Hunted (24 page)

The radio was off, the only sound the hum of the engine and the bump of the tires over the rough, rutted gravel road. She could feel the frantic energy radiating from inside Carlos. Even though he’d barely slept he was wired, either from whatever he was taking to keep himself awake or because he was juiced at the thought of getting Leticia back. Maybe both. It made him that much more unpredictable, more unstable. Zoe had to be very careful with what she said and did from here on out. Her life depended on it.

He bypassed I-10 and took a series of back roads west toward Baton Rouge. They made it to the edge of town with about forty minutes to spare. He pulled over to the side of a deserted access road and turned off the car, plunging them into a taut silence broken only by the ping of the cooling engine. He tapped his thumb on the driver’s window ledge in an anxious rhythm that grated on her nerves. All her muscles were tense, her stomach tightening by the minute as she counted down the time with the dashboard clock.

The ring of a phone broke the silence and he immediately pulled it from his pocket. He checked the call display and answered. “Yeah?”

Zoe watched him out of the corner of her eye, trying to hear what was being said on the other end but she only caught the occasional word. Whatever the person was saying to him, he was excited. His whole body went rigid, his gaze pinned straight ahead down the empty road.

“Are you sure?” he said, voice raspy. “What time was this?” He activated the accessory power and started the GPS. “What’s the address?” He punched it in. “Shit, that’s only ten minutes from here.” He started the engine. “Thanks. I owe you.” Ending the call, he shoved the phone back into his pocket and swung the vehicle around in a tight, fast circle, the tires spraying gravel.

Zoe didn’t dare ask where he was going, but she already knew what would be at the other end. Leticia.

This time he took I-10 for a few miles before ducking off and taking a quieter route toward Baton Rouge. Brush and forest gave way to civilization, small communities of low income housing on the outskirts of town. A few minutes later they came to a small service station. Zoe shot him a sideways glance. The place was well-lit and the sun was coming up, and there was a car parked at the pump. There would be surveillance cameras. If he was risking all those things, Leticia must have been here.

He circled the station once, twice, his gaze pinging back and forth. In the pale early rays of sun now peeking through the trees across the road, she could see the sweat beading his forehead and upper lip, the droplets caught in the dark growth of stubble.

Zoe found herself searching too. If Leticia was here, then Carlos wouldn’t need her anymore. Expendable meant she was dead. And from a few rantings she’d heard him make about Xander, Carlos saw the boy as a nuisance and a liability. She planned to do whatever she could to make Carlos let him go.

Think, Zoe, think! You have to come up with a way to make him keep you around if you can’t get away.
With him amped up on drugs and adrenaline, suffering from a combination of euphoria at the thought of finding Leticia and the mania of severe sleep deprivation, she would only risk attempting to run for it as a last resort.

Another partial circuit around the service station and Carlos cursed before yanking the car back onto the road. He stopped at the next intersection and seemed to be trying to decide which way to go, then suddenly turned right and headed down the road running parallel to the Interstate.

Up ahead in the distance, something appeared in the beams of the car’s headlights. Someone walking. No, two people, their outlines illuminated by the headlights and the pale sunlight filtering through the screen of trees that lined the east side of the road.

“It’s her.” Carlos’s voice shook with disbelief.

It was, Zoe realized with a start. Leticia
and
Xander.

Leticia stood frozen, looking back at the car, then took a step toward the trees as though she would run.

Carlos immediately stopped the vehicle. Leticia stopped too, still watching the car, wary as a doe scenting a hunter. A few moments later when Carlos stayed in place, she must have decided there was no threat to her or her son because she turned around and kept walking up the road at a brisk pace.

Zoe stared at the woman’s back, wishing she could warn her somehow
. No! Get off the road, Leticia!

“You’re going to bring her to me,” Carlos told her.

Zoe barely had time to process that before he cut the lights and jerked the car to the shoulder. With one quick movement he pulled a knife out from beneath his pant leg and reached over the console to grab her legs. Zoe stiffened and tried to tug her bound hands up to shield herself, but they were tied tight and all he did was shove her legs aside then lean down and slice through the carpet beneath her feet to retrieve a matte black pistol.

