Page 54 of Just Right

She needed to catch up to them. It was the only thought in her mind. She had to find Jayne, and fast.

Her heart was pounding, her legs burning. She was running on pure adrenaline now. Her breath was short and quick, and she had the terrible sense that she was too late. And then, as she skidded to the bottom, she saw a splash of color, just a fleeting glimpse through the trees. A smudge of gray among the green. Was that her? Was he carrying her to the lake? She looked again, trying to read the terrain, trying to make sense of what she'd seen.

Slowing now, with the danger of her predicament weighing heavy on her, Cami stepped quietly through the trees. Ahead, through the dense brush, she could see the deep blue glimmer of the lake. This was where he was headed, she felt sure. The water must be drawing him like a magnet. For certain, it was the closest spot that he could use to kill.

Gasping in a breath, she saw him. Her hands clenched tightly as she caught sight of the rangy man. For the first time, she caught actual sight of this killer who had destroyed so many lives and who now had Jayne in his arms.

He was tall, with broad shoulders and a tousled shock of blond hair that looked as if it hadn't been cut or brushed for a long time. He wore ragged jeans and a brown plaid top.

He was strong. He was carrying Jayne with ease, as if he was just holding a doll. She was unconscious. Her limbs were limp, and she slumped in his grasp as he waded out into the lake. Cami wondered with a terrible clench of her heart whether she was even still alive. He could already have killed her. This could all be for nothing, but she had to try.

She couldn't see his face. His back was toward her. But he was already knee-deep in the water, and she knew that at any moment, he could drop Jayne, force her under, and she would die quickly.

He was muttering something.

"Granny," he said. The breeze carried his words back to her. "Granny, I thought it was you. It isn't, and now I must kill it. Maybe you'll come back then."

Hearing this deluded man speak to a long dead grandma chilled Cami's blood. Without a doubt, he was haunted by his memories of the crash and looking to find his family again. But he was finding them by killing people, and now Cami thought that the hunt for his family might be no more than a flimsy excuse to kill. That was what he was. A killer. Nothing more. Now that she'd seen him, she was sure of that. The scenarios in his mind were providing reasons for it, leading up to what he needed to do, and that was to murder.

Fear gripped Cami's heart and she took a long, deep breath, steeling herself for what she had to do. But she couldn't waste time in gathering her courage. He was moving and taking Jayne with him.

She had to move, and fast. What would she do?

She didn't have a plan. She needed a plan, but nothing came to mind.

But she had a weapon. Her gaze rested on a long wooden stick, lying by the side of the water. That must be his stick. He'd used it to attack Jayne, and he'd dropped it before heading out into the water.

It was something she could use. And she had to be quick, because to Cami's horror, she now saw that Jayne was starting to wake up. Her limbs were flailing weakly. He hadn't hit her hard enough. At least she was alive for the moment, but now there was no time left at all. He was going to drown her for sure.

Right now, she was being cradled against his chest. Just inches away from the cold water.

Without thinking too much more about it, Cami raced forward. She grabbed the stick and then, knowing that he'd hear her for sure as soon as her feet hit the water, she jumped into the lake and ran toward him with all the speed she could manage.

The water was a cold shock on her legs. Sure enough, the splash alerted him, and he twisted around, staggering a little under the weight of the now struggling woman in his arms.

Yelling at the top of her voice, more because she was scared herself than because she hoped to scare him, Cami rushed him with the stick held high.

He lifted an arm to defend himself, instinctively. And Jayne's legs slipped out of his grasp. Cami felt a wash of relief that she was, at least, free of him. She landed clumsily, but on her feet, in the water, looking dizzy and sick, immediately stumbling down to her knees. But she was conscious, she was breathing, and the water was shallow enough that her head was above it. Better still, she was now out of his way.

But now, all his focus was on Cami. She was trapped in his gaze, face to face with a furious, narrow-eyed adversary.

And Cami attacked, bringing the stick down with all her force, not caring where she managed to hit this terrible, psychopathic man, but only caring that she managed to hit him.

The first blow didn't land well at all. He saw her attack coming and brought his arm up to block it, managing to deflect it to the side, so it hit him in the shoulder.He yelled in rage. The anger in his tone felt like a physical force.

But she couldn't stop, couldn't give up. Jayne was still struggling in the shallows, still trying to come around from the blow he must have given her. Cami had to stay in this fight, or he would go for Jayne again, and this time, she didn't doubt that he'd get her.

Cami brought the stick down again, aiming for his head this time. She needed to knock him out. Otherwise, she was sure that she would be all out of chances, and she didn't want to think about what his retaliation would be like.

She gritted her teeth, putting all her force into it. But he ducked, twisting desperately aside, and to her dismay, her blow missed. And then, before she had a chance to regroup, he was on her.

He grabbed her by the shoulders, his face cold and angry. His grasp was like steel. His strength was immense.

"You're going to drown too," he said, hissing out the words. "You shouldn't have followed me, little girl."

And with that, he shoved her under the water.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

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