Page 37 of Bryson's Treasure

They spent another hour walking around the mall. Lynn bought Azadeh a toy horse and a beautiful Christmas dress. It was green and red with sparkles. Azadeh twirled around the store when she tried it on.

On their way out, matching pj’s caught Lynn’s eye, and she couldn’t resist buying a set for the three of them. She had always wanted to wake up Christmas morning with matching pj’s. She hoped Bryson would want to do the same. If not, she and Azadeh would match Christmas morning.

Lynn smiled as she glanced in the back seat. The car was filled with a few more bags than she had originally planned. It was the first time she had dipped into her new money, and she couldn’t imagine spending it on anyone other than Azadeh.

Azadeh was quiet in the back seat, playing on her iPad. She loved that thing, and if they didn’t watch her closely, she would spend hours watching American videos. Music was her favorite, and she had a pretty voice when she sang along to songs. Lynn had gotten used to being home with Azadeh each day. It would be strange when the young girl had to head to school.

Maybe Lynn needed to consider writing another program or seeing if she could find remote work. Lynn knew she wouldn’t find a job as a programmer in Eagle Ridge. Leaving wasn’t an option. Bryson and Azadeh had both wormed their way into her heart, and she couldn’t imagine a day without them around.

She and Bryson had made love another time since the night in the cave. Each night, after tucking Azadeh into bed, Lynn would go to her own room until she knew everyone was asleep, then she would sneak across the hall to Bryson’s room. She felt like a teenager hiding her secret boyfriend. In time, they would let Azadeh know they were getting closer.

Lynn turned off the main highway and headed toward the ranch. They weren’t that far from home when she saw the BMW from the other day coming up close behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. The man didn’t seem like the type to be around Eagle Ridge, and it seemed like he hadn’t left. Lynn gripped the steering wheel as the car rode her back bumper. She slowed down and gave him room to move around her, but instead he got closer.

This time the man wasn’t alone. She could see another person in the car. Her safest option was to keep driving and hope he would finally go around her. But instead, she felt his car tap her back bumper, and Azadeh’s eyes met hers in the rearview mirror.

“I need you to listen to me,” Lynn said.

Azadeh nodded.

“No matter what happens, I need you to run and hide.”

“I won’t—”

Her words were cut off when the car bumped the back of the truck again, this time a little harder.

Lynn pressed her foot on the gas. Maybe she could outrun him.

“You need to run. And when Bryson comes, tell him what happened.”

The young girl had tears streaming down her face, and Lynn did everything in her power to try to stay under control.

The truck was going over eighty miles an hour when the car hit the back of them again. Lynn worried if she was going too fast, the crash would be really bad. She slowed down again and made sure her seat belt was tight. With a quick glance, she checked to make sure Azadeh had hers on.

“Hold on, Azadeh, and run the second the car stops.”

The BMW hit the truck’s fender, causing it to swerve, and when it turned, the tire caught the side of the road. Lynn tried to gather her wits. Azadeh’s safety was her only concern. The young girl screamed when the car behind them struck again.

It was enough to send the truck into the ditch at the side of the road and roll. The sound of glass breaking made Lynn shield her face, and she hoped she and Azadeh wouldn’t get cut. The truck flipped another time, as if in slow motion.

Azadeh’s scream echoed through the cab. Lynn was sure her scream matched the young girl’s. When the truck finally stopped, Lynn released her seat belt and fell from her seat. As quickly as possible, she went into the back seat and undid Azadeh’s seat belt.

“Run.” Lynn pointed to the window in the back. Each second was one second closer to them encountering the men who were after her.

Once she saw Azadeh squeeze out through the window, Lynn worked her way back into the front seat. Hopefully she could distract the men enough to let Azadeh escape.

A large hand pried the door open and pulled her out of the truck. “Look what we have here,” the man snarled.

“I have money.”

“I’m going to make your boyfriend pay for messing with me.”

Lynn closed her eyes for a second. This must be Ricky. He wasn’t after her. He just wanted revenge, and he was too chicken to go after Bryson. He had to use her to get to him.

He shoved her to the side and crouched back down. “Where’s the girl?”

“What girl?”

Ricky walked over and grabbed her around the neck, cutting off her air supply. The edges of her vision turned black from the lack of oxygen.

“Hey, we need to go.”

“I want the girl too.”

The other man fidgeted. “We don’t have time. If someone comes along, you’ll lose her too.”

Ricky dropped his hands from Lynn’s neck. She leaned over and coughed. Movement to her left caught her eye. She quickly shook her head, hoping Azadeh would stay hidden and not try to rescue her. Lynn didn’t know what would happen if Ricky got his hands on the young girl. He had connections overseas and would probably try to send her back to her uncle. She hoped Bryson would be able to find Azadeh.

She didn’t have time to catch her breath before Ricky dragged her across the cold snow toward the BMW. The front of the car was messed up from running into the truck. Lynn prayed it wouldn’t start. Ricky took her to the back of the car and opened the trunk. When she didn’t crawl in, he hit her on the back of the head, and everything went dark.

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