Page 106 of Break My Fall

TWENTY-EIGHT

The moment the couple—eyes glowing, faces shining—made their retreat down the aisle, Gray slid his phone from his pocket. He had multiple texts, but the strand from Faith stood out.

Please call me.

We need to talk now.

I tried to call you. Why aren’t you answering? The wedding. You’re at the wedding. Call me as soon as it’s over. Johnstone is back in Neeson.

Meredith, reading over his shoulder, gasped. “He’s here?”

“We need to leave. Now.” Gray didn’t want to upset her or mess up the couple’s day, but right now he would gladly do both if it meant Meredith made it out of Neeson safely. “Please—”

“Let’s go.” She crammed her phone in her small bag and grabbed his arm.

He’d been willing to beg. And if that didn’t work fast enough, he wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was prepared to throw her over his shoulder and carry her away. Her willingness to follow his lead humbled him. It wasn’t what she wanted to do, but she wasn’t giving him a hard time, and when they were safely back in Gossamer Falls, he would thank her.

He glanced at the back of the church. It was packed with wedding guests who were reluctant to head out into the stormy weather. He didn’t blame them, but getting jammed up in that crowd was a recipe for disaster.

He picked up the bags that held their clothes in one hand, took Meredith’s hand in his other, and instead of joining the throng headed to the back of the church, he moved them toward the front. He had no idea what his face looked like, but something must have been telling people to move out of his way because they cleared a path.

When they broke free, twenty feet from the platform, he leaned down and whispered in Meredith’s ear, “Are your keys in the big bag or your small one?”

She patted the small bag.

“Good. Our cars are still at the side door. You lead the way. I’ll follow you.”

“Okay.”

They moved quietly to the side door and opened it. The rain was heavier than it had been this morning, and the wind had picked up. He looked to his left.

Looked again.

Meredith’s 4Runner wasn’t there.

She leaned around him. “Where’s my car?”

Gray closed his eyes for a moment.Lord, we’re going to need some serious help here.

He ran through his options. They could stay in the church. Call Chief Kirby to report the missing vehicle and deal with the fallout. But if they did that, Kirby might hand them over to Johnstone. The risk was too high.

They could take his car and head to Gossamer Falls. But that might be playing right into their hands. They stole Meredith’s car. Were they trying to force them to use his SUV? If so, they’d probablydone something to his vehicle. Best-case scenario it was a tracker. Worst case? A bomb. Unbidden, a vision of the desert appeared in his mind. Flames billowed from a vehicle. Cal was there. Their friends. Not all of them got out. No way he could take that risk.

They could leave on foot and head into the woods, then hunker down until someone from Gossamer Falls could come to get them. They’d get soaked, and the potential for hypothermia was high given the cold temperature. Meredith could wear his rain slicker. It wouldn’t keep her warm, though. But at this point, hypothermia was less dangerous than Johnstone.

They could always call in his people and sit tight. But if someone came after them in the church, they might have to shoot their way out. Meredith had her personal firearm. But she’d never shot anyone and wasn’t trained to do it. She would probably fire in self-defense, but her hesitation could be fatal.

He looked at Meredith. She was afraid, but she wasn’t panicking. He shoved her bag toward her. “Change. Fast. Start with the pants and boots.”

If they had to run, her heels—which would quickly turn into bare feet—would be the biggest problem.

She didn’t argue. She took the bag and looked around. “Where?”

“Right here.” He pointed to the corner. “I’ll stand in front of you. Be fast.”

He turned his back to her and faced the hallway. Behind him, she rummaged through her bag. Her breathing was slightly elevated, but otherwise she was handling this better than he could have ever imagined.

He looked at the remaining messages on his phone.

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