Darby gripped the steering wheel so tightly her fingers went numb. Her eyes were glued to the back of the SUV, trying to anticipate the driver’s next move. At what seemed like the last minute, he turned right, so she quickly followed suit. “Can you get the license plate?”
“No, unfortunately, it’s covered in mud.”
She swallowed a wave of frustration. “But it’s a Honda CRV, right? The same kind that almost hit us?”
“Yes. Careful, Darby, don’t get too close,” Gage cautioned. “He might recognize your car. For all we know, the reason Archer stayed at the Knotty Pine was to catch us returning to pick up our vehicles.”
Gage made a good point. “I can’t lose him.” She continued following the path the SUV was taking. “He could lead us to Reyes.”
“He might, or he could be heading to do some other sort of business,” Gage countered. “Keep in mind, we’re not armed, and we’re not the police. No way are we going to confront either of these men.”
Gage was right, Archer and Reyes were both armed and dangerous. But just the fact that they found Archer filled her with hope that this nightmare would soon be over. She felt certain Archer was meeting up with Reyes. Once they were able to see both men, bonus points if they were doing something illegal, they could call in the cavalry.
The black SUV stopped at a red light. Darby tapped the brake, glad to have one vehicle between them. But the SUV abruptly turned right again, a loud horn blaring as the SUV driver cut off another car.
“He’s getting away!” Feeling frantic, Darby noticed there was a driveway to her right, leading into a gas station. She yanked the wheel and pulled in. Cutting through the narrow openings between gas pumps, she pulled out onto the street the SUV had taken.
“I see him,” Gage said encouragingly. “He’s two cars up ahead.”
She saw the SUV too. Or at least hoped so. Black SUVs were fairly common, and they were too far back to see the mud-covered license plate. Where on earth were the cops when you needed them? “Do you think he knows we’re following him?” The idea filled her with dread. It was one thing to want Archer and Reyes arrested, but having them know they were onto them added a whole new level of danger.
What if Archer said something to Reyes? The two could be planning to capture her and Gage in a trap, box them in between their two vehicles to take another shot at them. The likelihood of missing from that short distance was slim to none.
“I’ll call Pride again.” Gage pulled up his phone. “If nothing else, the cops should pull that SUV over for having an illegible plate. Hopefully, they’ll find drugs or a weapon, which puts him in violation of his parole.”
That sounded promising. Darby didn’t believe either of these men ever planned to go straight. She stayed two cars behind the black SUV as they continued down the street, heading out of the downtown area. It made her nervous because once they hit rural roads, they’d be more noticeable.
More vulnerable.
The SUV took an abrupt left turn. Gritting her teeth, Darby tried to follow, but the light turned red. Craning her neck, she could only watch as the SUV’s taillights moved out of sight.
“The vehicle is heading east on Riverside Drive,” Gage said into the phone. She wasn’t sure if he was talking to the detective or to someone else at the police station. “It’s a black Honda CRV with mud covering the license plate. We’ve identified the driver as Niles Archer, one of the suspects in the recent attempts to hurt us. There was a hit-and-run attempt by a black Honda CRV against us earlier today on Wayland Avenue.”
By the time the light turned green, Darby knew the SUV was long gone. Still, she kept driving, hoping to catch up.
“Okay, thanks.”
She glanced at Gage, who’d put his phone away. “Are they sending a squad?”
“Yeah, although I’m not sure what good that will do.” He sounded dejected. “If we lost them, I’m sure Archer will find a way to elude the cops.”
“He must have noticed me following him.” She sighed and unclenched her fingers. “Otherwise, why would he suddenly turn like that?”
“I agree it’s suspicious.” Gage put a hand on her arm. “No point in trying to find him, I’m sure he’s long gone.”
While she appreciated Gage’s support, she wasn’t ready to give up. Not when they’d gotten so close. “Just a little farther.”
The car in front of her turned off, leaving nothing but wide open road stretching as far as the eye could see. Up ahead there was a curve in the road. Was the Honda still up ahead? There was no way to know for sure.
A shiver of apprehension slid down her spine, but she kept going.
“Darby, find a place to turn around.” Gage tightened his grip on her arm. “I don’t like that we’re alone out here.”
With reluctance, she eased off the gas, practically holding her breath as they rounded the bend. No black SUV was waiting there for them. Calmer now, she considered her options. “What about that place up ahead?” She gestured to the tavern located on the left side of the road.
“Sounds good.”
Darby slowed even more, preparing for the turn off. Suddenly a vehicle came up fast behind her.
“Look out!” Gage shouted.
