That would explain the dizziness and nausea.
“Hang in there, Jason.” She talked to him, hoping that he could hear her and was comforted, even if he couldn’t respond. She fumbled for the door handle. Fresh tears welled in her eyes. “I’m in love with you. I know things have moved fast between us in the last few days, and no one is caught more off guard than I am, but I can’t deny how I feel. I’m utterly, completely in love with you. And Connor too. Both of you, please, hang on.”
A whimper came from the back seat.
Connor!
Addison’s heart leapt as she struggled with the door handle. Nothing happened. She shoved against the unyielding door before realizing that a tree was blocking her exit. “Connor, I’m coming, sweetie. You brave, smart dog.”
She ignored the pounding in her head and slid across the space between the driver’s seat and the passenger’s. Dizziness swamped her. Addison paused long enough to steady her vision and then grasped the handle. This time, the door flung open.
She stepped onto the ground and her knees gave way. Addison clung to the side of the vehicle. Her breath came in shallow bursts. Agony radiated across her chest. The pain was familiar. She’d experienced it after her husband tossed her down the stairs. She’d broken a rib. Maybe two.
It didn’t matter. Connor and Jason needed her. Addison used the side of the Honda for support as she stumbled to the back door. Saying one last prayer, she opened it.
Jason was slouched, unconscious in the seat. Scratches marred his face and hands, one on his neck deep enough that blood stained the collar of his shirt and jacket. Connor was in his arms. Unlike his master, the German shepherd was alert. The large pine branch extended across them both, wedging them in place.
Connor whimpered. Addison caressed his head. “Hey, buddy. We’re going to get you out of here.”
She kept talking to Connor, even as her trembling hand went to Jason’s wrist. The steady, strong beat of his heart tapped against her fingers. More tears flooded her vision as relief made her knees weak. “Thank you, Jesus. Thank you.”
Jason groaned. Then his eyes slid open.
Addison’s heart leapt for joy. She squeezed his wrist. “We’ve been in a car accident. You’re stuck so don’t try to move.”
Something hard pressed against the back of Addison’s head. The barrel of a gun. She froze, sensing someone behind her. Connor whimpered again. She suddenly understood that the dog had been trying to warn her.
Jason’s gaze shifted from her face. Recognition flashed across his features and his lip curled in disgust. “Trevor.”
Thirty
Addison’s heart thundered against her injured rib cage. “Trevor, I don’t understand. What are you doing?”
He pressed the gun harder against her head. “Taking care of business. Where is Chloe?”
“You’re working with Michael…” The implications ricocheted through her. All this time, Trevor was involved. Her mind raced to fit this new piece of information into what she already knew. “How could you?”
“I’m the one asking the questions, not you. Where is Chloe?”
Fear stalled her breath. Addison met Jason’s gaze, finding strength and understanding in its depths. There was no way she would give Chloe’s location. Not even with a gun pointed to her head.
Not even if it meant her death.
Could she stall? Jason had been talking to Grady on the phone when they had the accident. Surely the Texas Ranger was sending help. How long would it take them to arrive? A state trooper had been en route to the vet’s office. If Grady called that trooper and diverted him here… She did a quick calculation in her muddled head. Help could arrive within minutes.
Minutes. She could do this. Addison licked her lips. “You were the one who broke into my house, weren’t you?”
He was silent for a long moment. Then Trevor chuckled, low and mean. “Which time?”
“Both times. The bomb, the shooting, the attack at Chloe’s apartment. Wendall was never involved, was he? You used my history with the Atkin family to fool us into believing Wendall was behind the threats.”
“I always knew you were a smart one, Addy. It’s a shame you didn’t figure things out sooner.”
She hadn’t. Although she’d had an instinct about Trevor’s involvement early on. The night they spoke on her porch, something had triggered her memories. But Addison had convinced herself that Trevor couldn’t be involved. He was her friend and a police officer. He’d fooled her.
One question she’d never been able to answer was why the attacker