Billionaire Ghost Tour - Stephanie Fowers Page 0,61

snored under the rain. Janson squeezed Mollie’s arm. He wasn’t letting her get too far from him this time. “Do you trust me, Red?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Get in Scooby’s truck!” They splashed through the puddles to reach the cab and had to use the multiple footboards to get inside the jacked-up vehicle. Mollie hopped into the passenger side, strapping on her seatbelt after he did. His eyes were on his stepmother as she rushed over the sidewalk, losing her high heels in the process. She swung her fist at the passengers in the Mercedes, her hard face twisting to look even more threatening. Katherine must’ve fixed a way for them not to take off without her, but there was definitely no honor among thieves in this group.

Janson took off the emergency brake and threw his arm behind Mollie to back up so he could take the sharp corner and head the Mercedes off. Katherine slowed, her hands splayed out to her sides. Her lips curled when she met eyes with him. And then like she was playing chicken, she pushed back her dripping hair and squeezed inside the Mercedes, slamming the door behind her. Did she really just do that?

The Mercedes’ headlights shot on in the storm. Scooby’s oversized pickup blocked their way out to Main Street, but not behind them and so the Mercedes slowly backed up through the rain-flooded street. Nuh uh. Janson raced forward to cut them off and forced them up against the side of the building, using Scooby’s terrifying monster wheels to squeeze them in. His stepmother’s screams erupted inside the vehicle. The men with her poured out of the vehicle, taking her with them. Her knees bent as she hopped up and down in a tantrum to the side of her car. “What are you doing?” she shrieked up at him.

What was he doing? He grinned, seeing her cohorts were all out of the Mercedes. He backed up and ran right over her pride and joy. The metal crunched sickeningly as the roof collapsed in on itself. Katherine wouldn’t escape that way.

Mollie found the radio transmitter to Scooby’s elaborate sound system he’d attached to the top of his vehicle. She flipped the power on and spoke through the microphone. “Welcome to Eureka Springs!” Her voice blasted through the air. “We are the Watchers! You can never escape us.”

The sheriff rounded the bend and stepped back when he saw the chaos. Scooby and his gang followed him closely from behind. As soon as Mollie’s ex got to the damage, Scooby doubled over laughing.

Janson rolled down the window, shouting over to Sheriff Price. “That woman over there is the brains of this operation, along with that guy.” He pointed at the disheveled businessman. “No way was Katherine roped into this because she was scared for Harry. Aren’t I right, Katherine? You have no use for that brat if he can’t get you more money.”

She glared up at him. “Liar!” she screamed.

“Arnold!” The businessman lifted his head as Janson’s father joined the group with his security team and called out his name. “I know this man.” His father glowered at him in shocked dismay. “I know what this is about now. He works for the competition.”

Sheriff Price nodded. His gun was up as he called in for more backup. He shouted Scooby back. They’d need to make sure they made no legal mistakes in their arrest. These men worked for companies who would have armies of lawyers. Janson noticed the rest of the zombies and hunters descending from above the hill in a fog that could come straight from Night of the Living Dead. The reporters from Channel 34 took the lead.

Mollie fidgeted with her seatbelt, and Janson reached over and unbuckled her. The seatbelt zipped away from her. He didn’t back off. She was finally safe. A smile tickled the sides of his mouth. He’d been doing a lot of smiling around her, even while running for his life. The change she’d wrought over him overnight was miraculous. The rain had almost removed all that paint from her face, though the fake lashes Elana had painted on her had settled around the creases of her eyes, making them especially blue and vibrant. He reached over to wipe off some of that mud from her cheek. Nothing but a shower would get this muck off. He didn’t care. He wanted the excuse to touch her.

She blinked. “Your face,” she said with a self-conscious laugh. “You’re more mud