Page 118 of Betrayed

Out loud he said, “You guys have any idea what this could mean?” He read the riddle.

Amelia asked him to read it again a little slower. She was probably writing it down on their end, which was in a car only a mile away.

Zara spoke up, “‘With the dead.’ Could that mean the cemetery?”

“Maybe. I have no idea if he knows about Bree. I’ve never talked to him about her.”

Adam said, “Most people in Hazel Hill know what happened.”

“But he had no clue AJ and I were even married.” He put on his helmet again. “I can go and look. It’s not that far away.”

Will said, “Go. We’ll keep working on the riddle.”

“Thanks, guys.” Logan drove off toward the cemetery where his daughter was buried.

AJ’s jaw quivered. Seeing Logan look so intense as he stared at whatever clue Miles had left in that locker had broken her heart. She wanted to hold Logan so bad and be held by him. But Miles was set on killing Logan and stealing her away forever.

There had to be some way out of this. Miles was strong; it didn’t matter that AJ could carry a hundred pounds of gear and a full-grown man on her shoulders. She hadn’t been able to get out of Miles’s grip. He was taller, bigger, stronger. He seemed to be able to counter every defense she tried. She didn’t want to give up hope, but at this moment in time, it seemed impossible to get away. She needed an act of God or at least for Miles to slip up.

Miles had closed his laptop and exited the room after Logan had left the school. Miles seemed quite satisfied by Logan’s reaction. If only she could tell Logan she was fine and she’d find a way out. But she didn’t know if she’d be able to get away.

Miles came back into the room and opened his knife in front of her.

Her chest tightened. “What are you going to do with that?”

“Cut you free, pumpkin.” He paused and glanced to the side. “No, I don’t like that one. I’ll stick with dear. It’s better.” He looked at her again. “Time for us to leave. If Logan is smarter than he looks, the fastest he could get here is about forty-five minutes. But I need to be ready for him. Although I do doubt he’ll get here that fast.”

“He’s coming here?”

“Eventually. But you won’t be here.”

“You’re going to kill him at some stranger’s house?”

“And dump his body in the river where no one will find it. It’s perfect. I’ll clean up, don’t worry. They won’t even know we were here.”

She grimaced at the thought. Lord, please protect Logan. Don’t let this vile man hurt him.

Miles cut the tape around her body and freed her from the chair. It pulled at her skin, but she couldn’t rip her arms away from the tape still attached to her.

He pushed her body forward and yanked her arms back behind her, releasing them from the tape.

She yelped at the pain as her skin and arm hair went with the adhesive.

“Sorry, dear, but you are proving to be too combatant. When you learn to behave, I won’t have to be so rough.” He leaned near her ear. “Or do you like it rough?”

She flung her head into his. Pain radiated through her skull, but she’d do it again, even if his noggin was harder than a soccer ball.

“You little …” He slapped the back of her sore head.

If she made it through tonight, she was going to have a doozy of a headache tomorrow. Nope, she had a doozy of one now. Pain surged and ebbed. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. She needed to stay alert and actively fighting against Miles.

He let her sit back and then cut her legs free. When they were, she tried to kick Miles, but he stepped too close for her to be able to hit him with any power.

“Would you stop already? Have you not figured out you can’t beat me?” He gripped her arm and yanked her to her feet.

Her legs didn’t want to work, and she stumbled.

“Pull yourself together. I will throw you over my shoulder if I have to.” He turned to her stopping only inches from her nose. “And who knows where I might have to touch you.”

She spit in his face.

With his free hand he punched her in the gut.

She doubled over. She’d been ready for another slap, but the punch sent her stomach into a tizzy.

Before she could recover, he dragged her forward and out the back door onto a large deck. He pulled her down the steps and across a stone patio. She was barely able to keep her feet beneath her.

Where was he taking her now?

He continued to tug her through the back yard, down a tall set of stairs that led to the river, and into a motorboat docked at a small pier.

The river. The same river in which Bree had drowned.