Page 90 of Out of the Shadows

After the longest five heartbeats of her life, his steps receded as if he were moving away from her. Still, she didn’t move.

Then her alarm went off, the chime vulgarly loud in the quiet forest.

Her heart shot up her throat as loud footfalls raced toward her.

“You can’t hide from me,” the man said in a singsong voice.

Popping up from behind the stumps, she gasped at how close he was. She darted to the right. Using every ounce of strength she had, she swung the walking stick like a baseball bat. She aimed for his knees and made contact, the reverberation like a live current running up her arms.

He cried out and crumpled, clutching his left knee. She tried to run past him, but he lunged at her. She spun around and ran in the opposite direction. She peeked behind her, and her stomach rolled. The bastard was still staggering after her.

“I wasn’t going to hurt you,” he called out. “Now all bets are off, bitch!”

Her lungs were burning, but she kept running. Sheyanked her phone from her leggings pocket, but her hands were shaking too much to turn off the alarm.

Her foot caught on something, and she stumbled. Her arms pinwheeled and both her phone and walking stick went flying.

She hit the ground with a thud, her hands scraping against rocks and dirt, somewhat breaking her fall. The man was gaining on her. She quickly scanned the area around her, but didn’t see her phone.

Move!

Fear had her scrambling back up, and with her heart in her throat, she ran deeper into the forest.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

“Is there a reason we’re having this meeting at your office instead of over food?” Sheriff Quinn O’Conner asked as he settled into a guest chair opposite Gavin’s desk. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, Frazier, your setup here is impressive and all, but I’d much prefer meeting over a meal like usual.”

“No doubt we all would,” Xander added with a laugh. “But Frazier’s in lockdown.”

Quinn’s eyebrows rose. “Care to clarify that?”

For the next ten minutes, Gavin updated Quinn on everything. The rescue of Anson McClintock, the gala and car chase, the two shootings at the McClintocks’ home, and the subsequent information they’d uncovered.

“I wanted to keep you in the loop,” Gavin said. “I don’t know how fast the feds will move on this.”

Quinn snorted. “Feds moving fast? You’re kidding, right?”

There was no love lost between the local sheriff’s department and the FBI’s Seattle office.

“Exactly,” Gavin said. “Constance Whitcomb is staying at the Pacific View, but should she decide to leave, we were hoping you could keep an eye out for her car.”

“And why exactly would I do that?” Quinn asked, leaning back in his chair.

He looked at his friend for a moment. “Do you really want to know?”

Quinn grimaced and ran a hand over his face. “No. Make that fuck no.”

Yeah. That’s what he’d thought. Chuckling, Gavin glanced at his ringing cell phone. Tiny’s name showed on the display. Holding up a finger, he rose and brought the phone to his ear.

“Hang on,” Gavin said by way of greeting. Excusing himself, he stepped into the hallway and shut the door behind him. “All right, go ahead.”

“Nabers is the one who created Five Stars Catering and Sunset Event Planning. In addition, she’s created Sherman Photography—another vendor that appears multiple times on the foundation’s bank register.”

The McClintock Family Foundation had been established to provide access to technology and STEM education and experiences to underserved communities, and Constance was using it as her personal bank account. That was disgusting enough, but knowing she was most likely responsible for her own nephew’s kidnapping and torture was beyond fucking appalling.

Gavin shook his head. He’d do everything in his power to make sure she was brought to justice. “Thanks for the intel, Tiny. Everything needs to be admissible. Once it is, call Esme and let her know. Pass along what you have so she can let her FBI contacts know.”

“On it. This woman’s going down. Also, that thing with the Department of Licensing has been taken care of. Later,” Tiny said before hanging up.

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