Page 98 of Dark Roads
Beth stepped out from behind me. “I told Thompson thatyou’ve been taking photos of girls. He’s talking to Emily right now, and if anything happens to me, he’ll know it was you.”
“Emily is a messed-up girl with a drug problem,” Vaughn said, crisply. “And whatever Hailey told you is a lie. She tried to blackmail me, threatened to frame me with photos she took herself, and when I wouldn’t give her money, she ran away.”
“No one is going to believe that,” I said.
“No one will believeyou. You lied to the entire town for a year. YouandJonny, and now you’re a murderer. I know you killed Mason.”
“You’re crazy.” I kept the rifle pressed to my shoulder.
“Mason made mistakes.” Beth’s voice was angry, not scared. She was going to provoke him. “You’ve made mistakes too. People are going to know you’re a dirty cop.”
Vaughn flipped the snap off his holster and rested his hand on his gun, the muscles in his forearm corded. “No one is going to know anything.”
“Stop!” My finger was tense on the trigger, aching to pull, but if I missed, or only injured him, he’d shoot us for sure. “She’s lying. We don’t have proof of anything. Just arrest me and let her go. You said it yourself. No one will believe us, right? I’m just a liar and she’s a drunk.”
Beth shot me a look from the side. “I’m not adrunk.”
“I saw the empty vodka bottle.” I blinked at her, hoping she realized my jab was an attempt to buy time.
“It wasn’t just me!”
“Please.”
“Shut up, you two,” Vaughn snapped.
Wolf was barking, a sharp incessant noise. Vaughn was becoming more agitated. I could see it in his face, in his hand tightening on his gun. I couldn’t hold on to Wolf’s bandanna without letting go of the rifle. Then, like I feared, he bolted forward.
I dropped the rifle and threw myself on top of Wolf, but Vaughn had already let out a shot. The noise was deafening. Echoed in my head. A hot sting on my shoulder. Wolf was fighting to get away from me, snarling at Vaughn. Beth was screaming. I looked up.
Vaughn was crossing the glade toward me. I needed to make a move. Beth dropped to the ground beside me, her hand pressing on my shoulder. “You’re hurt!”
I looked at where my shirt was torn, the bloody gash. A flesh wound. Nothing deep.
“Run. Take Wolf to the cabin—at the base of the bluffs.”
Vaughn was closer, and Wolf was losing his mind—twisting and snarling. He broke from my hold, rushed at Vaughn, who stopped with his legs braced wide and both hands on the gun.
“No!” I picked up a rock and threw it at Vaughn, hitting his wrist. His hand jerked, throwing his shot off. Wolf yelped and spun around to look at his back end, confused.
Vaughn aimed again. No time to dig in the branches for the rifle.
“Get out of here!” I shouted at Beth as I sprinted toward Vaughn and hit him across his muscled forearm. His shot went wild. I bolted past him. Vaughn spun around and gave chase.
It sounded like a bear was crashing through the woods behind me. Heavy footsteps, branches snapping, but that was good—I could keep track of his location. It would have been easy for me to slip into the darker parts of the forest, go off-trail, take a thousand different routes that would have sent him stumbling and lost, but I wanted him to follow me. I wanted him to travel along the animal trail where I’d stashed a flare gun and set traps. I had more guns at my lower camp.
After I’d saved Beth and escaped to the mountain, I’dworried that Vaughn would figure it out and come looking for me. I’d been prepping for that possibility for the last two weeks.
I found a rhythm, shoving bushes out of the way—breaking some, kicking up moss and dirt so that he would easily be able to see my footprints—and managing my pace so I didn’t get too winded. Vaughn was strong. He’d be able to match my endurance. But I knew these woods.
Beth and Wolf. Their names kept pace with me. I hoped Beth had listened and didn’t try to follow Vaughn. I didn’t know how far she’d be able to carry Wolf, or how badly he was hurt. Did she know any first aid? Thinking about Wolf made me run faster, my breath chuffing.
No heavy steps behind me, no trees crackling. Had I lost Vaughn? I glanced over my shoulder and tripped over a root. In one motion, I scrambled forward and jumped back onto my feet, but I’d hurt my elbow and knees. Blood dripped down my shin.
I saw the fir where I’d hidden a few things. I grabbed the lowest branch and hauled myself up. I found the knife and flare gun that I’d stuck into the crook of two branches. I waited. The woods were quiet. I strained my ears. If he’d gone another way, I’d have to track him.
Footsteps, coming closer. He wasn’t running as fast, his pace steady, but he didn’t sound out of breath, more measured. Like he felt confident that he would find me no matter what, and I was so angry I almost swung down and kicked him in the face right then. I was sprawled as low as I could get on the tree, my body stretched flat along the limb, but it was as though he sensed me. He slowed to a walk, his head turning one way, then the other. He was holding his gun out, firing stance. He knew I was nearby. I waited until he was in the right position.
The flare gun was in the palm of my hand, slippery withsweat. He was almost under. Now he was moving past—his stride was too long. He’d be out of sight soon. Aiming at his back, I pulled the trigger in one quick motion, gripping the branch with my other hand so that I didn’t fall. The flare struck the ground behind him and exploded. The air shook. Smoke rushed around me. Vaughn dropped to his knees, spun around with his gun out, and fired.
