Shattered Trust. Sara K. Parker

was on a mission—and it wasn’t to get them safely back to the hotel.

      Natalie glanced at him, her expression giving way to fear. Then she put her hand to her mouth. “I think I’m about to be sick!” she said, and doubled over.

      “Pull over!” Luke yelled to the driver. “She needs to get out!”

      Natalie moaned loudly, and the driver finally swerved to the right and slammed on the brakes. They pitched forward, both throwing out their arms to keep from hitting the seats in front of them. The driver unlocked the car, glancing at them in the mirror, but not turning back.

      Maybe he thought he’d fooled them. That they hadn’t noticed he’d switched places with Perez. Luke would use that to his advantage if he could.

      Luke nodded to Natalie, and she didn’t hesitate.

      She yanked on the handle and jumped out of the car, running behind a thick copse of trees, out of sight. Luke scooted to the door, planting his feet on the wet ground and waiting for the driver to make a move. With Natalie safely out of harm’s way, he’d have a better shot at taking the guy down. He watched the driver in his periphery, saw him shift in his seat. Getting a weapon? Luke didn’t have any weapons, but he would be ready. He shifted to the edge of the seat, keeping his peripheral vision on the driver.

      But the driver didn’t make a move.

      Luke considered his options. If the driver thought he still had them fooled, that could buy them some time. Making a run for it may be a safer option than confronting a potentially armed criminal in the middle of nowhere. If Luke got taken down, Natalie would be on her own.

      “I’ll just go check on her,” Luke said, making his decision and emerging from the vehicle into the pouring rain.

      He quickly covered the ground between the car and the foliage Natalie had disappeared behind and found her crouched by a thick tree trunk. “Let’s move,” Luke whispered, grasping her hand and leading her deeper into the thick forest. They treaded quietly, low to the ground, the echo of rain eating up any sound they made.

      Luke figured they had about a minute or two before the guy came looking, but he overestimated. They’d barely covered twenty yards when a voice echoed too close.

      “Hey!”

      Natalie’s hand tightened on Luke’s and they picked up their pace. Luke didn’t think they’d been seen, but he couldn’t be sure.

      A thin beam of light shone into the forest, just missing them as Luke pulled Natalie behind a massive fallen tree.

      “Stay here.”

      He started to leave, but she grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?” she whispered.

      “My job.” He pried her hand off his arm. “Stay low and don’t move from this spot.”

      Leaving her there, Luke circled back toward the road. If he could stay out of the guy’s view, he could take him by surprise, turn the tables on him.

      It didn’t take him long to spot the man, his dark figure plunging forward into the woods, his flashlight moving in an organized search pattern. Luke ducked behind a thick patch of shrubs, watching the beam of light track for them. What was this guy’s game? And what had happened to Officer Perez? Were the police somehow involved in the crimes against Natalie? That seemed far-fetched, but he couldn’t discount the idea. He waited for the flashlight beam to pass by him again before continuing. His approach would have to be timed perfectly. He wouldn’t do Natalie any good lying dead in the middle of the woods.

      The beam of light stopped, backtracked.

      Homed in on the heavy fallen tree Natalie was hiding behind.

      Luke’s hands clenched into fists, praying Natalie’s cover hadn’t been blown.

      But footsteps sloshed closer, louder, faster. He peered around the edge of the shrubs, saw the man heading straight for Natalie’s location—flashlight in one hand, gun in the other.

      She’d been seen.