Page 70 of Traitor
My truck sits in the parking lot where I left it. Alice’s SUV—I hadn’t paid much attention when I pulled in—is parked next to it.
“Peyton!” Alice calls from somewhere in the forest beyond the parking lot. “You’re gonna break your pretty neck running around like this. Come back so we can talk about it.”
I dive into the brush, crashing through the scrub and trees like a belligerent bear. I don’t give a fuck. Let her come. Better me than her.
Better me than her.
Stumbling over a root, I go crashing to the ground, my wound screaming, and I nearly black out. When I get to my knees, it’s with a gun to my head.
“Well, if I can’t get her on my own, at least I can use you to find her. People will do anything for love.” She jams the gun against my back. “Get up.”
I do as she says, but I inch toward the tree line hoping Peyton is running deeper into the forest, away from Alice. I’d die happily if it meant she could live.
“You’ve got me, just let her go.”
Alice digs the gun into my ribs. “Not a chance.”
My heart clenches in my chest. “Please, Alice. I’ll do whatever you want.”
“What is it about these women that gets you men so wrapped around their fingers? Is it the sex? Thedrama?”
I lift a shoulder then instantly regret it. “You want me to explain it to you?”
“We’ve got all the time in the world. Tell me, Ford, I want to know. How is it she got you so under her spell? She reminds me so much of my sister. At first, I thought it was a cosmic joke. They’re both pretty, petite. Tell me, is it her looks?” Alice herself is tall, almost as tall as me. It’s no wonder Peyton thought she’d been a man on the boat. She could pass for a linebacker.
“It’s everything, Alice, though I doubt you’d understand. She’s my person. So, if you’re planning on pulling that trigger, you better pull it now before I send you to hell for what you’ve put her through.”
“Such a hero,” Alice snarls.
An engine revs, sounding like a plane coming to land it’s so loud. I throw myself down to the ground more out of muscle memory than intention. A streak passes in front of my vision, and at first I think I’m going to pass out—which would have really pissed me off—but it’s Peyton in my truck, gunning the engine and aiming straight for Alice.
In the split second before the truck crashes into her, Alice raises her gun, madness bright in her eyes, and fires three times in rapid succession.
I move too quickly then, knocking my shoulder against a tree in my haste and someone flicks off the lights.
“Ford?Ford, honey, it’s Peyton. Can you hear me?” I scowl at her nagging. This woman will be the death of me. “That’s it. Come back to me.”
I know I should open my eyes, but I’m terrified to find that her voice is a dream. When I do manage to sack up and look. I find Peyton leaning over me, her face wracked with worry.
“Hey there, sunshine,” I say hoarsely.
Laughter bubbles up and she sobs, falling over my chest. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me, too. For a second there, I thought I wouldn’t be.” I manage to sit up. “Where’s Alice?”
Peyton’s eyes cloud over. “The ambulance took her. Hadley showed up about five minutes after…after. They weren’t sure if she was going to make it. Her husband was with him. He tried to climb in the ambulance and hurt her for killing Lola.”
I’d laugh, but it’d hurt too much. “I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day. Go easy on me,” I say, as I gather her into my arms. “I won’t ever be able to get that image out of my head…” I’m horrified to find my voice cracking.
“Sure you will,” she says. Her words are so soft, I have to lean closer to hear. “That is, if you’ll have me. I’d like to spend the rest of my life making new memories to replace these.”
I shake my head and she frowns. “Why not?” she asks.
“I wouldn’t change the past few months with you for anything,” I tell her. “Though I wouldn’t have waited so long to get you back in bed.”
She laughs, then winces. “That’swhat you’re thinking about?”
“No, what I’m thinking about is that I almost lost you when I’d just found you. That I came so close to never getting to tell you how I feel about you.”
“Ford,” she whispers.
I pull her down and taste the salt on her lips. “I love you, Peyton,” I say. I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life. She’s the rock that’s kept me from drifting away. The certainty in a life full of unknowns. The calm in the middle of desert sandstorm and I don’t want to live another day without her knowing it.