Darby instinctively yanked the wheel, trying to avoid a crash, but a second too late. Her head snapped back, her seat belt tightening painfully as the car smashed into them.
“Darby!” Gage’s cry echoed as she fought to keep the car on the road. But it was a losing battle. Her vehicle was old, the tires worn, and she closed her eyes mere moments before they slid sideways off the shoulder and down into a ditch, hitting the ground with a bone-rattling thud. Pain bloomed in her face as the force of the impact deployed the airbags.
For long moments she couldn’t hear anything but a strange hissing noise coming from the car engine. Lifting her head, she couldn’t see anything past the shattered windshield. In that moment, she knew the car was a total loss.
“Darby? Are you okay?” Gage’s voice sounded far away.
“Yes,” she managed. Her entire body shimmered with pain, but she turned to look at him. He had a streak of blood across his face. “What about you?”
“We need to get out of here.” She heard the grinding sound of plastic rubbing against plastic as he shoved his door open. She belatedly realized the car was sitting at an angle, her driver’s side door pressed against the edge of the culvert. For a moment, she panicked at the idea of being trapped in the vehicle.
Gage managed to get out of the car, then reached in to offer her a hand. She struggled to release the latch on the seatbelt, then caught his hand in hers.
“I’ve got you,” he promised, tugging her toward the opening.
Darby winced at the pain in her left ankle but heaved out of her seat, suddenly desperate to get out of the car.
With Gage’s help, she was soon standing beside him. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I think so.”
“We need to hide in the trees, in case they come back.” Gage took her hand and led her up the embankment to the wooded area.
Come back? She trembled with fear. She’d been sheltered by Gage during the hit-and-run attempt, but this total destruction of her car had badly rattled her.
They could have died. Especially if they hadn’t been wearing their seatbelts.
She stumbled after Gage as they entered the woods. Ironically, she felt safer there, maybe because she often felt more at home in the wilderness than she did living in civilization. Remnants of those weeks she and Hailey had lived off the land after escaping the Preacher. Leaving the fire and the cabin the Preacher and Ruth hadn’t been able to escape behind.
Old news, but the crash had provided some sort of weird flashback. For a moment she felt as if she were following Hailey through the dense brush, in a hurry to get away from the police who were searching for them.
“Let’s rest here.” Gage’s voice brought her back to the present. “I’ll call the police again.”
It was disheartening to realize the police would likely never catch up to the Honda CRV. In fact, she couldn’t honestly say what the make or model was of the car that hit them. Logically, she wanted to believe it was the same SUV, but she couldn’t swear to it.
“They’re going to get away, aren’t they?”
Gage shot her a sympathetic look while he waited for the 911 operator to answer. He gave the crash location and requested an officer response.
Darby rested her forehead against the trunk of an Aspen tree, fighting through a wave of depression. Instead of getting a lead on Archer and Reyes, she was now without a vehicle. Another expense she couldn’t afford.
Gage might believe in God, but she was pretty sure He had given up on her a long time ago.
If He existed at all.
Gage wrapped his arms around Darby in an effort to ease her trembling. “It’s okay. We’re going to be okay.”
“My car isn’t,” she whispered. “It’s not worth much, so I doubt I’ll be able to afford a replacement with the money the insurance pays me.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Gage tightened his hold on her. “We’ll find a way to get through this, you’ll see.”
She didn’t answer, but tears dampened his shirt. He felt terrible for her, but at the same time, he knew they were blessed to have survived with minor injuries. Things could be replaced.
People couldn’t.
Especially Darby. He couldn’t stand the idea of losing her. Not just because of Leo but because he’d come to care for her. A lot.
More than he should.
He cuddled her close, grateful God had been watching over them. “Please don’t cry,” he whispered. “We’re alive, Darby, and that’s the most important thing.”
“I know.” She sniffled loudly. She lifted her head, and in the darkness it was impossible to read her gaze. “But it makes me mad how Reyes and Archer have managed to get away with yet another attempt to kill us.”
Anger was better than crying. “I know, but this will help the cops take our concern seriously.”
“They better,” she said tersely. “I don’t want them to wait until we’re both dead.”
Through the darkness he could see the flashing lights of a police cruiser. “Okay, it’s safe for us to go back to the road.”
Darby drew in a deep breath and straightened, pulling out of his embrace. They made their way back toward the wrecked car as two officers approached holding up flashlights.
Gage instinctively lifted his arms to show he wasn’t armed. “Officers? I’m Gage Killion, and this is Darby Walsh. I’m the one who called this in.”
“Ma’am, please show us your hands.”
