Page 59 of Stripping Bare
“True.” By this time, Jonah was doing a fast jog and his breathing was deep and rhythmic, lulling Tessa. So far, the camera wasn’t showing anyone. Maybe the person who’d modified the game was just yanking Jonah’schain.
“I’m starting to circle around to the car. If I don’t find him before I get back, I’ll check the area past thepark.”
A shiver rippled up Tessa’s arms. Someone was playing a twisted game of hide-and-seek. “Just becareful.”
“Son of a bitch,” Jonahbreathed.
“What? What do yousee?”
“He’s here. In the fucking park. Are your doorslocked?”
Tessa double-checked. “Yes. Where is he?” The camera was showing only a pavilion, part of a parking lot, and a kid’sslide.
“Just sitting on a bench waiting, like he doesn’t have a problem in the world. Well, I’ll show him a problem. I’m fixin’ to take down this bastard.” When he was angry or stressed, Jonah’s Southern drawlintensified.
But his honey smooth voice didn’t calm Tessa’s jumpy stomach. After she’d been assaulted, she’d developed the ability to recognize risky situations. And right now that sense was going haywire, yelling that he was running straight into a trap. Something was wrong, very wrong here. “Stop. Jonah, don’t go afterhim.”
“Toolate.”
Jonah angled off toward a park bench, and suddenly Tessa caught sight of the person sitting there. Wrapped in a blue coat and wearing a white knitted hat, the park visitor was tossing out what looked like cracker crumbs to a small flock of squabbling bluejays.
Although Tessa could only see what the camera was showing, something about the person didn’t seem right. “Are you surethat’s—”
Her warning was cut off when Jonah executed a flying dive over the bench, hitting the person behind the right shoulder. From the force of the momentum, a jumbled ball of arms and legs crashed the gravel path in front of the bench, and the birds took off in a flurry of squawks andfeathers.
Tessa’s view went topsy-turvy, flipping over and over, then bouncing to a stop. The camera had come loose from Jonah’sgoggles.
Everything seemed to slow as if Tessa were watching the scene through sorghum syrup. She blinked, trying to clear her vision so she could understand was she was really seeing. Small feet wearing white thick-soled tennis shoes. Birdlike, mottled hands. Wisps of gray hair peeking out from the stockingcap.
Jonah reared up and straddled the person, pulling back his arm for apunch.
“Jonah,stop!”
“You SOB, I’mgonna—”
“Don’t hither!”
“What?”
“Take off yourgoggles.”
“Tessa, thisguy—”
“Do it.Now.”
He shoved them to the top of his head and looked down. “Oh, God. What the fuck did Ido?”
That told Tessa all she needed to know. That wasn’t the person they’d been trying to find. She pressed the door lock and fumbled with the handle. It took three tries before she was able to shove open the door and jump out. She dashed toward the bench as Jonah scrambled off the proneform.
She skidded to a stop and looked down. Jonah’s head was bowed and the woman he’d attacked lay unmoving on her back. Her eyelids fluttered and she blinked, flooding Tessa withrelief.
“Are youokay?”
The woman’s mouth moved, but nothing cameout.
Tessa yanked out her phone and dialed 911. She gave them location details and all she knew, which wasn’t much. Once she was sure they were sending help, she knelt down next to the woman and took her frail blue-veinedhand.
One glance at Jonah told her that he wasn’t doing much better. His eyes held a faraway glaze and his throat was working as if he couldn’t swallowproperly.
