phone away, Mike used both hands to keep the gun steady as he approached the mangled car. He watched for any signs of movement, but all he saw was the steam dissipating into the air above the car’s crumbled hood.
The closer he got, the more conflicted he felt. From what he could tell, it didn’t look like Juliet or Fuller were in the vehicle. That meant they hadn’t been killed when it rammed into the tree.
Thank you, God.
It also meant, they both were out there, somewhere. Jules was quite possibly injured.
Forcing himself to stay focused, he kept his gun trained as he made his way around the back to the driver’s side. Both the driver’s and passenger’s seats were empty, and Mike’s first reaction was relief. Then he saw the blood.
Fuck.
There was a lot of it. Enough to make him believe whoever it belonged to had been hurt in a pretty significant way.
Horrified at the thought of it being Juliet’s, it took him a few seconds to realize the blood was in the driver’s seat. Not the passenger’s. Which meant it belonged to Fuller.
Keeping a close eye on his surroundings, he grabbed his phone and updated the others. “They’re not in the car, but Fuller’s seat is covered in blood, so I’m pretty sure he’s hurt.”
“Any sign of him or Jules?” Derek asked anxiously.
“Negative. The passenger door is hanging open, and there’s some blood on the window. Not a lot, though. She probably hit her head when the car lost control.”
The thought of her being hurt in any way killed him, but at least Fuller seemed to have gotten the worst of it. Mike looked down by his feet and noticed a trail of blood leading from the car into the trees.
He smiled. “I can track them.”
“Ryker’s men are about ten minutes out, Mike,” Jake informed him. “Wait for them before you go into those woods.”
Something cold and wet hit Mike’s nose prompting him to look up. He blinked as several large snowflakes peppered his face.
“Juliet doesn’t have ten minutes, Jake.” He headed into the forest. “She’s out there, somewhere, running for her life from that prick, and it just started to fucking snow. I gotta go.”
Unable to afford the distraction, Mike decided to end the call. Shoving the phone back into his pocket, he kept his eyes on the blood and did exactly what he’d set out to do.
He started hunting.
Chapter 15
Juliet ran. Her head and chest hurt, there was blood running down the right side of her face, and if she were a guy, her balls would be frozen by now. But she kept running.
Waking up in the car with Fuller next to her had been terrifying. Thankfully, the crash had knocked him out, too.
Would’ve been better if the bastard was dead.
It was the first thing she’d checked when coming to, and Juliet had actually cried a little when she saw his bulky chest rising and falling. Normally, she’d never wish anyone dead. But this situation was as far from normal as she’d ever been.
Knowing he’d kill her the second he woke up, she hadn’t wasted any time unbuckling and getting herself out of the car. Her initial thought was to run to the road, but then she remembered how desolate the area was.
Plus, if Fuller did come after her and she was out in the open, he’d have a clear shot. Being an FBI agent, Juliet knew if he were given the chance, the man wouldn’t miss.
So, she’d run into the trees.
Juliet had been running for what seemed like forever, but she didn’t dare stop. She wanted to, especially after the numerous times she tripped and fallen. But she didn’t.
Her speed had started to taper off, however, and though she had some cover from the evergreen’s branches, the snow that snuck through only made things worse.
What started as tiny, sporadic flakes had almost instantly changed to huge, fat ones that were accumulating quickly. She thought of the coat and gloves still hanging on the peg back in the cabin and kicked herself with every step for having taken it off when she had.
Her teeth chattered, and though she couldn’t see them, Juliet suspected her lips had turned a nice shade of bluish-purple. If she didn’t get herself out of these trees and someplace with people who could help her, she may not have to worry about dying by Fuller’s gun.
That was another thing she was kicking herself for. Not grabbing the gun before she ran. But in