“He’s going to do it this time. He’s going to kill her!” Claire was still trying to verify basic information with the 9-1-1 operator. She’d given her name twice, her address three times because she was so nervous she couldn’t get it straight, and screamed that they needed help now. But she’d heard what Ink said despite all that, knew he meant it. And so did Vivian.
Leanne was stuck out there in her wheelchair.
She couldn’t even run.
30
Myles had sent every deputy in the area to Claire’s house. Two had already arrived. When he drove up, he could see their squad cars parked haphazardly, red and blue lights flashing. He could also see a white Dodge Ram that had crashed into the old Pineview Park restrooms. His headlights landed directly on it, showed him the window that’d been shot numerous times.
But that was it.
Where was everybody?
After driving like a madman to get here, for one foreboding second he didn’t even want to get out. He was too afraid of what he might find. He’d lost Amber Rose three years ago, had spent more than a thousand days trying to figure out how to make sense of his life again. And now that he’d moved on, found Vivian and wanted another chance at everything he’d once had, this…
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and got out. The house stood open, the light from within falling on two deep ruts in the yard, suggesting a vehicle had recently driven right up to the front door.
He heard crying…?.
Something cold and hard filled him as he approached that sound because he knew in his heart it wasn’t Vivian.
Deputy Campbell glanced up when he crossed the threshold. He was on his radio, calling for an ambulance. A scratched-up Claire leaned on the table. She was the one in tears. Leanne sat, dry-eyed, in her wheelchair, which was smashed on one side, looking a little dazed. Vivian was gone.
“Where is she?” Myles asked.
“He dragged her into the woods,” Campbell replied. “Peterson’s gone after them, but…” He shook his head and let it go at that.
He didn’t need to finish. Myles understood what he meant. He didn’t think they’d find her alive.
Vivian fell several times as Ink pushed her through the trees. It was too dark to see much more than vague outlines. When she walked out of the house to save Leanne and he didn’t shoot her instantly, she’d hoped she might have the chance to escape him. He wasn’t the same man who’d shown up in her living room four years ago. This Ink was handicapped and in obvious pain. But he was still freakishly strong. And he was even more ruthless and determined.
“What is it…you want from me?” Occasionally a glimmer of moonlight streamed through the trees to illuminate a portion of his face or body, but she felt his presence more than she saw it. He had an iron grip on her shirt and was half shoving, half dragging her along with him.
“I want to make you pay. I want to make you all pay.”
She stumbled while trying to look at him, and he kicked her. Fortunately, he was too close to land a solid blow. Her leg hurt despite that, but she refused to whimper or groan. Her pain and misery was what he wanted. She was pretty sure he’d put his gun in his waistband. It was close at hand, should he need it, but he didn’t want to go that route. Making her death quick and easy wouldn’t be enjoyable enough for him.
He wanted to relish the process.
“You’re going back…to prison,” she said. “I hope…you know that.” She was trying to engage him, to stall him so the police could catch up, but he kept moving.
“They won’t take me alive.”
She listened for other sounds in the forest. Far off, she heard sirens. Myles was coming to her rescue, but how would he ever find her in time? There was too much land out here, and it was so dark.
“That’s your out?” She prayed to catch a glimpse of a flashlight beam shining through the trees, proving that there were other deputies looking for her—deputies who were closer. But the immediate area remained dark and damp and quiet, except for the sounds of their own labored breathing.
Ink didn’t answer.
“You’re going to—” her leg burned from where he’d kicked her, making it difficult to walk “—to let them shoot you? Or…shoot yourself? Because even if you kill me…you won’t get out of this.”
Nothing.
“And Horse is dead,” she said.
He stopped. “What’d you say?”
“He’s dead. Virgil killed him.” She didn’t admit that The Crew might’ve killed Virgil, too. She didn’t want to face that possibility, was still hoping it wasn’t true.
“You’re lying!” He clubbed her on the side of the head with his gun and nearly dropped her in her tracks. Her knees buckled as stars exploded onto her vision. But she shook off the pain.
“No. You can…” She blinked, trying to remain alert. “You can check. It happened…last night.”
“Then he’s dead, too.”
Her ears were ringing when he hit her again. Apparently his desire for violence and punishment was overtaking his fear of discovery. Or he felt they’d come far enough. If he was going to stop somewhere, she preferred he do it closer to the houses, anyway. Maybe it would give Myles a better chance of catching up, of finding her.
If only she could survive the onslaught…
“Virgil will be sorry,” he ground out.
The next blow split her lip. Blood flowed into her mouth, tinny in taste. He was really letting go now, planning to beat her to death right here. There was always the possibility that he’d shoot her, but she didn’t think he’d resort to that unless he was forced to. This was far more personal, far more satisfying to him.
Briefly, she remembered Pat and the rage that’d been expended on him. That was what Ink had in store for her, if she let it happen.
“You bitch! Look at what you and your brother have done!” he growled. “You’ve ruined my life.”
She would’ve responded that it’d been ruined long before she ever came along, that she hadn’t involved herself in his world at all and never would have. But she knew he wouldn’t understand that. He’d never been rational enough to accept responsibility for his own problems. She couldn’t speak, anyway. He pummeled her with his fists, again and again until one monstrous blow sent her sprawling on the ground.
For a moment, paralyzed by pain, she felt certain he’d broken her jaw. She whimpered for Myles, but he wasn’t coming. It didn’t matter what damage Ink had already done to her, she had to stand up and fight on her own—or die. And this was the first time since he’d dragged her away from Claire’s that he’d actually let go of her.