Chapter 21
Jonah stopped in his tracks, unable to take a risk that the man would follow through on his threat.
To his left, Alice stepped into view.
“Take me instead,” she called over the pounding of the rain.
The serial killer shifted slightly, peering at her. “Do I know you?”
“Not yet.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“I guess you’ll find out.”
“Stay back, or the girl dies,” Hayward warned again.
“Okay,” Jonah called out. “Take it easy.”
As Hayward shifted back to him, something happened that the kidnapper could never have anticipated.
Jonah vanished.
“What the fuck?” Hayward stared blankly at the spot where Jonah had been standing.
The killer took the gun away from the girl’s neck, waving it around at chest level as he tried to figure out where the man had gone.
Seconds later, Jonah appeared behind the killer scuffing his feet in the wet leaves.
Taken completely by surprise, Hayward whirled, letting go of the girl as he leveled the gun at Jonah. But suddenly his nemesis wasn’t there again.
“Run,” Alice shouted to the girl.
She didn’t need a further invitation and took off back the way she’d come. From the woods, the dog joined her.
The kidnapper’s gun was now aimed at Alice.
She kept her gaze steady. “Kill me and you won’t have anyone to put in that cell under your mansion.”
He goggled at her. “What? How could you know about that?”
“Because I was there, and I escaped.”
“Impossible. This girl is my first.”
“She would have been.”
Before Hayward could formulate an answer, Jonah appeared behind him again, pulling up his gun hand. The weapon discharged, but it probably sounded like a clap of thunder in the rain. Jonah twisted the arm. The man screamed as a bone cracked, and he dropped the weapon.
Alice swooped in and kicked the revolver away, then delivered a kick to Hayward’s balls.
He screamed and doubled over.
“I’d love to draw this out and give you a nice long beating, but I’m afraid we don’t have time,” Alice said.
Jonah chopped at the man’s neck and he went down
They each picked him up with a hand under an armpit and dragged him toward the rushing water.