Page 107 of Surrender

This will only end one way—with Lucy and Bennett in the back of my SUV on the way to their mother. The problem is I have to stop myself from winding up in prison for murder to make that happen.

A distant whoop has me straightening in the passenger seat. “You hear that?”

“Yeah.” Corjan scans the rearview.

I swivel in my seat, straining to hear it again. My gut clenches as I catch sight of red and blue behind us.

“They’re coming up fast.”

Corjan slows to the side of the highway.

I brace my hand on the dash to watch the unmarked police SUV whip past us.

“Follow it,” I demand.

Gravel and ice kick up beneath the tires as Corjan steps on the gas. “Fuck. You think...?”

“I don’t want to think anything right now. I just want answers.”

My blood zips through my veins as Corjan races after the flashing lights. He catches up as my phone rings in my hand.

Silas Stone.

“Yeah?” I bark, eyes glued on the vehicle in front of us.

Sutton’s voice comes across the line. “I’m not going to tell you again, Jack. Stand the fuck down.”

“Did you hear something?”

“Pull over before I send someone to pull you over.”

“You want me to back off? You’re going to have to arrest me,” I growl. Up ahead, a second pair of flashing lights joins the first. “Tell me what’s happening.”

“A state trooper is attempting to pull over the suspect.”

“Just tell me if my kids are in that car.” Corjan meets my eye before flickering his attention back to the road. Adrenaline floods my system. The SUV speeds up.

A tense sigh comes over the line. “He appears to be alone, but we haven’t gotten close enough to confirm.”

“Jesus. What did he do with them?” I mutter to myself.

“We’re trying to figure that out.”

“I’m not leaving until you do.”

“Jack.”

“If they’re in that car, I need to be here, and if they’re not, I’ll leave as soon as I know.”

A thought, Jesus, a fucking terrible thought slams into me.

“Back off him.”

“You have to let us do our job.”

“I don’t know this guy, but I know him better than you do. Lucy and Bennett are his leverage. He won’t stash them somewhere in town and has nowhere to stash them, even if that was his plan. My gut says my kids are in that car, and I’d guess he doesn’t have the first fucking clue how to secure the seats, so they’re probably down on the floor, which is why you can’t see them.”

“You want to take that gamble?”

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