Page 90 of Mountain Protector

“The man who hired someone to have Lark killed? I have a pretty fucking good idea what his plan is.”

Shit.

I can’t even think it.

Focus.

“Wait. He’s slowing down.” My eyes are glued to the moving dot on my phone. “Shit. What if he—”Focus. “He pulled into a driveway about ten miles outside Montpelier.”

“We’re still twenty minutes from there,” Ronan replies, his gaze darting to the tiny map on my phone. “If he’s going to—” His mouth clamps shut. His jaw clenches. “I’m going as fast as I can without risking being pulled over.”

Shit. I know what he was about to say.

If Ed is going to do something to Lark right now, there’s nothing we can do.

Fuck.

I’ve never felt this helpless before.

Two terrifying minutes later, Enzo says, “He’s on the move again. Back on County Road headed north.”

“We’re closing in on Worcester.” Ronan glances away from the road to meet my gaze. “When Harrison eventually stops… What weapons do you have on hand?”

“My Sig and Winchester are in a case in the back of the cab. I have a folding Ka-Bar in my pocket and another one in the gun case.”

Ronan gives a quick nod. “Okay. For the two of us, that should work.”

Though I’m loath to take my eyes off Lark’s little dot for a second, I set my phone on the console and reach into the backseat to retrieve the guns. As I’m loading them, Enzo’s voice echoes through the car. “Alec’s looking up Harrison’s known addresses. There’s a house in Montpelier and a small cabin up by Craftsbury.”

“So he could be headed up there,” Ronan says.

Setting the loaded guns on my lap, I look back atthe phone. Lark’s little dot is still on the move, but we’re closing in on it. “He’s driving cautiously,” I comment. “He can’t be going more than fifty-five, sixty.”

Enzo says, “Hang on. I’m adding Alec to the call.”

Several seconds later, Alec’s voice comes over the line. “Okay. Harrison is traveling at a steady fifty-five. Doesn’t want to get pulled over, I’m sure.”

“So we’ve made up some time. But what do we do when we catch him? Do we wait for him to pull over? Or try something to get him to stop?”

“We could try a pit maneuver,” Ronan suggests. “It’s been a while, but I can do one.”

“It might be safer to hang back, let him stop on his own,” I say slowly, thinking it through. “Once we get close enough, stay a quarter mile behind him, just close enough to catch up when he stops.”

But what will we find?

Will Lark be restrained, but unharmed? Will she be injured? Unconscious? Drugged? Or?—

Fuck.

“She has to be okay,” I mutter. “She has to be.”

“I thought the worst when Winter was missing,” Enzo says. “But she was okay. And Lark’s smart. Strong. Let’s not assume the worst. Okay?”

I know he understands. I do. But it’s hard to accept his reassurances. It’s hard to put aside the fear rampaging through me, clawing and tearing. It’s hard to ignore the gaping hole in my chest where my heart used to be.

Please. Let Lark be okay.

We have so much to look forward to. Christmas.New Year’s. Trips. A proposal. A wedding. A family. A lifetime together, if she’ll agree.

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