Devin paused in the woods and waited for the rain to subside. As soon as the torrents died down, he waited. Listened.
A few minutes later, he heard more twigs cracking under someone’s weight.
The man who was watching him.
Justin Henderson, most likely.
As soon as Devin figured out the direction the sounds came from, he cut back deeper in the woods. He watched his steps, careful not to give away his presence. No, the element of surprise was essential right now.
The sun would soon begin to peek through the morning sky. The realization made Devin move faster.
The ground was soggy, and the rocks he had to cross were slippery from the rain. The last thing he needed was to be clumsy or careless. He couldn’t let a mistake slip him up.
Once he got twenty feet back, Devin paused and peered around the tree.
There he was.
Justin Henderson.
The man crouched near the road, gun in hand. He moved—almost slid along—parallel to the road. And, based on the way he glanced around, his head flickering back and forth, he was confused.
The man had realized he’d lost Devin.
Devin was going to have to make his move soon. The clock was counting down, and every moment Sienna was with Anita was a moment too long.
Moving swiftly but quietly, Devin approached Justin from behind.
The man had no idea he was coming.
As soon as Devin was close enough, he reached his arm around the man’s neck and put the man in a chokehold.
Justin struggled against Devin’s grip, trying to force Devin off him. But the man was also injured with a sling on his arm—probably from the gunshot wound Devin had given him. There was no way he’d be able to fight Devin off.
“Just stop fighting it,” Devin said. “Make this easier.”
The man didn’t listen and continued to struggle, letting out little moans and grunts, like he was trying to respond but couldn’t.
Three minutes later, the man slithered to the ground, passed out. Working quickly, Devin snatched his gun and his cell phone.
As he took the man’s phone, a message appeared on the screen.
What’s going on? Do you still see him?
That had to be from Anita.
Devin considered his response. He had to respond. Otherwise, the woman would get suspicious. Finally, he typed:
Everything is going according to plan. How about on your end?
He waited to see what she would say. A moment later, another message popped up. He wiped the rain from the screen to better read it.
I’m ready for this to be over. Don’t let me down. You know I don’t like it when people disappoint.
What did that mean? Devin didn’t know, but it didn’t sound good. He jammed the phone in his pocket.
He glanced back down at Justin. The man would be out for a while, and Devin had nothing to tie him up with. He was going to have to take that chance.
With that thought in mind, he took off at a fast clip back toward Sienna. As he moved, he used the man’s phone to call Jenson and apprise him of what was happening.
“I don’t like this,” Jenson said.
Devin dodged around a boulder. “We need all the help we can get.”
“I’m sending my men out there now. Try to hold them off until we can arrive.”
“Will do.”
Devin paused at the tree line, and the truck came into view. He spotted two people inside.
Anita and Sienna.
But, just then, another car had pulled up behind them.
A police car.
What? Had Jenson’s guys gotten here already? That didn’t seem possible.
How was Devin going to manage this?
Devin wasn’t sure what was going on.
He glanced at his watch. Anita was expecting him back in forty-five minutes.
He had to figure things out soon.
* * *
“You ladies okay?” the officer asked, pointing a flashlight in the truck.
Red and blue lights flashed behind them, nearly blinding Sienna in the mirror. Anita had muttered threats as the officer approached, making it clear what would happen if Sienna messed up. One wrong move, and there would be consequences. Anita didn’t need to spell out what those consequences would be. She could imagine them all too vividly.
Sienna waited for Anita to speak.
“We’re fine, Officer.” Anita’s voice turned sugary sweet, along with her smile. “The road is blocked, and we’re trying to figure out what to do. Our friend went to check out the options.”
“Where are you headed?” The officer was a small-boned man with a pointy nose. Sienna would guess he was a rookie—maybe only in his early twenties. And he seemed clueless right now.
“The Jennings Center,” Anita said. “My friend here just got a job there, and we’re supposed to be there at 6:00 a.m. on the dot.”
“You were going to be early…” The officer glanced at the tree. “Or maybe not.”
“Exactly. My mom always said to plan ahead. It may not matter in this situation.”
Anita sounded so normal right now that it was unnerving. She was a master manipulator, wasn’t she?
