her down.
Allie kicked off her heels, ran off the road and into the forest. The woods down here were dense, which was why he’d given her this location. His farm was to the south, still in the Pine Barrens but closer to civilization. The last thing he needed was a dead body near his house, after all of these recent deaths.
Allie screamed for help. Julian entered the woods on the diagonal, following the sound. He aimed the flashlight in her direction. The jittery cone of light located her after a moment. Her dress was black but he could see her. She wasn’t that far ahead of him.
He would catch her and bash her head in.
CHAPTER 88
Larry Rucci
Larry reached the street where Allie had turned right. He veered around the corner. The back of his car skidded on the sand, fishtailing.
He hit the gas and steered straight. He squinted to see down the road. The only lights were his headlights. He couldn’t see anything.
He accelerated to eighty-five, gripping the steering wheel as the road curved to the right, then the left. Finally, it was a straightaway.
Larry saw something up ahead, on the left. Parked cars. It had to be Allie, and someone else. That couldn’t be good.
His high beams shone on the cars as he got closer. The nearer car was Allie’s. His heart leapt into his throat. The other car was a Mercedes sedan.
Larry slowed down, parking behind Allie. Her car was empty. The passenger side door hung open. The sight terrified him.
“Allie!” he yelled, honking his horn. “Allie!”
CHAPTER 89
Allie Garvey
Allie ran through the woods, in pain from her wrist. It hung useless, and the jostling made it throb. But she couldn’t panic. She ran for her life.
Her heart thudded. Her breath became ragged. She panted from exertion and terror. She used her good hand to clear the branches as she ran. The trees grew so close together it was hard to get through. The branches were thick. The pine needles tore her arm and scratched her cheeks. Her hair got caught.
Julian was going to kill her. She screamed for help. No one was around. She realized that Julian must have killed Sasha. He’d made it look like an overdose. He must have wanted to silence her.
Julian shone his flashlight around. The circle of light found her. He knew where she was. Horror powered her forward. She had to go faster.
Suddenly Allie heard honking and shouting. Someone was calling her. It was Larry. The sound was somewhere behind her. Her heart leapt with hope. She had no idea how he had gotten here, but it didn’t matter.
“Larry, help!” Allie screamed at the top of her lungs.
CHAPTER 90
Julian Browne
Julian raced through the woods after Allie. He used the flashlight and the hammer to break the branches in his path. It gave him an advantage. He could move faster than she could. He was closing the distance between them.
Pine needles scratched his face and snagged threads on his sport coat. He kept tripping on the underbrush in his loafers, which only made him angrier. Allie was ruining everything. When he caught her, he’d make her pay.
Julian heard honking, then shouting coming from the road behind him. Someone was calling her name. A man’s voice.
Julian had no idea how the man knew Allie was here, but it infuriated him.
He ran faster. He swung the hammer, breaking the branches with renewed determination. He recalibrated his plan on the fly. He was still in control.
In the end, he’d kill them both.
CHAPTER 91
Larry Rucci
Larry sprinted into the woods. He could hear Allie screaming his name. He followed the sound.
“Allie!” he shouted back to her. The woods were dense, but he’d been in the Pine Barrens many times. He knew what to do. He crouched as low as he could, forming a triangle of his arms in front of his face and torso, like his father had taught him. His father used to say, Make yourself small. Larry used to think it was a fat joke, but it wasn’t, he saw that now.
He powered forward. He heard Allie call his name. He called back to her. He spotted a flashlight to his right, moving erratically. Someone was using it to clear a path to Allie. The owner of the Mercedes. He couldn’t see the man because the woods were so dark.
Someone was trying to kill his wife. Larry didn’t know who or why. It wasn’t going to happen as long as he drew breath.
“Allie!” Larry angled sharply