Darby glanced back at him as she lifted her arms. “We’re the victims here,” she said curtly. “The guys you should be looking for are Niles Archer and Tyrone Reyes. Archer was last seen driving a black Honda CRV with mud covering his rear license plate.”
“Yeah, we heard.” The officer lowered his flashlight. “Please step closer so we can make sure you’re not armed.”
Gage knew it was standard procedure, but he could tell Darby was growing angry. “Easy,” he whispered. “They’re here to help.”
“Then they should act like it,” she snapped back.
“Act like what?” the officer asked.
“Nothing.” Gage did his best to smooth things over. He was still on parole and didn’t want to risk being sent back to prison. Stepping forward, he offered himself to be patted down. “I have nothing sharp in my pockets. There is folded paperwork in my right pocket. You’ll find articles on the previous arrests of Niles Archer and Tyrone Reyes. We have reason to believe they’re responsible for this crash.”
The pat down didn’t take long, and the officer quickly did the same to Darby. When the officer finished, she lowered her hands, planting them on her hips. “Did anyone find the black Honda CRV with muddy plates? We called that in well before we were hit from behind and sent into the ditch.”
“I don’t know.” The officer who’d patted them down swept the beam of his flashlight over the interior of the vehicle, no doubt looking for drugs or weapons, before going around to check the rear bumper.
Gage joined him and pointed to the scuff marks where the vehicle had connected. “Looks like black paint.”
“Yeah,” the cop conceded. “Were you able to recognize the driver?”
“No, unfortunately, it was getting dark, and the headlights were too bright. The car came up fast, must have gained speed after the curve. We barely had time to react before we were hit.”
Darby came over to stand beside them, her expression grim. Gage gave her a reassuring smile, hoping she’d calm down a bit. Antagonizing the cops wouldn’t get them very far.
“Ma’am, did you see the driver?” The officer turned toward her.
“No. As Gage said, it all happened very fast. But we were on this road in the first place because we’d followed the black Honda. I can only imagine the driver pulled off somewhere and waited for us to go past so he could try to kill us.”
“That’s one theory,” the officer said. “Or this could have been done by kids.”
“No way.” Gage was losing his grip on his own temper. “Call Detective Pride, I think you’ll learn this is one of many incidents aimed at causing me and Darby harm. My truck was run off the road in a similar event such as this last Saturday. Darby’s zip line cable was tampered with on Monday, and she crashed into a tree. Then we were targeted by gunfire at the Knotty Pine Motel, and just a few hours ago, we were nearly hit by a black Honda CRV while we were walking.” He glared at the cop. “This is no coincidence. No kids out for a joyride. This is deadly serious, and we already know who is behind these attacks.” He barely refrained from jabbing his index finger into the cop’s chest. “All you have to do is find and arrest them.”
This time, Darby reached out to put her hand on his arm.
The officers spoke in low tones to each other, then one of them used his phone to make a call. Gage hoped he was talking to Detective Pride. His suspicion was confirmed when the officer returned. “We’re going to drive you back to the station.”
“What about my car?” Darby asked.
“A tow truck is on the way.” The cop shook his head. “I’m sorry, but it looks to me like it’s totaled.”
“I know.” Darby tossed the key onto the seat. “Doubt anyone will try to steal it.”
Within minutes, Gage and Darby were sitting in the back of the patrol car for the second time in two days. So much had happened, and it grated on him to know the cops were no closer to finding Reyes or Archer.
Getting even one of them into custody would help. He had no doubt either Archer or Reyes would turn on the other if given the chance.
“Riding to the police station is getting old,” Darby whispered.
“I know.” Gage took her hand. “But we’re in this together, Darby. All the way.”
She glanced away, staring blindly out the window.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Just—nothing. So many different emotions are running through me, I can’t even name them.” She sounded exhausted, and he felt the same way.
“We’ll head back to the motel as soon as possible.”
She nodded but still didn’t look at him. He wondered if she was thinking of going into hiding, meeting up with Leo and Edith. He couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t that long ago that he’d tried to talk her into doing just that.
But now the thought of her leaving filled him with dread. He worried she might decide to take off with Leo, find another place to live. It wasn’t as if her job at the Great Outdoor Adventure Park was something that would hold her in Knoxville.
Leo’s friends, yes. But the boy was young enough that he could easily make new friends without a problem. Gage couldn’t remember much of his life at age five. He doubted Leo would either.
The terms of his parole, on the other hand, demanded he stay in Knoxville. At least for the next three months. The thought of her leaving without him filled him with dread.
Detective Pride was waiting for them at the police station. He did not look happy to have been brought in this late. He wearily gestured toward the same interview room they’d sat in earlier that morning.
