He punched the gas and shot past them again, going half off the road and narrowly missing the front fender.
Kennedy felt like her teeth had been jarred loose. Knowing Reyes had his hands full, she kept as silent as possible so she wouldn’t distract him, her body tense from her toes to her eyebrows.
“Are...are they after me?” Jodi asked.
“Or me,” Reyes said. “Maybe Kennedy. Who the fuck knows? No worries, though, I’ve got this.”
Again Jodi gave her an incredulous look, one that asked, Is he insane?
Kennedy shrugged.
Reyes drove faster and faster, but on this stretch of road, there was no other traffic, no exits—and no one to help.
“There’s Cade,” he said.
She looked back and realized another vehicle was now behind them.
“Do me a favor, babe? Duck down.”
Confused, Kennedy asked, “Duck...?”
“Down,” he barked.
When Jodi bent forward in the seat, Kennedy copied her.
A second later, gunshots rang out, followed by the screaming of tires and finally an awful crash.
Reyes pulled to the side of the road. Before Kennedy could get her wits about her, he said, “Lock up behind me,” and then he...
He left the truck!
“Reyes!” Scrambling for the door, Kennedy opened it enough to shout, “What in the world are you doing?”
“Taking care of business.” He pushed the door shut again. “Lock it.”
With his eyes ablaze and his expression hard, Kennedy obediently hit the lock.
He gave one firm nod and turned away.
Good heavens. She’d never seen him like that. Peeking over the back seat, she watched him, utterly fascinated and scared to death for him.
In a long, purposeful stride, he approached their pursuers, staying just outside the direct beam of the other truck. It was twisted, the front end smashed against the rise of the mountain. Kennedy didn’t see any movement.
Unhooking her seat belt, Jodi twisted about on her knees and watched, too. “Is that his brother coming up the other side?”
Until Jodi said it, Kennedy hadn’t noticed Cade—strange, since he was so incredibly large. “Yes.”
“They’re unusual.”
An understatement.
Jodi nudged her. “I think they can be just as dangerous as the goons who were chasing us.”
“Most definitely.” So far, Reyes was the most lethal person she’d ever known, and, given her background, that was saying something.
Together they saw Reyes and Cade look into the truck, then around it. Reyes pried open the damaged front door and leaned inside. The headlights went out and the grinding from the engine died.
When Reyes straightened again, he and Cade shared a short conversation. Apparently the danger was over?
Not that she’d believe it—until Reyes told her so.
“You wanted to show me something?” Jodi glanced around, wary as always, squinting into shadows and searching the long, empty stretch of road. “That’s why we’re here, right?”
Shoot. After all that, Kennedy almost didn’t want to. “It’s going to upset you, but I want you to know, I’m here with you every step of the way.”
Stoic, Jodi straightened her shoulders. “What will the big guy have to say about that?”
Being honest, she said, “There’s a lot I don’t know about Reyes.”
“Yeah, well, I thought I knew him, but clearly I only skimmed the tip of the iceberg.”
Her cocky attitude didn’t fool Kennedy. Jodi was afraid, the type of bone-deep fear felt by a woman who’d once been in hell. It’d be better for her if Kennedy cut to the chase instead of letting her dread build.
Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, Kennedy adjusted the settings. Earlier, she’d silenced it and turned down the brightness, and now she adjusted it back. “A detective came to see us. He’s been hunting someone, and he thought Reyes might know something about him. Unfortunately, he didn’t—but I think I may have recognized him.”
“Him?” Expression changing, Jodi demanded, “Is it the man who had you? The one who got away?”
“No.” Somehow, she thought that man was small-time when compared to Rob Golly.
And yet, both men were almost insignificant when compared to Reyes. They were pure evil, but Reyes was bigger, braver, smarter, stronger. Also kinder, more caring, funnier.
He was all things good, which made him a perfect counterbalance to their cruelty.
She pulled up the photo on her phone. Thanks to Madison, it was a clearer, neater image than the one Crosby had carried. Glancing back at Reyes again, Kennedy saw that he stared toward her, keeping her in sight, ever vigilant, while speaking on his phone. Maybe talking to his sister? That’d make sense, given that Madison would be able to tell them a lot about this stretch of road.
Unable to put it off any longer, she took Jodi’s hand in her own, locking their fingers together, and then turned the phone so she could see it.
A low sound, like that a wounded animal would make, slipped past Jodi’s parted lips.
Heart breaking, Kennedy knew she had her answer.
“He’s dead,” Jodi rasped.
Maybe. “Shh. Let me explain, okay?” Jodi continued to stare at the photo. “The detective said he went to the house—I think the one where Golly kept you.”
Jodi shook her head. “His body—”
“There was no body.”
“I killed him,” she growled, the words barely audible.
“Honey...are you sure?”
“Yes!” She tried to snap her hand away, but Kennedy held on.
If she released Jodi, her friend would probably leap from the truck and disappear. It’s what Jodi did. She ran when threatened, and only reappeared when she thought Kennedy might need her.
Using that to her advantage, Kennedy whispered, “I need you here, Jodi. Whatever is going on, we can sort it out together.”
“You don’t need me!” She hitched her chin toward the window. “You have them, now.”
Startled, Kennedy glanced back and found Cade and Reyes watching them, equal expressions of concern on their faces.
Ignoring them for the moment, Kennedy scooted closer to Jodi and lowered her voice. “They’re men and they haven’t been through what we have. We back each other up, remember? You’re stronger than me, Jodi. I can help sort this out, but I need to be able to reach you when necessary. I need to know you’re safe.”