“Well, the Jennings Center is a good place, so I wish you the best.” He pointed his flashlight toward the tree. “But this is going to take a while to move. I’ll call the city in, and they’ll send a crew out. But it will be a couple of hours. If I were you, I’d call in and tell your new boss what’s going on. I hate to make you late on the first day, but…”
“I understand, Officer,” Sienna said. “I think I’ll do just that.”
“Okay, I just wanted to make sure everything is good. This storm has been a doozy. No one expected the high winds.”
Sienna felt her blood pressure rising. The officer was chatty, yet Sienna was keenly aware that Anita had a gun pointed at her on the other side of the seat.
Yet Sienna stared at the officer, trying to send him a subliminal message that all wasn’t well here. He obviously wasn’t getting it.
“You two take care.” The officer patted the side of the door and strolled back to his car.
Sienna released the breath she held. On one hand, she’d wanted the man to help. On the other hand, she’d envisioned worst-case scenarios. Anita could have shot him if the situation escalated. Then she could have shot Sienna.
She really had no idea how all of this was going to play out. But she had to keep the faith.
She had to stay strong and believe that somehow, some way, she could find her way out of this horrible situation. Even if she didn’t, her prayer would be the same as Daniel’s from the Bible—even if God didn’t save her, He was still good.
She only hoped Colby remained safe. That was the important thing.
“You got lucky on that one,” Anita said, her sweet voice disappearing as easily as flipping a switch. “I thought I was going to have to add one more person to my body count.”
Sienna shifted uncomfortably in the front seat, glad it hadn’t come to that. She wasn’t sure if Anita was referring to the officer or Sienna. It didn’t matter. One more death—whoever it might be—would be too many.
“What are you going to do once you get Colby, Anita?”
She didn’t think Anita would actually get her hands on the boy, but she wanted to get inside the woman’s head and figure out what she was thinking. It was only smart.
“I’ll take him somewhere new and start again. Start fresh. Maybe we’ll really have a chance this time.”
“Like where?” Sienna knew if Anita shared information on an exact location, that meant Anita planned on killing Sienna. There was no way she’d tell her otherwise.
She held her breath as she waited to see how Anita would respond.
“Somewhere far away,” Anita said, her eyes taking on a distant look.
“I see.” So maybe Anita didn’t plan on killing her. A brief flash of relief rushed through her.
“I was thinking about Alaska. I’ve always wanted to see that part of the country.”
Sienna’s stomach clenched. That flash of relief was premature. Anita didn’t plan on letting Sienna walk away from this.
“Did you befriend me from the beginning with the intent of using me like this?” Sienna asked, trying to ignore the tremble in her voice.
“I hoped it wouldn’t come to this. I mean, I really did like you. Everyone likes you. How could they not? You’re Ms. Perfect.” Anita’s face clouded like she had a bad taste in her mouth.
“I’m far from perfect.”
Anita didn’t seem to hear her. “But then that reporter showed up, and I knew everything was over. I could see the recognition in her eyes. I had to come up with a plan. I could see how kind you were, and I knew you were the best chance of finding someone to help me.”
“I see. So kindness is a weakness.” Sienna just couldn’t understand the way this woman thought.
“Your kindness made you a target. I’m really sorry I had to do this to you, Sienna. I am. But nothing is going to separate me from my child. Nothing.”
Sienna swallowed hard and tried to choose her words wisely. She kept her voice even as she said, “He’s not your child, Anita.”
Anita’s eyes flashed with anger. “He is my child! And he always will be! Just because I didn’t give birth to him doesn’t mean he’s not mine.”
Sienna licked her lips. “What about the Brightons?”
“I feel badly for them, but we all can’t have Colby. This is just the way it has to be.”
“Why’d you pick him?”
Anita shrugged. “Because he was adorable.”
“And how did you manage to snatch him without leaving any evidence behind?”
“They left their keys in the diaper bag one day. I sneaked away during my lunch break and made a copy. Easy-peasy. Now, I’m tired of talking. Your boyfriend has forty minutes to get back here. I really hope I don’t have to enact the second part of my plan.”
“The second part of your plan?” Sienna’s throat tightened. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“That’s right, sweetie.” Anita smiled, but the action lacked any sincerity. “That’s the part where you die.”
* * *
As Devin watched the police officer pull away, he had a change of plans.
He couldn’t simply confront Anita. No, that would never work.
He needed leverage.
