Page 77 of The Girl in the River

Cursing a blue streak, she pulled her weapon and moved to the right, holding her gun at the ready as she moved forward. She crept past the crepe myrtle and the azaleas, hugging the corner of the house as she rounded the corner, then searched across the side yard toward the woods.

Suddenly a loud growl broke the silence, then a hulking, masked figure grabbed her and threw her to the ground. She screamed and tried to fire a round, but he knocked the gun from her hand, then flipped her to her stomach. Something hard slammed into her kidney.

A fist.

She struggled to push herself up, but he was heavy and used his body weight to pin her down as he pummeled her over and over. It took every ounce of her energy to buck him off and she rolled to the side, her chest aching as she raised her legs to kick him. He blocked the kick and punched her in the face. Blood filled her eyes as she clawed at his dark mask.

She reached one hand sideways to find her gun or a rock, anything to use as a weapon, but he grabbed her arm, twisted it until pain wrenched her shoulder. Then he flipped her over and straddled her again.

Another blow to her back and pain ricocheted up her spine and down her legs. She tasted dirt and blood as her face dug into the ground and he beat her.

Minutes later, the darkness swept her under.

ONE HUNDRED TWO

CROOKED CREEK

Cord had spent the day searching for a lost boy and dog on the trail, grateful they’d finally found them trapped behind a waterfall although the kid had been trembling and terrified. A smile curved his mouth. The boy had been so brave, hugging the dog and reassuring it that someone would find them. He’d driven by Lola’s to share the news and make up to her for whatever the hell he’d done wrong, but her lights were off.

So here he was driving by Ellie’s.Fool. Fox is probably with her.

But the fed’s car was not in the drive. And the light was not burning in the front, which Ellie always left on.

His skin prickled. Something felt off.

He parked in front of the house then called Ellie’s number, but there was no answer. Maybe she was in the shower and for some reason had turned off the porch light. But as he got out and passed her car, he noticed her purse was still inside. He checked the door. Unlocked.

His pulse hammered. Dammit, he always worried about her. He had to know if she was all right before he went home. Keeping his eyes peeled for trouble, he walked up to the front door. Locked. He rang the doorbell, his ears craned for a noise inside. The shower. TV. Music. Ellie on the phone.

But only the whir of the wind and the sound of thunder broke the quiet. He rang the bell and knocked again but nothing. His anxiety mounting, he looked around the front then decided to check the property. Maybe she was out back on her deck?

Tension buzzed through him as he eased to the side of the yard, past the flowers and the bushes, his gaze shooting to the woods beyond. Tree limbs bowed and leaves fluttered in the wind. Pulling his flashlight from his inside his jacket, he shined it around the corner, then halted.

A low groan broke through the wheezing wind, and he turned to the left. The groan again. Then he saw a hand reaching out from under the red tip bushes.

Panic clenched his insides, and he darted to the bushes, then stooped down and parted them.

His heart stalled, his breath trapped in panic. Ellie was lying in the brush, face down, groaning, half unconscious.

ONE HUNDRED THREE

Derrick glanced around the interior of the cabin he’d rented and decided he needed different furniture if he was going to make this place home. The oak bed was old and worn, the carpet in the bedroom a faded beige, the kitchen outdated.

Not that he was into decorating, but when he visited Ellie’s he felt instantly comforted. Her bright colors, white paint and throw pillows made the house feel homey, not just a place to crash at night.

Or maybe it was the fact that she was there, brightening his spirit with her fierce determination and the loving care she freely gave to others.

He rolled his shoulders and walked outside to the back deck, the one plus side of this cabin and the reason he’d signed the lease. The mountains rose in the distance like stairs to heaven, the trees so tall at the peaks that they almost looked like they touched the clouds.

He was dog-tired from the long day or… maybe it was the stress over Lindsey not answering his calls. He had a feeling he wouldn’t sleep. Rick wouldn’t let him.

He kept thinking about Rick’s three-year-old little girl, Maddie, who he’d doted on and his son, Evan, who turned nine last month and would miss having his daddy at his baseball games.

The attorney’s words echoed in his ears: Rick asked you to be his children’s godfather.

Tonight, as he watched the trees tremble in the wind and smelled the sweet scent of honeysuckle, Atlanta and its city life seemed a million miles away.

But he was close enough to make it to some of Evan’s ball games and the kids’ birthday parties. Evan and Maddie might even like to go camping in the mountains and see the waterfalls.

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