37. Hunter
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
hunter
I belted along to the radio as I sped down the highway.
We’d said I love you .
And she’d pegged me. She’d rearranged my guts and my heart.
I really couldn’t think of a better way to live my life. I grinned as I sang, counting my blessings. I was excited to get RK and take him home. Mentally, I went over my list of everything I’d bought for him.
It was going to be amazing. I got the dog, got the girl, now I just needed to get the ring.
My gaze darted to the rearview mirror, and my voice faltered. A familiar red car was trailing right behind me. I sped up some, but they fell back.
I was just being paranoid. I turned up the radio louder and sighed happily.
I glanced at the clock as I got closer to Anna’s office. I’d need them to go over everything about caring for a dog with a broken leg. He was young and I think we all were confident he’d adapt quickly.
My foot eased off the gas when I spotted a woman up ahead on the side of the road, attempting to flag me down. Her car was parked in the grass with the hood up.
I was tempted to keep driving by, but I couldn’t leave someone stranded. I glanced at the clock with a sigh. RK could hold on for a few minutes.
I slowed and steered off the road. I frowned.
It was a silver Lexus. I looked at the license plate. The numbers were the same.
But that wasn’t Josh. Clearly. Maybe someone else had the rental now.
“Hmm.” I put the truck in part and hopped out. “What’s going on?”
“I think my battery is having issues, but I’m not sure,” she called. “Can you take a look?”
“Sure,” I said.
I took my keys out and put them in my pocket, leaving my phone on the dash. The red car I saw earlier drove past us. I spared it a glance and went up to the Lexus, giving the woman a grim smile.
“Thanks for stopping,” she said.
“Sure,” I said.
She had short dark hair and was tall and willowy. Probably in her upper thirties. Very much out of place, probably from Austin. I glanced inside the car, but the windows were too tinted to see anything.
“Did you rent this car?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said hesitantly.
“Hmm.” I went around to where the front hood was popped. I leaned over, looking over everything. I heard one of the doors open and shut.
I looked a little closer and frowned.
There wasn’t a goddamn thing wrong with this car.
Cold, sharp steel pressed against my back and I stilled.
Fuck.
Fuck me.
“Shouldn’t have fucking punched me.”
“Josh.”
God, I was a fucking idiot. The blade pressed hard enough to break skin, pain slicing through me. My heart pounded. If he stabbed me there, I would die. My kidney was right there and god knew what else.
“You should have left her,” Josh snarled. “Should have never tried to get in the way.”
“I should have done much worse than punch you,” I growled.
I held up my hands though as the woman faced us. She pushed her sunglasses up, giving me a look over.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“Who do you think?” she asked bitterly.
“Josh’s mistress?”
Her lips twisted in disgust. “Emma’s stepmother.”
“Ah,” I said. The dots started to connect. “Let me guess, the two of you want the company. Or was it money?”
“We need to get off the road,” Josh said. “Before someone sees us.”
As he said that, the same red car I saw earlier drove by. I started to throw up my hands, but the blade dug deeper.
“Don’t even think about it,” Josh said. “I’ve already killed once for this, I’ll do it again.”
Fuck.
The woman in front of me rolled her eyes at him. “This entire little situation could have been done properly, but you fucked everything up. Get him in the car,” she said to Josh. Her attention focused back on me. “If you try anything, you will die. We just need you for a bit to get what we want. Do you understand?”
“Loud and clear,” I said bitterly.
Josh grabbed my arm and shoved me toward the back door. I glanced around, looking for an out. I needed to be careful. He opened the door and shoved me in. I all the way to the other side and reached for the other door, but felt a sharp pain in my arm.
“Fuck,” I shouted. I looked down at where Josh had cut my arm.
“We told you not to try anything,” he said.
Pain lanced through me and I sucked in a breath, covering the wound with my palm. Blood swelled, dripping down and wetting my hand. I glared at him as stepmom of the fucking year got in the front seat and started the engine.
“So you killed Michael Madden?” I asked. “Together, I’m guessing?”
I eyed the knife in Josh’s hand.
“I have a gun,” she said, turning around. She waved it and then aimed it straight at me. My entire body turned to ice as panic set in. “I will use it if you try anything else.”
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Angela Madden.”
I gave a slight nod, trying my best to stay calm. If I played my cards right, I’d get out of this just fine, these two would go to jail, and Emma would remain safe.
“So what’s your plan?” I asked.
“Shut the fuck up,” Josh hissed.
I gave him a flat look. “There are not enough words in the English language to describe how much I hate you.”
His vulture blue eyes darkened. “I don’t know what she sees in you.”
“Many things. What do you see in stepmom, huh? A fat paycheck? For someone who was waxing and waning about me loving Emma for the money, it’s a little fucking ironic.”
“Shut him up,” Angela growled.
She tossed a roll of duct tape back. Josh caught it and ripped off a piece, plastering it over my mouth. She kept the gun on me while he did that, and he tapped my hands.
“Wrists together.”
I did as he asked and he used the tape to bind them together. Four layers of it. I could probably break it, but it would fucking hurt.
Angela turned back around in her seat. She pulled onto the road and floored the gas. I went silent, watching and thinking. I knew this area like the back of my hand. We were headed towards Austin, though, which I didn’t like.
After a few minutes, she started to slow.
This is good. She pulled into the parking lot of a small motel.
Damn, I’d been wrong. They had holed up in a two-star, piece of shit place.
“Is money that tight?” I mumbled, but it was muffled by the tape over my mouth.
Angela pulled into a parking spot. Were they this stupid? It was broad fucking daylight on a Monday.
Josh immediately opened the door and got out, Angela following suit. I watched as he came around to my side. He opened the door for me and I got out, glowering at both of them.
This was gonna have to be it. I needed to act soon.
Josh walked behind me and Angela ahead, leading me to a door on the ground floor. It was painted green, number 009. She drew out a key, tucking the gun away.
The moment we entered the room, I took my shot. I struck out and managed to knock Angela forward, and then twisted around to punch Josh with my hands together. I gasped as the blade stabbed into my abdomen, slicing through me like butter.
Josh shoved me back, and the knife pulled free. I hit the ground, my vision dotting as the pain hit. I clutched my stomach, blood wetting my hands.
“Dammit, Josh,” Angela sneered. “We needed him alive. We were going to use him to make her sign the fucking papers.”
The pain was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I looked down at myself, shock settling in. The knife had gone in right under my belly button.
Fuck, this can’t be how I go.
My vision blurred as I fought to remain conscious. The pain was overwhelming.
This couldn’t be it.
Not the day after I’d finally told Emma I loved her. Not after we’d fought so hard to start over.
This wasn’t right. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.