With that thought in mind, he hurried through the woods back to Justin and shook him. The man’s eyes fluttered open as he startled awake.
“What? Where? How—”
Devin jerked the man to his feet and showed him the gun. “There’s no time for questions. Just walk.”
“Where are you taking me?” Justin tried to shake him off and pull away.
Devin wasn’t going to let that happen. “You’ll see.”
He shoved the gun harder into Justin’s side to remind him it was there.
He led the man back to the downed tree in the road. Remaining in the woods, they walked behind the trees and well out of sight.
“You can’t do this,” Justin said. “Angela is smart. She’s not going to let you get away with this.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah, man. You have no idea what you’re doing. We’re all going to end up dead.”
The man looked like he was over it. This wasn’t his mission, Devin realized. No, Justin was just acting as Anita’s minion, and he looked on the verge of giving up.
“You love her?” Devin asked.
“Angela? Yeah, of course I do. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
“You’re willing to go to jail for her.”
He kept his chin up. “I’d do anything for her.”
“Sounds like true love then,” Devin muttered. “Now we’re going to see how much she loves you. I have a feeling she doesn’t share the sentiment as much as you think.”
Justin stared back, his lips parting with surprise. “Of course she does.”
“Then why didn’t she leave Colby with you when she had her surgery?”
“Because…because…it just made more sense. I’ve never raised a kid before.”
“Keep thinking that.”
Moving swiftly, he shoved Justin until they were at the truck window. Then he hit the glass with his gun.
“Get out of the car, Anita,” Devin ordered.
Anita jerked her head toward them, her eyes widening as the processed what was happening. Her expression morphed from surprised to angry.
“Justin…” She cracked the window. “You’re back. Where’s Colby? What’s going on?”
“I’m calling the shots now. Let Sienna go, and I’ll spare your boyfriend.” Devin glanced over. Saw Sienna. Saw that she was okay.
Relief filled him.
That was enough. For now. Devin just needed to know she was still alive and not hurt. He’d deal with the rest of the details later.
“You’re out of your mind. Don’t you remember what I told you?” Anita’s nostrils flared.
“Oh, I remember. But you’re not getting Colby.”
“I’ll be the one who decides that,” Anita said.
“Get out of the truck, Anita, or I’ll shoot Justin.” Devin was tired of letting Anita think that she had the upper hand here.
With a scowl, Anita climbed out, pulling Sienna behind her. Sienna’s face twisted with pain as her weight came down on her leg.
Anita didn’t care. She kept the gun at Sienna’s side, near her heart. One pull of the trigger, and everything would be over for Sienna.
Devin’s heart pounded with agony at the thought. He couldn’t let that happen. He had to keep control of this situation.
“Now, let’s do a trade,” Devin said. “You give me Sienna, and you can have Justin. You two can go on your merry way, and we’ll pretend this didn’t happen.”
Devin knew he couldn’t let this go like that. But he had to get Sienna back somehow.
Colby was safe. Colby would remain safe as long as he stayed with Rick and Trina.
“That’s not going to happen.” Anita’s voice came out as a low grumble. “I want my baby.”
“You can’t have Colby.”
“I will get Colby. He’s mine.”
“You need to think this through, Anita.”
“Anita, just let Sienna go,” Justin said. “We’ll think of another way.”
“There is no other way!” The woman sounded on the verge of losing it—even more than she had earlier.
“There’s always another way,” Justin continued, his voice pleading. “We’ve been through so much. Let’s just go away and start again.”
“Not without Colby.”
“He’s going to kill me, Anita. If he doesn’t kill me, he’ll send me away to jail for the rest of my life.”
“They won’t catch us. Now stop talking!”
“They will catch us. I’m tired of running. I’ve done everything you’ve said. Now it’s time to move on.”
“Listen to yourself! Can you hear how pathetic you sound? I thought I was dating a man. Now I realize that you’re just a boy.”
“No, I’m a man who’s trying to use his head right now. We’re in over our heads. Enough is enough. Please. Please.”
Anita’s scowl deepened. “Now you’re relying on cowardice. Do you know how much I hate cowards?”
“It’s not cowardly to want the woman you love to be safe,” Justin said. “Let’s just talk this through.”
“There’s nothing to talk through,” Anita growled.
In an instant, she raised her gun and fired.