Page 178 of Valor

“I can take you to his favorite pub,” Oliver offered after a moment. “The regulars knew him, and there might be a few stories they could share with you.”

“Tell me about the mill.” Meghan picked up the phone. “Do you know where it is? Maybe I can look it up on Google Maps.”

“I don’t think it has an address. It’s in the forest. But if you look up the village, then the river, follow it straight north. You will see a clearing.”

“Is there a road?” She pinched the screen and zoomed in.

“Yes, but it’s not paved. It will be muddy. I don’t think many people use it.”

“Could I get there with a car?”

“A four-wheel-drive, maybe.”

Meghan brought the phone closer to her face. “There are two buildings there, but most of the area is covered by trees. And the small river runs right next to it.”

“Don’t let that fool you. We had a flood last spring, and some people are still recovering from that. The region is trying to regulate the river, but when the snow melts or rains like this,” he said as he turned on his windshield wipers, “many people start to worry.”

Meghan looked up from her phone.

“Oliver!”

Two black SUVs were speeding toward them, blocking both lanes.

Oliver cursed.

They were coming fast. Head-on.

Oliver swerved to the right. His car hit a curb.

Meghan instinctively covered her head, ready for the impact.

A fraction of a second before the collision, the SUV on the left swished by, and the car heading straight for them swerved into the left lane, speeding down the road as if nothing had happened.

“God!” Meghan breathed out a prayer.

“Are you okay?” Oliver reached for her; his hand gentle yet firm on her shoulder.

She placed her trembling fingers against her lips.

“Meghan?”

“Yeah,” she forced the word through the thick lump at the back of her throat.

Oliver shifted in reverse, checked his rear-view mirror, and drove back onto the road.

“I’m so sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” She laid her fingers atop his hand, still lingering on her shoulder. “Thanks for?—”

Her voice broke.

He looked over at her. “Do you want me to stop?”

She shook her head. “I just need a minute.”

Oliver accelerated. The street widened into four lanes, and they passed the city limits. In the distance, the bright lights of a mall lit up the sky; the supermarket had to be just ahead.

“Is that where we are going?” Her voice was now steady.

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