She tried again. “Weren’t you together in…whatever you were doing?”
“You know what we were doing.” This time she thought there was a hint of stress in his voice.
“Burying a body.” She sounded weirdly calm, considering. She was glad, although she didn’t think he cared one way or another whether she was terrified.
He drove, his gaze flicking from the road ahead to the rearview mirror and back again, only sliding toward her occasionally.
“He had a soft spot for you,” the man said after a minute or more had elapsed, surprising her. “He didn’t want to admit we had to eliminate you.”
“Why would you think I’d even seen you that day?”
“Why take chances?” he said again with the faintest of shrugs.
Would he tell her his name if she asked? Did it matter who he was?
In the ensuing silence, she ran over and over again through the steps she’d have to take to escape. Get the seat belt off. Unlock and then open the door. Throw herself out. Which might kill her, but she didn’t think so. He was driving at a careful forty-five miles an hour, not one mile above the speed limit. Broken bones were a risk she’d take.
Except—what was to stop him from backing up and getting out just long enough to shoot her? There was so little traffic.
Plus, she had to remove her hands from the dashboard to take even the first step. Unfortunately, he was keeping the gun steady on her.
Her thoughts were pinging like the ball in an old-fashioned pinball machine.
Whap. If this was his car, he probably didn’t want to shoot her in it.
Except she had no idea who he was, and neither did Colin or anyone else. Why would his car ever be looked at?
Whap. Oh, God—where was he taking her? What if they were almost there, while she tried desperately to decide whether now was her only chance?
Pricklingly aware of him, she knew the instant he tightened. His eyes narrowed on the road behind them. The air in the car seemed suddenly charged with electricity.
Cait tried without being obvious to angle herself to see the road through her side-view mirror. Her heart jumped. A big black pickup or SUV was closing fast on them.
Speeding? Or chasing them?
Colin.
She didn’t realize she’d said her brother’s name aloud until the man beside her snarled, “Don’t get your hopes up. We both know he’s got other fish to fry tonight.”
He hadn’t totally convinced himself, though. He was watching the road behind them more than the road ahead—or her.
Now, she thought, her muscles bunching, but her eyes stole to the gauge and she saw that his speed was climbing. Fifty, fifty-two, fifty-five.
The vehicle behind was filling her side mirror, and hope bounced in her. Noah? But how could he have known?
And what could he possibly do if he did catch them?
* * *
COMING CLOSER TO praying than he had since he was a credulous kid, Noah kept snatching looks in the rearview mirror. No flashing lights yet.
He still didn’t know if Cait was in the car ahead. There were two people, he could see that much. The scum who’d snatched her might conceivably have already turned off, into one of the several dozen driveways or private roads—or Noah might have miscalculated in the beginning, and turned the wrong direction. This could be a couple of innocent people driving home after a day at work or tourists out for a drive or returning to their resort. But he didn’t think so.
He couldn’t think of a resort out here, and this wasn’t a particularly scenic drive. The road eventually intersected one that led to Sunriver and thus to Highway 97, but it wouldn’t be a commonly chosen route.
Noah glanced at the speedometer. He was going seventy but not gaining as quickly as he should be. The son of a bitch ahead was speeding up. Noah’s pulse rocketed. Oh, yeah, the guy was definitely getting nervous.
Close enough to see the license plate, he hit redial and waited while Colin had the plates run.
“Son of a bitch,” said her brother. “Ronald Floyd.”
“The assistant D.A.?” Noah knew of him but couldn’t bring his face to mind.
“Might be him and his wife on their way somewhere. Or someone stole the car.”
“I’m making whoever it is nervous. He’s running for it.”