Total pages in book: 148
Estimated words: 142939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
“How fitting.” Ocean laughs. “Sounds like the two of you are psycho soul mates.” I smile, thinking she’s right.
I glance to my side as a black SUV starts to come up alongside me. My eyes lock with two dark green eyes that I know.
Parks.
For a second, I think maybe Duffy sent him to trail me, but as quickly as I have the thought, I push it out. Parks isn’t a field agent. He shouldn’t be trailing me. I try to slam on my brakes, but it’s too late. He swerves the SUV, pushing me off the road and into the ditch.
Glass shatters all around me. I hear Ocean call my name over and over again. I try to respond, but darkness takes me.
22
OWEN
I check my phone, following Maggie as she drives home. When the car stops, I get a strange sensation at the back of my neck. Why would she stop there? It’s just a stretch of country road.
Before I even know what I’m doing, I’m heading out the front door. When I get in my truck, my phone rings.
“Ocean?” I answer.
“How did you know–never mind.” She’s talking fast. “I was on the phone with Mags, and she got in a wreck. Or at least, I think she did. She’s not answering me. My drone’s on the way, but it’s not fast enough. I can’t get there until–”
“Already on my way.” My stomach drops at the thought of Maggie in a car accident. Fuck, I should’ve driven her home, even if it meant blowing my operation and revealing myself to Duffy. “Call me if you find out anything.” I hang up and focus on the road, putting my foot down on the gas pedal as I speed along the road. Out here, cars are few and far between. The land is mostly owned by private companies in big swaths for mining or drilling for oil.
Coming around a curve, I see a plume of steam rising from the ditch along the side of the road. My guts churn as I hastily pull over and jump out. The car is overturned, the engine ticking and shattered glass everywhere.
“Maggie!” I yell and race down the side of the ditch.
Skidding to a stop, I get to my knees and look inside. She’s not there. I scramble back up to the road and look around. There are tire marks and shattered glass up here. It wasn’t just her vehicle. Someone crashed into her. Whirling, I follow the tracks in the grass.
My phone rings. I answer. “Someone hit her on purpose, then carried her away from the wreck.” I follow the line of trampled grass and find a small blood splatter on the faded pavement. Somehow, I know it’s hers. “She’s hurt.”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know.” I get back to my feet and look around. “How close is your drone?”
“A few miles.”
“Get it up higher, look around for any other vehicles in the vicinity. They can’t have gotten far. Focus on the road between here and town. I didn’t pass anyone on the way.”
“On it.”
I get back in my truck, my blood on fire as I run through a hundred different scenarios, all of them bad. With a squeal of tires, I speed away, going in the only direction that makes sense.
“Where are you, Ace?” I grip the steering wheel, my knuckles going white as I concentrate on every mark along the pavement, every weedy side drive or opening in the trees at the side of the road.
“Ocean?”
“I’m looking! I’ve passed the wrecked car. I can see you.” Tension vibrates through her voice. “Where are you?” she mumbles.
“Any movement. Anything.” I grit my teeth and take a turn so fast the back of the truck fishtails before catching.
“There!” Ocean yells.
“Where?”
“One mile ahead, take a right. There’s a grown-up driveway that leads to a burned-out house. I can see a shed behind the charred structure. Looks new. An SUV just pulled up. Hang on–”
“Is it her?”
“Wait.”
“Is it her?”
She goes silent. My blood pressure spikes as I hit speeds that make my engine whine. The mile is up, and I slam on the brakes when I see the small opening in the tree line.
Wrenching the wheel to the right, I bounce violently onto the rough dirt road. The ruts are deep, but I hit the gas again, powering over them as the trees grow thicker, blocking my view ahead.
“It’s her!” Ocean yells. “A man has her. He’s taking her into the shed.”
“What now?”
“Hang on. They’re inside. No, wait. The door is opening again …”
“What?” I go around a sharp curve, the road falling away on the side into a ravine.
“No!” Ocean yells. “He shot the drone.”
“Did you see who it is?”
“No idea. Dark hair. Red shirt, jeans. He carried her inside. I think she might be unconscious.” The fear in her voice matches my own. Maggie is hurt. I have to get to her.