Page 137 of One Last Chance

Dillon punched him in the throat, and some of Axel’s breath leaked out. But he had plenty—enough to get ahold of his brain, to slow it down.

He wasn’t a murderer.

But Dillon had stopped fighting him. In fact, he went heavy and just let himself sink, all the way to the bottom. With the bones and sticks and mud.

Axel let him go, tried to push him away, to surface.

And that’s when he realized—the man had hooked him with the carabiner on his hunting pack—right through Axel’s life vest.

Dillon rolled on top of Axel, pinning him in the gore as he let his breath leak out, drowning them together.

CHAPTER14

“If he was going to catch us, he’d have done it by now.”

Flynn leaned against a tree, breathing hard.

Kennedy stood a few feet away, also breathing hard. “No—he’s out there.”

Flynn stood up. “I think Axel did something—I don’t know what, but you don’t know him. He’s not going to let Dillon get us. Or he’ll die trying.”

Her words froze her.Oh no . . .

She looked back along their path. They’d broken branches, trampled leaves, plowed through thickets . . . Anyone hunting them would need to be blind not to find them.

And they weren’t moving fast—not with her knee thickening with each step.

“He’s back there, with Dillon. And—” She shook her head. Looked at Kennedy. “You’re right. I led him right to you. Because I just couldn’t let it go. Letyougo. I should have let it be?—”

“Hey.” Kennedy took a breath. “Listen. I never meant to just . . . play dead. I was scared, and maybe I found something, too, in that community. But mostly, I just thought—hoped—that he might forget about me. Let me go . . .” She stepped closer. “This is not your fault.”

“Oh, yeah it is. I completely roped this poor man into helping me—or at least, didn’t say no when he offered. And this is why I don’t do partners. But at the very least, Axel is in big trouble, and I’m not going to let him die on my watch.” She picked up a stick. “You keep going. Find help—the Air One team is hopefully looking for us—no,probablylooking for us. Get to the river. Follow it out to the road.”

“I know how to get out of here, Flynn. But if you think for one lousy minute I’m leaving you, then you don’t know me.” She smiled. “I’m you, remember?” She stepped up to Flynn and put her arm around her waist. “I’m tired of hiding.”

“I’m tired of letting this guy win.”

Flynn didn’t think they’d run far, but the trek back seemed an eternity—mostly because they ducked behind trees and treaded in new places, her eye out for Dillon.

In truth, he could probably spot them a half mile away through his scope, and why he hadn’t shot one or both of them had her more and more wound up as they fumbled their way through the forest.

They came to the clearing where they’d left Axel.

Nothing.

She looked at Kennedy. Then, “Axel?”

Nothing.

“Flynn—” Kennedy pointed to the pit.

The net had been torn away, and Flynn spotted muddy scuff marks of boots digging into the loam.

Oh no—no?—

She let go of Kennedy, made to the edge of the pit. Stared down.

An odor of death emanated from the mire, the water murky and dark. She couldn’t see to the bottom, but it had recently been stirred up, debris floating on the surface, moving as if the water might have a current.

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