Page 76 of Shiver

She ran. Like so many times before, but it was no use. He would find her—like always. Despair choked her. Her parents knew where she was. Would he kill them, too?

Riley. Pain and fear squeezed her heart, and she doubled over as the breath choked in her throat. He was going to kill them all.

Sobs racked her soul. The whisper of water moving on the breeze, pushing through the trees, circled around her. She knew where she had to go. What she had to do.

It was their only chance.

Chapter 28

“There’s my SUV,”Riley said as they rounded the corner and saw his Expedition pulled up in front of an old, abandoned house.

“We’d better park back here and walk in,” the chief said.

Riley agreed. The front door was wide open and the house was too quiet, making him edgy. The chief handed him a gun and they moved in, making a quick sweep of the house. No one was inside.

“Damn!” Riley muttered, stopping as he spotted a gun on the old, splintered mantle above the fireplace.

“Yours?” the chief asked.

Sickness twisted inside Riley’s stomach as he said, “Michelle’s.”

“Good, then it’s possible Devra still has yours. Let’s split up and head into the woods.” The chief stopped in front of a small table in the corner. His hand trembled as it hovered over a wide, decorative bowl. “I haven’t seen this bowl since…” The chief didn’t finish the thought.

Next to the bowl were several little girl things: a dress, a hairbrush, a broken music box. Instinctively, Riley knew they were Devra’s. She’d been this man’s obsession for years.

He remembered something she’d said about feeling cold, and her dream about drowning. “Is there a river or lake around here?”

“Yeah, back behind the house,” the chief said still staring at the bowl.

“Let’s start there.”

* * *

Don was behind her.Devra could hear him laughing, enjoying himself. One last fatal chase through the woods. Despair threatened to overwhelm her. She was running again. She’d always be running.

“Caught you, Devy!” Her brother said as he grabbed her arm and spun her around. “I always will.” He pulled her against him. Suddenly, his smile disappeared and his face screwed into a mask of hate and anger. He yanked at her skirt, almost ripping the fabric. “What is this?” he asked, holding up Riley’s gun.

She closed her eyes as her last hope was ripped from her pocket. He pushed the muzzle up under her chin. “Little girls shouldn’t play with guns.”

She stared him in the eyes but didn’t say a word. For a moment, he held her gaze then let her go. He chucked the gun into the woods. As he did, she turned and ran. The river wasn’t far now.

“Devy!” he yelled, and started after her.

Her stomach tightened at the maniacal intensity of his roar. She could see the water now—sparkling, inviting.Safety. Not far downstream, a large bridge crossed to the other side. She ran toward it and up the embankment, her legs burning, her chest heaving.

“Stay away from there, Devy!” He was gaining on her. “You know you’re not allowed up there.” An edge of panic pulled at his voice.

She reached the top and ran out onto the bridge. She thought she heard Riley calling. But she couldn’t stop now. She had to keep her head. No one was there to save her, no one ever had been.

Within seconds, Don was on the bridge, moving closer. “You know better than to come out here. Mama and Papa have told you many times.” Panic twisted into anger as fury filled his face. “You’re going to have to be punished, Devy.”

The dead calm in his tone turned her blood cold. He stepped toward her and she knew she was going to die. This time, he would kill her. She’d seen that look in his eyes too many times—in her dreams. Fear and helplessness choked her. She held tight to the rail and looked below at the fast-moving river.

“Please, if you ever loved me, let me go.”

He stopped, his head tilting to the side as he stared at her. “Love you, Devy? I’m the only one who has ever truly loved you. I’ve brought you back home. I’m giving you back your family.”

She shook her head as tears burned the back of her eyes. There would be no escaping him.

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