I filled the tank quickly, glancing over my shoulder every few seconds. I felt like a target, standing out here alone, in the middle of nowhere. Every pine needle that shifted in the wind sounded like footsteps. Every creak from the building could’ve been someone about to attack from behind.
But no one came.
Once I finished pumping, I closed the gas cap and jumped back into the Wrangler, cranking the ignition.
I turned onto the two-lane road again, trees thick on either side, the pavement stretching on for miles.
Where was I going?
I still didn’t know.
I figured I’d know when I got there.
So I kept driving, hoping for a highway. A town. A sign that I was closer to something human again.
Then I saw it.
Headlights.
The first I’d seen since escaping.
I blinked against the brightness, my heart lifting a little. Maybe I was finally getting close to civilization. A diner. A police station. Maybe even a bus stop.
The idea filled me with relief.
But as I glanced in the rearview mirror, my heart dropped when I noticed the SUV I just passed slow its speed, then turn around.
It was probably nothing. Just my paranoia getting the better of me.
They didn’t tailgate me, but they stayed behind me.
My grip on the wheel tightened as I continued to float my gaze from the road to the mirror and back again.
Was Henry in that car? I couldn’t make out a face in the darkness. Did he know some shortcut off the mountain and had tracked me down here?
Did the gas station attendant recognize the car and call him?
But Henry didn’t have an SUV.
At least, I didn’t think he did.
My stomach twisted.
I sped up.
So did the car tailing me.
With my heart in my throat, I pressed the gas harder, panic clawing up my spine. Trees whipped past like ghosts. The road narrowed. I gripped the wheel with white-knuckled hands.
Another mile.
Another curve.
Still behind me.
Suddenly, a loud bang reverberated in the silence.
The rear window exploded, glass shattering around me like shards of ice. I screamed, instinct causing me to jerk the wheel as the Wrangler fishtailed on the slick road.
