rearview mirror, Aimee couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman due to the dark tint on the windows.
A couple of blocks down the road the car still followed way too close. Aimee considered pulling off or taking a side street to let the person pass her. She never understood why people followed so close behind others.
Suddenly, a loud crunch sounded as her car lurched forward, throwing her head with it. A glance in the rearview showed the asshole behind her had rammed into her car. She sped up only to have the other car do the same.
There were too many cars on the highway this time of day. The crazy behind her obviously didn’t give a shit. Within a quick jerk of the wheel, she pulled off on the exit in a last minute decision. The vehicle that rammed her followed without missing a beat.
She gripped the steering wheel hard enough her knuckles turned white. The road she exited onto was an industrial parkway and appeared deserted. The warehouse-style metal buildings hadn’t been cleaned in quiet awhile. Vines and green moss crawled up the walls. Weeds grew up through the broken concrete of the parking lots.
On a positive note, there weren’t any bystanders around to get hurt. The drawback? There was no one around to help her. She pressed harder on the accelerator, making her car lurch into motion. Her car, a late model Ford, didn’t have enough power. Her follower rammed into her again, hitting the passenger side rear quarter panel and forcing her car to swerve to the right. In a panic, she overcorrected and pressed on the gas instead of the break, sending her head-on into a tree.
Her forehead slammed into the wheel before whipping back against the headrest. Pain exploded in her head right before everything went black.
****
Kenton’s heart dropped to his feet as he pulled into his private garage and didn’t see Aimee’s car. It’d been an hour since she left the office and as far he knew, she didn’t plan on stopping off anywhere. She’d have mentioned it to him, wouldn’t she? Plus, with Roger on the loose, she was too anxious to do so. Throwing it park and not bothering with grabbing his briefcase, he rushed inside the condo, while pulling his cell out of his pocket and dialed Aimee’s number.
As he feared, she didn’t answer. The moment he ended the call, his cell rang. He swiped his finger over the screen and answered. “Hello.”
“Kenton, thank God. I tried to call your house and panicked more when I didn’t get an answer.” Grace rushed the words out, not making any sense to him.
“Grace, slow down. What happened?”
She took a shaky breath before speaking. “The police called me. We’re each other’s emergency contacts on our driver’s license. Anyway they found her car in an abandoned industrial park of some kind. They can’t find her.”
A sob cut through the phone that made his heart ache. When her words fully sank in, he fisted his hands. Dread, fear, and rage rose up and swirled inside him. Roger. It had to be.
“Grace, I going to find her and kill that bastard.”
“It’s Roger. I know it. He took her. Oh God.” Her voice sounded high and squeaky, panicked rambling, meaning she couldn’t hear anything he said, but he needed to try anyway.
“Where would he take her?”
Another sob. “I don’t know.”
Think, Ken . Where would a psychotic, obsessive ass take his ex-wife?
The sound of a muffled, male voice sounded over the phone. Grace sniffed. “Sam suggested Roger might take her to where they first met.”
“Where is that?”
“Their first date was dinner at his parents’ cottage on Catalina Island. In fact she spent a lot of time there throughout high school and most of college. I think he still owns the cottage.” She paused for a moment, but before he could ask, she came back on the phone and gave him the address.
“I’ll bring her home. I promise you that.”
Grace let out another sob. “I believe you. Please hurry.”
He hung up the phone and
A couple of blocks down the road the car still followed way too close. Aimee considered pulling off or taking a side street to let the person pass her. She never understood why people followed so close behind others.
Suddenly, a loud crunch sounded as her car lurched forward, throwing her head with it. A glance in the rearview showed the asshole behind her had rammed into her car. She sped up only to have the other car do the same.
There were too many cars on the highway this time of day. The crazy behind her obviously didn’t give a shit. Within a quick jerk of the wheel, she pulled off on the exit in a last minute decision. The vehicle that rammed her followed without missing a beat.
She gripped the steering wheel hard enough her knuckles turned white. The road she exited onto was an industrial parkway and appeared deserted. The warehouse-style metal buildings hadn’t been cleaned in quiet awhile. Vines and green moss crawled up the walls. Weeds grew up through the broken concrete of the parking lots.
On a positive note, there weren’t any bystanders around to get hurt. The drawback? There was no one around to help her. She pressed harder on the accelerator, making her car lurch into motion. Her car, a late model Ford, didn’t have enough power. Her follower rammed into her again, hitting the passenger side rear quarter panel and forcing her car to swerve to the right. In a panic, she overcorrected and pressed on the gas instead of the break, sending her head-on into a tree.
Her forehead slammed into the wheel before whipping back against the headrest. Pain exploded in her head right before everything went black.
****
Kenton’s heart dropped to his feet as he pulled into his private garage and didn’t see Aimee’s car. It’d been an hour since she left the office and as far he knew, she didn’t plan on stopping off anywhere. She’d have mentioned it to him, wouldn’t she? Plus, with Roger on the loose, she was too anxious to do so. Throwing it park and not bothering with grabbing his briefcase, he rushed inside the condo, while pulling his cell out of his pocket and dialed Aimee’s number.
As he feared, she didn’t answer. The moment he ended the call, his cell rang. He swiped his finger over the screen and answered. “Hello.”
“Kenton, thank God. I tried to call your house and panicked more when I didn’t get an answer.” Grace rushed the words out, not making any sense to him.
“Grace, slow down. What happened?”
She took a shaky breath before speaking. “The police called me. We’re each other’s emergency contacts on our driver’s license. Anyway they found her car in an abandoned industrial park of some kind. They can’t find her.”
A sob cut through the phone that made his heart ache. When her words fully sank in, he fisted his hands. Dread, fear, and rage rose up and swirled inside him. Roger. It had to be.
“Grace, I going to find her and kill that bastard.”
“It’s Roger. I know it. He took her. Oh God.” Her voice sounded high and squeaky, panicked rambling, meaning she couldn’t hear anything he said, but he needed to try anyway.
“Where would he take her?”
Another sob. “I don’t know.”
Think, Ken . Where would a psychotic, obsessive ass take his ex-wife?
The sound of a muffled, male voice sounded over the phone. Grace sniffed. “Sam suggested Roger might take her to where they first met.”
“Where is that?”
“Their first date was dinner at his parents’ cottage on Catalina Island. In fact she spent a lot of time there throughout high school and most of college. I think he still owns the cottage.” She paused for a moment, but before he could ask, she came back on the phone and gave him the address.
“I’ll bring her home. I promise you that.”
Grace let out another sob. “I believe you. Please hurry.”
He hung up the phone and
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