returned to finish the job.
“Call 911,” Cam said. Then he fired off two rounds in rapid succession. The sound was incredibly loud, and she was tempted to cover Bruno’s ears. And her own. Glancing at the dog, though, she was amazed to see he wasn’t fazed by the gunshots.
She fumbled for her phone, pulling it from her pocket. When she finally heard the dispatcher’s voice, she sent up a prayer of relief.
“This is Evie Tobin. The driver of a black truck is shooting at us. We’re a mile from Highway 23. Please send the police right away!”
“I’m dispatching an officer to your location,” the calm voice said. “Are you safe?”
“No! He’s shooting at us!” It was all she could do not to scream at the top of her lungs. “Please hurry!”
“Please remain on the line,” the dispatcher said.
Evie didn’t want to remain on the line. She wanted her hands free in case they had to run away again. Rather than responding, she tucked the phone back into her pocket and looked up at Cam. “The police are on the way.”
“I hope they get here in time to catch him.” Cam’s calm voice helped steady her nerves. He had the situation under control.
Returning fire seemed to have done the trick. A thick silence settled between them. Peering around Cam’s solid frame, she didn’t even see the black truck anymore.
“Did he leave?” Intense relief warred with dismay. “How will the police find him?”
“Yeah, he turned around and took off after I returned fire.” Cam’s tone was grim. Before he could say anything else, she heard the wail of sirens. He raised his voice to be heard. “I doubt they’ll find him.”
Evie lowered her head to Bruno’s fur, squeezing her eyes against the threat of tears. They were safe for the moment, but for how long?
A sob broke free. Cam dropped down beside her and pulled her into his arms. “It’s okay. We’re okay.”
She shook her head, feeling far from okay. The constant attacks against her were bad enough, but the close call with Bruno had hit hard. If that black truck had struck the back of her SUV, Bruno might have been badly hurt.
Or killed.
“Please, Evie, don’t cry.” Cam’s voice was slightly panicked. “I’ll keep you safe.”
She struggled to take a deep breath, willing the tears away. She wasn’t a crier. Working with arrogant and often annoying surgeons had caused her to develop a thick skin. But this was different.
Life and death. Her and Bruno’s life and death.
Cam’s too. She had to admit he’d put himself in harm’s way to protect her. She drew another deep breath, swallowed her tears, and stiffened her spine.
They would get through this. The killer would be found and arrested.
“I’m fine now.” She lifted her head and swiped at her face.
Cam searched her gaze, then surprised her by brushing a quick kiss across her lips. “You’re amazing, Evie.”
She wasn’t close to amazing but appreciated his attempt to make her feel better. The wailing sirens were louder now. Leaning on Cam, she stood. He snaked his arm around her waist, then lowered his mouth to her ear so she could hear.
“We’ll need to talk to the police.”
“I know.” The red-and-blue flashing lights got brighter as the police car grew closer. “I guess we can get a ride back to town.”
“Yeah.” Cam frowned. “I think we should get a rental instead of using my Jeep. I’ll pay to have your SUV towed and the tires replaced.”
She wanted to argue but wasn’t sure if her insurance would cover the damage. She had some money saved and would have more once she sold her mother’s house. She could repay Cam then.
Besides, this could have ended with them being hurt. Her SUV could be repaired.
“Let’s go.” Cam urged her forward, retracing their path toward the road. She eyed the officer who emerged from the squad and crossed over to meet them. The officer appeared to be in his forties. She didn’t recognize him, and a quick glance at Cam indicated he didn’t either.
“I’m Cameron Walker, and this is Evie Tobin. And her dog, Bruno.” Cam made the introductions.
Bruno sniffed the air but didn’t bark or growl. Evie decided that was a good sign.
“Officer Wylie. What’s this about someone in a black truck shooting at you?”
Evie’s temper flared at the doubt in his tone. “We didn’t imagine it. We had to run for our lives to escape. And it was only after Cam returned fire that the black truck took off.”
“And all this was after he tried to run us off the road,” Cam added. “As you can see, our SUV suffered a flat tire.”
“Do you have a make, model, or license plate number?” Wylie asked.
“I can’t be sure,” Cam admitted. “Possibly a Chevy, roughly five to seven years old with tinted windows. He was too far away and going too fast to get a license plate.”
Officer Wylie glanced down at Bruno, then at her. “You’re the one who found Skye’s remains.”
“Yes.” She bent to stroke Bruno’s fur. “Bruno found them.”
“Hmm.” The cop glanced at Cam who stood ramrod straight, his expression inscrutable. “And you’re the former army soldier.”
At least Wylie hadn’t identified him as the prime suspect in Skye’s murder. Cam nodded. “We’d appreciate a ride into town.”
“Sure.” Officer Wylie turned to head back toward his police car. “If you think of anything else, let me know and I’ll add it to my report.”
Evie slid into the back of the police car, making room for Bruno to come in beside her. As Cam joined them, a terrible thought cascaded over her.
If something happened to Cam, the real killer would be in the clear. Detective Rueger would assume Cam was guilty and close the case.
Taking in Cam’s somber expression, she could tell he was thinking along the same lines. This wasn’t just about clearing Cam’s name.
It was about bringing a brutal serial killer to justice.
Cam wasn’t sure Officer Wylie believed the driver of the black truck intended to kill them. Too bad there were no bullet holes to give credence to their story.
Raking his hand through his hair, he pulled out his phone and texted Rex. He hadn’t filled his boss in on everything that had transpired and didn’t plan to do so now. What he did need was a rental car.
Something that couldn’t be traced to him or to Evie. His thumbs flew across the screen as he explained how he needed Di’s new husband, Jarek Brooks, who happened to also be a cop, to obtain the vehicle on his behalf.
It didn’t take long for Rex’s response to bloom on the screen. Will do.