if I tried to move away and leave her. That was when we started fighting. Afterward, I saw her lying down there and figured that since she was dead, it wouldn’t hurt to let her take the blame for the goings-on. I tossed the box down after her and left it for the cops to find.”
But the sheriff had mentioned that Callie’s fingerprints were the only ones on the box. How could Aaron have managed that—unless he’d wiped the box clean and used gloves or a cloth to press it against her dead hand before she went into the arroyo?
She decided not to mention that. Flattering him would be more likely to buy her time and information. “That was smart thinking, and it worked,” she said. “Poor Callie couldn’t say a word in her own defense. But there’s one thing that doesn’t make sense to me. Maybe you can explain it.”
“Go on.” His right hand had sagged with the weight of the pistol, but he still kept a firm grip. Making a dive for the weapon would be risky—too risky, Lexie decided. She might be fast enough to surprise him, but she was no match for his strength.
“Just this,” she said. “I know you hated my father, and I know the reason. But why didn’t that all end when he died? Why did you keep attacking the ranch—and our family? We were your friends, at least we thought we were.”
“It’s a fair question,” he said. “But since you’re not going to live much longer, why should I answer?”
His words confirmed her worst fears. Of course, he was going to kill her. He’d killed Callie for less than what she had on him now.
“It wouldn’t be fair to let me go to my grave wondering,” she said, playing along. “Besides, I have a feeling you might enjoy telling me.”
He shook his head. “You always were a pesky little shit. I’ll tell you in the truck. Right now we’re getting out of here. Put your hands behind your back. I might not want to shoot you here but if you don’t cooperate, I can sure as hell break your arm.”
Lexie didn’t struggle as he snapped a plastic zip tie around her wrists. Her only chance of survival lay in getting him to drop his guard. Having her hands bound would make escaping more difficult, but she couldn’t let it stop her.
“You don’t have to do this,” she said as he pushed her out the front door ahead of him. “I can give you the evidence I found. You can go and close on your property, take the money, and leave here for good. We can forget this ever happened.”
“Shut up. You haven’t offered me anything I won’t get anyway.” He used the gun to shove her toward the truck, which was parked a stone’s toss away. Lexie didn’t need to be told that he meant to drive to some remote spot in the desert and finish her.
Guiding her to the passenger side, he opened the door partway and ordered her to climb onto the seat.
“It’s too high,” she protested. “My arms—I can’t grab anything to pull myself up.”
“Too bad. Keep trying.” He jabbed the muzzle of the gun into her back. He stood behind her in the opening between the door and the truck chassis, blocking any chance of escape.
Gasping with effort, Lexie managed to step up with one foot and push her body across the worn bench seat. If she didn’t get away before the truck started, she’d have no way out. She sat up, adjusting her position as Aaron pushed the lock button down and stepped back to close the door. Whatever happened, she had to move now.
For a heartbeat, the heavy door was between her and the man with the gun. Making a lightning turn in the seat, Lexie bent her legs like a cocked spring. With all her strength, she shoved her feet hard against the door, slamming it into Aaron’s body.
As the door made contact, a gunshot rang out—but there was no time to wonder what had happened. Using her momentum, Lexie dropped to the ground and took off at a sprint. The sound of vile cursing reached her ears, but she couldn’t look back. She was running for her life.
The distance from Aaron’s house to the Alamo Canyon Ranch complex was almost a half mile. Lexie had captained the girls’ track team in high school and even made All-State. But she was older now, and she