* *
“ADDISON!” LOGAN YELLED through his phone, but the sound of squealing tires drowned him out. Her frightened scream cut into him. “Hang in there, Addi! I’m right behind you.”
Except he wasn’t. The road was dark and long and he wasn’t exactly sure how much distance was between them.
“Logan, please—” Addison’s terrified voice was cut short when the call died.
“Fuck!” he roared and planted his foot down on the accelerator.
The sides of the road weren’t well illuminated and he still hadn’t found the gas station. This was the usual route she took to the cottage—they’d driven it many times together. He was sure of it. But what if she’d gone another way tonight? What if she’d tried to find a shortcut or avoid the toll roads?
What if, what if, what if...
If something happened to her... God help him. He’d tear down every building in the state until he figured out who’d done this to her.
His car shot through the darkness, well over the limit. It didn’t matter; nothing mattered except finding her. He eased off the gas as he rounded a corner.
“Come on, come on, come on,” he chanted.
His eyes scanned the next stretch of road. Then a faint glow grew in the distance. Signs displaying the price per gallon appeared as he approached and he checked the name. Yes, this was it. The gas station she’d mentioned earlier. She shouldn’t be too much farther along this road.
Pushing his car as hard as it would go, he reached for the glove compartment and flipped it open. His SIG P226 sat where he’d placed it earlier, the last resort he hoped never to need. But if anyone had brought harm to Addison, he wouldn’t hesitate to use it.
The gas station whizzed past and darkness stretched out before him. Flicking on his high beams, he scanned the side of the road on both sides. Nothing.
“Come on, dammit.” He slammed the steering wheel with the heel of his hand, tension tightening the muscles in his shoulders and arms. Making him ache. The blood drained from his knuckles, leaving them white.
His headlights brushed over the empty road and the trees. At a curve ahead, a glint of something red caught his attention. The dot grew bigger. A truck.
Easing off the accelerator, his eyes scanned the area and sure enough, a trail of skid marks exited the road not too far up. He frantically searched for Addison’s silver Audi, his heart in his mouth.
Her sporty little car wouldn’t have been able to stand up to this much bigger vehicle. What if she’d...?
“Stop that right fucking now,” he said to himself as he pulled over to the side of the road, a few feet behind the truck.
Freaking out wouldn’t help anyone. If there was one thing he’d learned in his years of dealing with dangerous situations, it was that you had to stay cool, calm and collected. In control. No matter what horrors you might see.
He forced down the wash of dark worries and killed the engine. His fingers wrapped around his gun. The cold, hard steel of his SIG reassured him, helped him to slip into work mode. He knew the grip, knew the weight, knew how it would behave. And he let the familiarity soothe him.
Taking a deep breath, he flipped the safety off.
The night air was still around him when he stepped out of his car, as though the weather sensed that something was about to go down. Not even a breeze whispered past. Moving quietly, he peered farther down the side of the road. That’s when he saw Addison’s car.
The silver Audi was covered in brutal scratches. The metal of the back door had been pushed in. Her taillight was shattered. Thankfully, it appeared that she hadn’t hit any of the trees that peppered the area. But the light from the road didn’t extend far down the dip, and he couldn’t see if she was in the car.
Moving quickly but soundlessly, he came around the red truck and checked the driver’s seat. Empty. He wasn’t about to stop and take notes, but a quick glance at the front of the car confirmed this person was driving on New York plates.
Logan scooted down the steep grass-covered ditch beside the road, balancing himself with his free hand. Something moved at the side of Addison’s car. A man was trying to open the driver’s side door.
He had two choices. Go in quietly and hope to sneak up on the guy, risking that the creep might get to Addison first. Or scare the shit out of him now and make sure he kept his grubby hands to himself. Logan couldn’t see Addison, but it appeared as though she’d locked the door per his instruction.
Good girl, Addi. I’m coming for you, just hang in there.
All of a sudden a loud snapping sound cut through the night. Shit! A branch crunched beneath his feet and the guy froze next to Addison’s door.
“Back away from the car,” Logan said calmly, the gun pointed straight forward. His voice carried across the clearing.
“I was just trying to help her, man.” The guy popped his hands up by his head and took a step back.
His face was covered by a hood, and despite the balmy weather, he had on long sleeves, gloves and jeans.
“You normally wear gloves in the summer?” Logan advanced, moving quicker now that he didn’t need to keep quiet.
The other man continued walking backward, heading toward the edge of the trees. He was going to run; Logan could feel it in his bones. But he still couldn’t tell if Addison was okay, and time wouldn’t allow him to have it both ways. He could check on her or he could go after the guy. Blindly shooting at a man wasn’t an option, even if Logan was positive that this guy was aiming to do anything but help her.
“Hold up,” he called out. “That’s far enough.”
The guy slowed down for a second, but his twitchy movements told Logan he wouldn’t stay put long. The car was close, but the damn darkness hid what was inside. If Addison was hurt, he needed to get to her. Now.
Then the guy turned and took off like a shot. Logan swore under his breath and broke into a sprint. Tall grass whipped past his legs, his shoes catching over a dip in the ground and tripping him up. Blood rushed in his ears, his heart pounding with adrenaline. All he could see was the back of the guy’s hoodie as he disappeared into the trees.
Logan skidded to a stop at the side of the Audi, his gun still pointing ahead. But the area was dark and he’d have no hope of catching the guy now. Leaning down to the passenger side window, he found Addison inside. Her tearstained face looked up at him, relief seeping into her features.
He’d found her. And now he wouldn’t be letting her out of his sight.
ADDISON’S HANDS TREMBLED so much that she struggled to open the door. The whole crazy event had happened in a blur. After the truck rammed her, the Audi had skidded off the road and hurtled down a small hill. Luckily, her brakes were in fine working order and she’d avoided crashing into the trees.
But