Sheathing the knife, he loaded a round into the chamber as he spoke to her, never taking his eyes off Leticia up ahead, his excitement palpable. “I’m going to roll down the window and you’re going to call her name to get her attention, then start talking to her, tell her you’re here to help. Make sure she comes to you.”

Zoe stared at him in disbelief.

“She trusts you,” he said, beads of sweat visible on his forehead as he stared through the windshield. “She’ll come to you. But if you warn her or try to run, I’ll put a bullet in your spine and leave you on the side of the road to bleed out, and I’ll still get her. Understand?”

So she had to lure them both into the trap, because Carlos knew Leticia would bolt the moment she saw him. He wanted Zoe to abuse the trust Leticia had in her, pretend everything was okay and lead them to a madman. Zoe swallowed, nodded, because she had no choice. Her heart pounded against her ribs, a cold sweat breaking out beneath her arms. Maybe once Carlos got out to go after them she could scream a warning. If she could get free and make a break for it, the forest might provide enough cover to shield her from a bullet—

“But first I’ll kill the kid while you watch,” he threatened.

She sucked in a breath, all her hope evaporating. Having to choose between the chance to gain her freedom and preventing an innocent child from dying was beyond cruel. Because there was no question which she’d choose. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if Xander died because of her. And Carlos knew it, the bastard.

Gathering her courage, she waited until he’d lowered her window and started easing the car forward. The dash lights were off, keeping Carlos hidden in shadow. At the sound of the tires on the gravel, Leticia paused once more and peered back at them over her shoulder.

Pulling in a shaky breath, Zoe fought for the courage to go through with this. With every second she prayed that someone would drive past them, give her the chance to warn Leticia and give them time to get into the woods before he caught them.

But the road remained deserted.

The morning air was cool and laden with mist. Inside she was freezing. Her jaw trembled, her thigh muscles rigid and wooden. Up ahead, Leticia stopped walking, her gaze pinned on the car.

Zoe wasn’t sure if Leticia recognized the vehicle but she could feel Carlos’s desperation, his anxiety. His hand flexed around the grip of the pistol. She took a deep breath. There was nothing else she could do.
Please help us
, she prayed. “Leticia!”

The other woman jerked, half-turned as she set Xander behind her in a protective gesture that broke Zoe’s heart.

No choice. No choice now.
“It’s Zoe,” she called out, her voice rough.

Leticia turned to face her fully now, stared for a second then started toward the car. Xander followed.
No, no,
Zoe silently begged her, not bothering to try and disguise the fear that had to be written all over her face. Hoping it would somehow warn her in time.
Stop.
Don’t come any closer. Please.

“Keep talking,” Carlos commanded, tension pouring off him in waves.

But Zoe couldn’t force any more words out of her tight throat.

In the early light Leticia was a shadowy silhouette, occasionally lit by bars of gold that seeped between the trees. Then she stepped into a puddle of sunlight and when their eyes connected Zoe could see the smile of pure relief that spread across the other woman’s face.

Her heart twisted.
Run, Leticia. Get out of here while you still can
.

“Hey,” she called out with a soft laugh, grabbing her son’s hand and walking faster toward Zoe. “How did you find me? And who’s that with you in the—” She trailed off, her expression freezing as she finally saw Carlos behind the wheel. She jerked to a halt, swung a wild glance at Zoe just as he hit the gas and sped toward them.

Leticia whirled and bolted for the trees. “Xander, run!” She shoved her son toward the forest and took off, even though it was already too late.

****

Carlos gunned the car up the road, the tires spraying gravel. With the window rolled down he’d heard every word and knew Zoe hadn’t blown his cover, but Leticia wasn’t getting away from him this time. His heart thundered in his ears as he drove to where she’d darted away from the road like a deer, his gaze pinned to that spot.

Mine. You’re all mine.

He stomped on the brake, put the vehicle in park and leaped from it, leaving the door wide open in his haste to reach her. His boots thudded on the soft ground as he raced after her, reaching for the pistol in his waistband. He could see her up ahead, a flash of brown hair, her black flannel shirt making it hard to track her through the thick brush. Their sounds gave them away. They were crashing through the underbrush, giving him plenty of guidance to track them.

