Page 19 of I Will Save You

The Basher is after her.

I grin. Good. At least I haven’t alienated her completely. Newman’s a buffoon, but he’s a useful one, and Debbie’s like me: working multiple angles on this case.

We both know it. She figured me out long ago but never said a word.

Too bad she’s late, though. Head’s up on The Basher would have been useful an hour and a half ago.

Took care of Basher, I type back, knowing I need to give her just enough to keep her on as an ally, but not so much that she decides to ruin my entire plan.

Asset secured?

The words mock me. Time to ignore her.

No leash for the dog, and besides, now is not the time to walk her. As I get out of the van, my first breath is a reminder that the bodies are starting to ripen. Soon, the dog trainer’s coworkers will start to wonder, and even sooner, the lack of communication from The Basher and whoever hired him will lead to more people on my ass.

Acting innocently, I walk to the kiosk and read. A forty-two-mile trail, huh? Let’s hope the owner of this Subaru is taking a nice, long hike.

Picking the lock is a breeze, and soon I have the car started. It runs smooth and soft, and the owner was kind enough to leave half a box of protein bars and a full large thermos with two liters of water. The only thing missing is a welcome mat.

I go back to the van, remove Winnie and anything else personal, then search in the back – aha.

Windshield reflector.

I set it up, all the windows now obscured. This buys me time. I lock it. The keys come with me.

Then I realize I can buy myself more time. I unlock the van and climb in the back, searching for a small toolbox, hitting paydirt right next to The Basher’s calf. Four bolts unscrewed later, and I swap the plates for the van with the ones for the Subaru. No, it’s not perfect because soon both plates will have APBs on them, but this creates just enough confusion.

I’ll swap cars again soon.

We get the fuck out of there before Mr. or Ms. Subaru comes back.

Debbie’s texting me as I reverse course and head back to the plaza next to Rooney’s church, taking a back way so I wind up behind the building, again finding a cluster of trees to hide in. Somehow, I need to get in that church, find Paigelynn, and get her back out to the Subaru, then escape before the cops show up.

I pull up a contact and type a text.

No reply.

The walk to the back entrance of Rooney’s church is a breeze. No sirens in the distance. Winnie’s fine in the car – I cracked the windows – and as I reach for the buzzer on the door, I place my thumbprint just so.

Click.

I’m in.

CHAPTERFIVE

Paigelynn

“Disrobe?” I gasp, my body nothing but a flush of numbness.

“Others have pretended to be the princess. Show me.”

“But – but you were the one who marked me!”

“We live in a world of unfathomable deception,” he says, face so hard it’s impossible to remember a time when he was kind.

I tug at my waistband and show him the mark, the rune perfect along my groin. “See?”

“Anyone can create a counterfeit mark.”

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