Chapter 42
Naomi turned and bolted back into the woods.
Behind her, she heard the man curse. Then the thud of boots hitting the ground as he vaulted the fence.
“Stop!” he yelled. “Get back here!”
She didn’t stop.
“Curtis—get out here!”
Curtis? There was someone else at the house. The man had just called for backup.
That wasn’t good.
Her feet pounded against the forest floor, arms pumping and lungs already burning. She ducked under a low branch and veered left, deeper into the trees.
The woods swallowed her—thick, tangled, and disorienting. Branches clawed at her jacket. Roots threatened to trip her with every step.
She just had to move! To get back to her SUV.
But she wasn’t even certain right now that she was heading in the right direction.
She risked a glance back.
The man was in the woods now, maybe thirty yards behind her. He was bigger and stronger, but she had a head start.
Keep moving. Just keep moving.
Naomi pushed harder, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She leaped over a fallen log and nearly lost her footing on the other side. Her ankle twisted slightly, pain shooting up her leg. But she didn’t slow down.
She couldn’t.
The trees blurred past, and she glanced around.
She had no idea which direction she’d come from.
Was she going deeper into the woods or circling back?
She didn’t know.
Behind her, branches snapped. Leaves exploded underfoot.
Whoever was back there wasn’t trying to be quiet—they were close enough that they didn’t have to be.
Naomi’s lungs screamed for air. Her legs felt like lead.
But fear drove her forward.
She ducked around a massive oak and nearly ran straight into a boulder. She swerved at the last second, scraping her hand on the rough bark of another tree.
The sound of footsteps behind her changed. They were closer now. Not right on her heels. But the man was gaining ground.
He was faster than she’d hoped.
Her mind raced. She needed a Plan B.
She needed to hide. Needed to find somewhere he couldn’t follow.
But the woods stretched endlessly in every direction, and she had no idea where she was going.
Then she heard a second voice, distant but clear.
“You see her?”
There were two of them now.
Panic surged fresh and sharp.
How was she going to get out of this?
Micah’s typed the address into his GPS.
Cooperstown. 412 Maple Ridge Road.
The device told him the location was twenty-eight minutes away.
He needed to get there faster.
He flipped on his police lights, gripped the steering wheel, and pressed the accelerator.
The speedometer climbed. Sixty. Seventy. Eighty.
His mind spun through scenarios, each one worse than the last.
If Naomi had gone to that address—if she’d walked into a situation without backup, without knowing what she was dealing with . . .
His chest constricted.
Please let me be wrong. Please let Naomi have gone somewhere else. Anywhere else.
But he knew he wasn’t wrong.
He knew exactly where she’d gone. She’d quickly become attached to Good Boy and couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to the dog. That had led her to being uncharacteristically impulsive.
And he knew with a sick, cold certainty that she was in danger.
The miles stretched out in front of him, each one feeling like ten.
Finally, the GPS announced he was five miles out.
Then three.
Then one.
He switched off his lights and slowed as he approached Maple Ridge Road.
He scanned the area for Naomi’s SUV.
Finally, he saw her Expedition. She’d parked off the side of the road, her vehicle barely visible through the trees.
He pulled in behind it and threw his SUV into Park. Quickly, he checked the inside.
Just as he feared, it was empty. Naomi wasn’t inside.
Based on where she’d left her vehicle, he had to believe she didn’t charge up to the house. She was too smart for that.
She must have gone through the woods to check out the location.
If so, he needed to find her.
He grabbed his weapon, checked the magazine, and stepped out of the SUV.
Please, Lord. Help me find her. Help keep her safe.