Page 98 of The Girl in the River

Her eyes widened, huge in her face.

“It’s okay,” he said, desperate and trembling as Mark groaned and grabbed at his leg.

Kevin kicked Mark’s back, causing blood to gush, then pulled Pixie from the SUV and scooped her up.

She cried out for Mark, incensing him even more. “Shh, it’s okay.” He stroked her hair, tucking her face into his shoulder as another car turned into the parking lot.

“Don’t cry, honey,” he murmured. “I’m going to take you to your mommy.”

ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-TWO

SOMEWHERE ON THE AT

Heart hammering, Ellie peered through the dark and realized there was more than one shooter in the woods. Bullets pinged by her head and Derrick fired a round, motioning to the right. She pivoted and released a shot, but it was so dark and with the damn fog, she could barely see a foot in front of her.

Her phone rang and she checked the number. Bryce.

Hunkering low while Derrick continued to fend off the shooters, she answered in a hushed tone.

“It’s Bryce. 9-1-1 call just came in. Mark Wade was shot at the park, and someone took Pixie.”

No… not Pixie. “Did you issue an Amber Alert?”

“Done.”

Her mind raced as another bullet flew past. “How’s Mark?”

“On his way to the hospital,” Bryce answered. “I looked for witnesses but the park was deserted this time of night. A group of teens showed up to hang out and found Mark by his car, unconscious, but they didn’t see the shooter. One of my deputies is staying to supervise the ERT as they process the scene.”

Leaves rustled as Derrick crept toward her. In the distance she heard bushes parting and dogs barking as if in attack mode.

“We’ll be there ASAP,” Ellie whispered into the phone. “If you talk to Mark first, ask if he knows who took Pixie. My guess is Kevin Moon or someone working for him.”

“Already planning on it.”

“Find out what kind of car Kevin Moon drives, too, and issue an APB for it.”

“I know how to handle this,” Bryce said staunchly.

“Just thinking out loud,” Ellie said. She hung up and pocketed her phone, praying Pixie was okay. “Let’s come back at daylight when we can see what we’re dealing with,” Ellie whispered. “Mark Wade was shot and Pixie abducted.”

Derrick muttered a sound of frustration. “You’re right. If Moon took her and we find him, we can use kidnapping charges as leverage to persuade him to tell us what’s going on out here.”

They stayed crouched low as they maneuvered the terrain back to the road and climbed the fence. A coyote howled from somewhere in the woods. By the time they reached Derrick’s sedan, she was sweating buckets and her ribs throbbed.

As she crawled into the car, she pushed aside the pain. Saving Pixie was all that mattered.

ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-THREE

CROOKED CREEK

Pixie cowered in the back seat, frozen like one of the ice statues she and Mommy had seen at Christmas.

Stranger danger, Mommy always said.Yell, stranger danger!

But she hadn’t. She just stood there like a big baby and her voice wouldn’t work.

Then she’d seen Mr. Mark fall. And there was blood, she was pretty sure of it. And he didn’t get up. And now this stranger was swerving, driving like a crazy man, throwing her across the car, the tires screeching.

---