They hadn’t gotten far, only a few dozen yards into the woods when he got a clear view of them up ahead and stopped, raising his weapon. He didn’t care if anyone overheard him. He would make her come to him and get out of here within the next few minutes, way before the cops could respond if anyone called them.

“Leticia! Stop right there or I’ll shoot him!”

His whole body was tight, amped up on adrenaline and the speedballs he’d taken earlier. He watched as she gave her son a desperate shove that sent him sprawling headlong into the brush and stopped, raising her hands.

The kid was the key to this first phase. Carlos had no use for him, a little bastard from another man. Every time he looked at the boy it reminded him that Leticia had willingly given her body and heart to another man. Carlos was sick of that and the way the kid monopolized so much of Leticia’s time and focus. He wanted him gone. From his position he had a clear shot at both of them.

Keeping his weapon trained on Xander, he stalked toward Leticia. Fuck, his heart was hammering at the mere sight of her. He could see the tremors snaking through her, was glad she was afraid and was also looking forward to the chance to soothe her. His baby only ever had reason to fear him when she defied him, something she knew well. After her coming punishment, he’d give her the pleasure she’d always craved from him.

He was so hungry for that chance—for her—his hand shook slightly around the pistol grip. It would take a few days to iron everything out between them and start over, but they could do it. “Stay there,” he warned. “I’ve got my weapon aimed at Xander’s chest. Take one more step and I’ll shoot him.”

He angled slightly to the left and clearly saw the way she squeezed her eyes shut and bowed her head a little. He’d already won. Triumph surged through him. “Turn around and face me.”

She hesitated for a second, then spoke to her son. “Xander, stay still. Don’t move, okay? It’s gonna be all right. Just stay where you are.”

Always about her fucking son. Carlos couldn’t wait for him to be gone from their lives.

Finally she turned, slowly, and met his gaze.

The impact of those green eyes hit him in the chest like a sledgehammer, and for a moment he couldn’t breathe. “Why’d you run?” He couldn’t hold back the anger and pain in his voice.

Her jaw tightened, those gorgeous eyes bright with tears. From where he stood he could see the bruising along her cheekbone and the edge of her mouth, reminding him of the argument they’d had the day before she’d left. A pang of guilt and regret flashed through him. “You know why.”

Fury and fear erupted inside him at the accusation in her eyes, a toxic mix that blended with his frantic need to touch her, hold her close. “You knew better than to run from me, but to go to a shelter?” He shook his head, feeling the rage bubble up once more, her betrayal a bitter taste in his mouth. “Come here.” His weapon remained trained on the boy, huddled in the undergrowth, eyes just like his mother’s, the only part of him that resembled her, gazing back at him with fear and loathing. He’d never shot a kid before. Would hate to have to start now, even if he didn’t like the little bastard.

Leticia stared at him for several moments, her eyes hardening like green glass. “And if I don’t, you’ll shoot my son?” Her voice shook on the last word, the fear and pain there almost weakening his resolve.

“I wouldn’t enjoy doing it, but I will. The choice is yours.” She had to know he would do it, that it wasn’t an empty threat, otherwise she would never leave the kid and come with him. But he also knew that if he did, she’d never forgive him. Leticia was a strong, spirited woman and that was a big part of the reason why he’d fallen so hard and fast for her. No other woman had even come close to her. He wanted them to have their own kids together, make a family. Xander didn’t fit into that equation.

Carlos couldn’t live without her. And he wouldn’t let her live without him.

Her face fell and her shoulders sagged. She lowered her hands to her sides, looking back at her son. “I love you, baby. So much. No matter what happens, I need you to remember that.”

Xander lurched up onto his knees, his face stricken, chin trembling. “Mom, no—”

“Be brave, Z. I’ll be okay. Just stay there until…” She looked back at Carlos. “You want me to leave him here alone in the middle of the woods and just walk away?” Her voice broke and Carlos hardened his resolve, reminded himself that he had to stay the course he’d begun. It was way too late to go back now. Forward was the only option, for all of them.