My Deadly Valentine - By Valerie Hansen & Lynette Eason Page 0,65
closed the gap and soon it was right on her tail.
Annoyance—and fear—hit her. Maybe it was just a teen being a pain. Or maybe it was whoever had been causing all of her other problems.
She pressed the gas and sped up a little. So did the car behind her. She flicked the rearview mirror so the headlights weren’t in her eyes.
Just a couple more miles and she would hit the main street of town. Where Eli would be waiting. Grabbing her cell phone from the cup holder, she started to punch in Eli’s number when she felt a harsh jolt from behind that jerked her forward against the seat belt then back against the seat.
Terror surged full force. “Hey!” she yelled, not caring there was no one to hear her. The headlights pulled closer and she braced herself for another hit.
When it came, the cell phone flew out of her hand to land on the passenger floorboard.
Fingers gripped the steering wheel in a white-knuckle grip. All she could do now was hang on and get to the bottom of the hill.
Or should she try to outrun him? Slow down? Find a turnoff?
Whispered prayers fluttered from her lips. Please, God.
He came at her again, this time hitting her hard enough to make her swerve to the edge of the mountain. She hit the guardrail and slid along it for a few feet. Sparks flew as metal screeched on metal.
Gritting her teeth to keep from screaming, she forced herself to keep a clear head, keep the fear and trembling under control.
Finally, Main Street came into sight. The car behind her made an abrupt turn and sped out of sight.
Holly braked to a halt in the middle of road. She sucked in gulps of oxygen and refused to cry. Her heart pounded in her throat and her head felt like it might explode.
The diner was right in front of her. Pressing the gas, she pulled forward into a parking spot.
Eli stepped out to meet her and got a glimpse of her truck. Eyes wide, he loped over to the driver’s door. “What happened?”
“Someone just tried to run me off the road.”
A vein in his forehead started pulsing. “What? Who?”
“I don’t know who.” She paused as she climbed out. “But I think it was the same one as the car that scared me in the parking lot of the church.”
“What kind was it?”
“I got a glimpse of it in the streetlights this time. It was a large four-door car. Some type of sedan. A luxury car.”
“Well, then,” he said slowly, “my information might come in handy.”
“What information?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve been doing a little digging.”
Seated at a booth across from him, Holly blinked at him. “What kind of digging?”
Eli pulled out a piece of paper where he’d written some things down. “I saw a car like the one you just described sitting outside your store the other day. I tried to approach them, but when they realized I was coming toward them, they drove away.”
“Someone was watching my store?”
“Yeah. But I got the plate and called a buddy in New York to run it for me.”
“Oh. And?”
“It’s registered to a guy named Patrick Zimmerman.”
“Zimmerman?” she nearly squeaked.
“Yeah, you recognize the name?”
“He works for Transcross.”
Eli nodded. That was the information he had, too. “They’re trying to force you off your land. If they destroy your business, they ruin your livelihood. If enough scary things happen, maybe you’ll get scared and sell out.”
“But that’s ridiculous, I’m not selling no matter what they do.”
He admired her spunk. Just one of the many things he admired about her. “I know that and you know that, but I’m wondering if their tactics haven’t worked before on someone else.”
Holly shuddered. “So how do we stop them?”
“I’ve made a few calls and managed to get an investigation started.” He leaned forward. “But until we get whoever’s after you, you’ve got to take care, watch your back.”
“I’ve been doing that. It’s not working out so good for me.” Her weak, yet brave, smile nearly did him in.
He grasped her hand. “I’m here for you, Holly, all right?”
She swallowed hard and nodded. “Thank you, Eli.”
“Which brings me to another thing.”
“What?”
“You never responded to my letter.”
A light pink dusted her cheeks. “Oh, that.”
“Uh-huh.”
She studied him. He could almost see her thoughts. Take the leap? Or continue to be wary? A deep breath later, she smiled up at him. “I’d be honored to be your date tomorrow.”