Gage followed Darby inside, and they sat across from the detective. Pride pulled out his notebook. “Okay, start at the beginning.”
“Which beginning?” Gage asked. “I left you a message about the hit-and-run attempt on Wayland Avenue. The car that grazed me was a black Honda CRV. Same make and model as the vehicle we saw leaving the Knotty Pine Motel. I caught a good look at Niles Archer as he slid into the driver’s seat. That’s the car we followed through town and out onto Riverside Road. The same location where we were, once again, rear-ended and sent into the ditch.”
“Why in the world did you follow the Honda in the first place?” Pride asked. “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking we could keep an eye on the car until the police could get there,” Darby answered. “The license plate was covered in mud; there was no way for us to get any other identifying information on it.”
Pride drew in a deep breath. “You took a big risk, as you clearly learned after ending up in the ditch.”
“You think?” Darby’s tone was laced with sarcasm. “Why haven’t your cops found this vehicle yet anyway? Don’t they pull over cars without proper plates?”
“They should, yes.” Pride eyed her warily. “I’m sorry this happened to you. We have BOLOs out for both of the suspects you’ve identified, along with the CRV with muddy plates. I’m sure we’ll find them very soon.”
Gage didn’t necessarily agree but kept his thoughts to himself. Darby was doing a good job of getting the point across without his help. “In the meantime, the attacks against us are escalating.” He stared at the detective. “The very least you could do is let us know when you have one or both of these men in custody.”
Pride nodded. “I can do that. Where are you staying?”
“A motel close by,” Gage answered evasively. “But you need to send officers to the Knotty Pine, Archer was staying in room six before he left in the SUV.”
“I have a squad on the way,” Pride said.
“The clerk appears to be a drug user,” Darby added. “You might be able to squeeze information from him. Reyes and Archer might be here to seek revenge against me and Gage, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t also involved in selling drugs again.”
Gage suddenly frowned as an idea occurred to him. “When are they both due to meet with their respective parole officers?”
Pride looked surprised by the question. “Reyes doesn’t have to report until Friday, but Archer is due tomorrow. We’ve put their respective parole officers on alert.”
“And you’ll have an officer there to grab Archer when he shows up, right?” Gage pressed. “For questioning at the very least.”
“Let me worry about getting Archer and Reyes in for questioning,” Pride said, evading a direct response. “You two should focus on staying someplace safe for a while.”
“Gee, that never would have occurred to me.” Darby stood. “Thanks for your time, Detective.”
Gage joined her as they left the police station. He could tell how disheartened she was by the whole ordeal. “I’ll order a rideshare to get us back to the motel.”
“That’s fine.” She rubbed her temple. “I need to call my boss. I was planning to call in sick tomorrow, but now that my car is trashed, I have no idea when I’ll be able to return. I just hope he doesn’t fire me for this.”
“I’m sure he won’t,” Gage said, although he didn’t know anything about the guy. “The zip lines are still down anyway, right? You’re probably helping him out by taking time off.”
She let out a harsh laugh but didn’t say anything more as their rideshare pulled up. Gage waited for the driver, a female this time, to call his name before heading over.
When they reached their motel room, he unlocked the door. Darby swept past him, disappearing into the bathroom.
Gage sank onto the edge of the bed and lifted his heart in prayer. Please, Lord, keep us safe from those trying to hurt us.
He felt good about the possibility of getting Archer into custody when he shows up for his parole meeting. And if he didn’t show, the cops would be looking for him anyway. Gage hoped he wouldn’t take the risk.
When Darby emerged from the bathroom, she seemed better. “Sorry for being a pain at the police station.”
He offered a crooked smile. “I didn’t mind.”
She blew out a breath. “I decided to just call in sick for tomorrow. There’s no harm in taking this day by day.” She hesitated, then added, “That’s how I made it through rehab. One day at a time.”
“I’m glad. And if they don’t arrest Archer tomorrow, I’ll drive you to meet up with Leo and Edith.” It pained him to make the offer, but it was the right thing to do. “I can stay back to continue searching for them.”
“Oh, Gage.” To his horror, she looked as if she might cry again. “I was going to ask you to do that, but it’s not fair to leave you here. We’re in this together, right?”
The way she repeated his words back to him wrenched his heart. “Darby.” His voice was husky with emotion. “What am I going to do with you?”
She smiled, and that was all he needed to pull her into his arms. This time, she went up on her tiptoes to kiss him. He welcomed her kiss, feasting on her sweet taste, knowing in that moment he would never muster the willpower he’d need to let her go.