Page 137 of Montana Manhunt

Hanson sped up as sirens sounded in the distance. “Stupid cops,” he muttered. “Move it, honey. I’m not spending the next two decades in jail because you dragged your feet, hoping for your boyfriend to rescue you. No one will rescue you from me.”

Violet scowled.Keep telling yourself that. We’ll see who’s still standing in the end.

Hanson jerked her to a sudden stop and peered through the tree line toward a luxury SUV sitting in dark shadows mere feet away from them. Seconds later, he yanked Violet back into motion, steering her toward the vehicle’s backseat.

The lawyer unlocked the SUV, opened the back door, and motioned for Violet to get inside with the barrel of the Sig.

Although her skin crawled at the idea of having Hanson at her back, Violet passed him and got into the vehicle. He whacked her on the back of the head with his pistol and shoved her to the floor of the SUV.

Hanson yanked Violet’s hands behind her back and cinched her wrists together using zip ties. That done, he rested his knee on her back to keep her down and seconds later, Violet felt a bee sting on her neck.

Her heart rate sped up. He’d drugged her. Even as the thought formed, Violet felt her mind slowing down and her extremities going numb. “What have you done?” she whispered.

“Can’t have you attacking me while I drive. Don’t worry, sweetheart. The effects last for a short time. You’ll be wide awake for all the fun.”

The door slammed, enclosing her inside the SUV. Hanson climbed behind the wheel and cranked the engine. “Don’t fight the drug,” he said as he put the vehicle in motion. “I want you well rested.”

Weakness invaded her limbs and lethargy made them feel as though they weighed three times as much as normal. In seconds, the darkness closed in.

She woke sometime later, disoriented and nauseated. Violet slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes. Took a couple of minutes to clear most of the blurry vision. She wished the nausea would leave, too. Violet drew in a deep breath, wrinkling her nose at the musty smell of a little used space, and surveyed her surroundings.

Wooden walls and a bare floor covered by a blue tarp. If she didn’t know what was ahead, the tarp gave her a good sign that Hanson planned to kill her in a messy fashion. No furniture aside from the chair to which she was tied. The room had one window with bars over the glass. So, no slipping out of the room through the window. Of course, escaping wouldn’t be that easy. The only way out was through the single door.

Footsteps approached the room.

Violet stared at the closed door and waited.

Someone shoved a key in the lock, twisted the knob, and opened the door. Jeff stood in the doorway, dressed as he had been when he’d abducted her at gunpoint. He wore a black and green flannel shirt, black jeans, and hiking boots. At his waist was a holstered pistol. In his hand, Jeff held a bottle of water.

He crossed the threshold and twisted the bottle top, breaking the seal. “Good. You’re awake.” Jeff grasped Violet’s chin, tipped her face toward his, and said, “Drink.”

She pressed her lips together and stared at him.

Jeff growled, tightening his grasp on her chin. “I just broke the seal in your presence. I didn’t drug the water. You need to drink, Violet. The water will flush the drug from your system.”

She glared at him. He could have drugged the water with a hypodermic needle through the plastic.

“Really? We’re doing this the hard way?” When she didn’t respond, the lawyer slapped her hard enough to whip her head to the right.

The movement caught her by surprise. She gasped.

Jeff shoved the mouth of the bottle past her lips and tipped the water into her mouth.

Violet drank. It was drink or choke on the liquid. Although she wouldn’t admit as much to Jeff, the water tasted so good. He forced her to drink half of the liquid before he pulled the bottle away.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Jeff set the bottle of water against the wall and turned back to face her. “Is this how it’s going to be for the next few hours?”

The knot in her stomach loosened. Hours were better than minutes. More time for Noah to arrive. “Did you expect otherwise?”

His smile sent a shudder through her body. Pure delight filled his gaze. “I had high hopes you would be more of a challenge than your sister.”

She froze. “You murdered Camilla?”

“No.”

Violet stared. “Your father.”

He inclined his head. “I’m impressed. I thought you’d go with the default answer of Fitz.”

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