Page 32 of Crossroads of Betrayal
She moved slow, dread curling in her stomach. Bypassing the gravel path that was carved up the hill, she walked on the crisp grass. Maybe she could sneak in the back and keep to herself. Survive the meeting then find Zeke. Once she got the conversation out of the way, she could focus on making things right with Brooke and doing what she could to find the person responsible for Tessa’s death. Having both impending encounters on her mind was too much.
A cluster of people stood beside the back door. So much for sneaking in. She jogged up the hill, her thigh muscles burning. The parking lot came into view. One of the retreat’s trucks was parked at the edge of the lot, facing her.
Stopping, she frowned. The work trucks were always kept at the back of the lot. They couldn’t get behind the retreat—that’s why everyone utilized the golf carts. So why would the vehicle be parked in such an odd spot?
A flash of movement ran from behind the vehicle, and the truck took off down the hill. Shock rooted Grace’s feet to the ground for a handful of seconds before the screaming voice inside her connected to her brain. The truck was coming straight at her, gaining momentum as it raced down the hill.
A scream ripped from her throat, and she threw herself to the side. The front fender of the truck slammed against her hip. She shielded her head with her hands and rolled into a ball, pain exploding inside her body as the vehicle continued forward and crashed into the lake.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
The shrill scream of a woman echoed in Zeke’s ears, and fear pitched high in his chest. He pivoted on the dusty trail and raced back the way he’d just come. Tall trees with colorful leaves blocked his view until he reached the mouth of the path that spilled onto the parking lot in front of the lodge. He sprinted, Ruby’s leash slipping from his hand.
Ruby kept pace beside him, her ears pinned back and body tense.
Dirt transformed into hard pavement. The impact of the new surface was jarring to his legs as he ran. A couple of people flew down the hill toward the lake, panic clear on their faces. Zeke lengthened his strides, lungs burning. The familiar scream echoed inside his head, but he had to believe he was mistaken. No, he’d just left Grace. It couldn’t have been her.
Reaching the top of the hill, shock paralyzed him. A truck was half submerged in the lake. The two people he’d spotted earlier crouched around a huddled ball of a human in the grass. Long, brown hair spilled along the ground and the hiking boots Grace always wore peeked between the man and woman beside her.
Bile churned in the pit of his stomach. Ruby nudged his hand, snapping him out of his haze of panic, and he took off down the hill at full speed. “Grace!” he called. She had to be okay. Had to answer him. He’d just left her minutes before. How could something happen so damn quickly?
A tall, slender woman with auburn hair tied on the top of her head in a messy bun stood and spared him a quick glance before lifting her phone to her ear. Her rapid words reached him before he came to a stop. “We need an ambulance at Crossroads Mountain Retreat. A woman was hit by a truck. Not sure the extent of the damage. She’s awake, but not moving.”
Dropping to his knees, he ignored the irritated stare of the lumber jack look-a-like still crouched beside Grace. Her eyes were closed. Her body curled into itself. Fear like he’d never known clamped onto his heart. “Hey. It’s Zeke. Grace. Can you hear me?”
Her eyelids fluttered open. “The truck came right at me. Hit me before I could jump out of the way.”
Her voice was as quiet as a child’s, and he reached for her hand.
“You need to give her some space.” The man in the red flannel with the big beard barked at him.
The guy looked like he could rip off Zeke’s limbs, but no one could tear him away from Grace right now. “I’m not going anywhere.”
The man puffed up his chest. “Wanna bet?”
“Chet, he’s fine.” Grace spoke through clenched teeth then whimpered and grabbed hold of Zeke’s hand.
Chet frowned.
“EMTs are on their way,” the woman said, reclaiming her spot on the ground. “You’re going to be fine.”
“Where did you get hit?” Zeke couldn’t see any damage, but that didn’t mean anything. Extensive internal injuries could be far worse.
“We’ve got this,” the woman said.
He tightened his jaw. “I’m a firefighter and trained medic. Not to mention her husband. Stop trying to brush me aside.”
Grace released his hand.
Chet’s jaw dropped.
The woman’s eyes flew wide.
“Ex-husband,” he corrected.
A beat of tense silence pulsed around them, the shock clear on Grace’s co-worker’s faces. He shoved a hand through his hair and reigned in his irritation. He understood not giving a ton of details about their relationship to her friends, but they clearly hadn’t even known Grace had been married. But that didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was making sure Grace wasn’t too badly injured.
“Okay. I’m Zoe, and this is Chet. We work with Grace. We’re both trained as well, but there’s not much we can do for her besides wait for the EMT’s to get here and take her to the hospital.”
