Page 15 of Deadly Past

Wynona leaned over and hit the horn, grabbing Declan’s attention. He ran outside. The car sped away. She jumped out and ran into his arms.

Declan held her close. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“It’s him.” She pulled away, her frantic eyes finding his. “It’s him, Declan. The driver of that car, he’s the one who took Lacey.”

“You’re sure?”

She nodded repeatedly. “I’m positive.”

Declan grabbed his phone and called Will, putting the call on speaker. “Will, it’s Declan.” He told his friend where they were and what happened.

“Get inside the truck and stay there. I’m on my way now. I’ll have my people see if we can head the car off before it can leave the island.”

The call ended. Declan ushered her inside the vehicle and got in as well, quickly locking the door.

Inside the store, a frightened Mr. Edwards watched them, the expression on his face matching the terror welling up inside Wynona’s heart.

???

His hands shook. The man coming after Wynona was so brazen he’d followed them to the store in broad daylight just waiting for the chance to nab her. Declan grabbed hold of the steering wheel to keep Wynona from seeing his reaction to what happened. They hadn’t spoken in years, yet she always held a piece of his heart. How he wished. . .no, Declan gave himself a mental shake. He couldn’t go back and rewrite history. But he could do his best to protect her.

The phone ringing sent him jumping in reaction. Wynona locked eyes with him. Declan pulled the phone from his jacket pocket and answered Will’s call. “Did you get him?” Beside him, Wynona was glued to every word.

“I’m sorry, we didn’t. And I’m also not so sure he crossed over to the mainland either.”

“You think he’s still on the island?” Declan tried to decide if this was good news or bad.

“It’s possible. I have my men checking the surveillance cameras around the bridge to see if we can pick him up. We’ll be watching for any sign of him and searching the roads around the island for the vehicle you described. If he’s still on the island, he won’t get off.”

“And if he’s already off?” Declan’s mind raced over what they could do to nab the guy before he fled the area.

“I’ve radioed the police chief on the mainland, and he’s sending men to meet all traffic coming from the island.”

It was something. “Good. That’s good.” Declan scanned the nearly deserted street as a sliver of unease slipped down his spine.

“He knows you’re with Wynona and he knows the type of vehicle you’re driving—truth be told he probably knew that already.” Will sighed into the phone.

“I’ll call JT and have him meet me somewhere close. We can exchange vehicles.”

“Good idea. In the meantime, we’ll keep looking. I’ll let you know when I have anything.”

“Thanks, Will.” Declan punched end and faced Wynona. “They’re searching for him. If he’s still on the island, Will’s people will find him.”

Her fear didn’t subside any at those words, but she eventually nodded. “What do we do now?”

“The sooner we reach Breakers, the better I’ll feel.” The perp could be watching them right now. What if he’d ditched the car somewhere and returned on foot, or worse taken another vehicle? Declan did his best to shove aside the doubts flooding his thoughts as he called JT and explained what happened.

“I’ll meet you behind the church,” JT told him without hesitation.

“Thank you, my friend.” Declan ended the call. Mr. Edwards still stood near the window, and he waved. Best to keep the elder man out of this if possible.

Declan fired the truck and reversed before heading to the Island Church where all of the Hope Island Securities team members attended. The church had been part of the island’s history for going on two hundred years. A few years back, the hurricane that blew through the island had done some damage, but everyone on the island chipped in and got it back to its usual self in no time. Its white steeple rose above the rest of the businesses along the way.

Declan kept his eyes peeled for any sign they were being followed. He circled behind the church to the small parking space that backed up to some woods. JT pulled in beside them with Rachel in their Suburban.

“Sorry you’re going through this,” Rachel said and wrapped her arm around Wynona’s shoulder. The woman had been through her own nightmare right at the beginning of the founding of Hope Island Securities. She’d been running from a stalker who had attacked her in Texas, killing both Rachel’s father and her best friend. The attack had been so traumatic Rachel blanked the event out of her mind. For years, she’d fled from a past she couldn’t remember until JT asked her to trust him and the team. Rachel discovered she wasn’t the person she’d been led to believe she was. And it was her own cousin who had committed the crimes. It had taken Rachel a long time to move beyond the past, but she’d made great strides. She and JT had married and were expecting their first child anytime now.

Wynona waited beside Rachel while Declan and JT made quick work of unloading the truck. As soon as Simone was tucked into the backseat of the Suburban, Declan came over to Wynona.

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