“Let me help. You run!” The cashier took a key from his pocket and locked the door from the outside.

  Rosetta ran through the store and out to the truck. She jumped inside and revved the engine. As soon as she was farther away, she lifted the phone to her ear. Her hands shook as she tried to press the redial button.

  “He’s after me.”

  “What?”

  “I just passed a motor bike or something at the station. That’s how he got there. You need to send the law. When he gets out of that bathroom, I’m afraid he’ll kill the attendant. He looked madder than I’ve ever seen someone.”

  In the background, Rosetta heard another phone dialing.

  “Just stay on the phone with me. Tell me the road that you’re on and we’ll meet in the middle.”

  The longer they spoke, the better she felt.

  “We’re almost too you.”

  “I’m going to pull over. I think I’m going to be sick.”

  “Wait, Rosetta. Don’t do it yet.”

  “No, I have too. I can’t go another mile.”

  She stopped the truck and climbed from the cab. On the side of the road, she threw up bile.

  When she finished, she leaned her back against a tree. She’d told them what the truck looked like so they wouldn’t miss it.

  She began her ascent up the hill back to the vehicle. Blue lights lit up the area. She stopped.

  A police car pulled behind the truck. She started to yell out that she needed help, and she was so glad to see them.

  Her mouth opened but no sound came out.

  Charles stepped from the car and walked to the truck.

  Rosetta closed her mouth and moved around behind the tree. She had to get out of there. Slowly, she walked a few steps forward then took off in a run.

  “Oh, Rosetta. You should have stayed with me. I wouldn’t have hurt you, but now, now I have no choice.” The words were yelled and echoed through and around the trees.

  Her heart hammered with the effort, but she felt like she was in a bad dream and not getting anywhere. How was she going to get away from him? He wouldn’t stop coming. She should have kept going. She should never have stopped.

  She fumbled around in her coat pocket as she ran. The only thing that could have helped her she didn’t have.

  She’d left the phone in the truck.

  ****

  “She’s not picking up. What could have happened to her?”

  Ericka saw Greg’s knuckles tighten on the steering wheel as he increased pressure on the gas pedal.

  “I’ll call the local sheriff and see what they found at the gas station.” The phone call took a moment to connect.

  “Can’t talk right now, missy, unless you have an emergency, and if you do, hang up and dial 911.”

  “Wait! I called about someone at the gas station needing help.”

  “Well, thanks for that. Now we’ve got a kid in critical condition and a police officer dead on the scene. Plus, his car is missing.”

  Ericka didn’t wait, she hung up.

  She knew exactly what had happened.

  “I can tell by the expression on your face that we have a problem.”

  “You need to go faster.”

  The car revved as Greg’s foot went even heavier on the gas pedal.

  “Now are you going to tell me what happened?”

  “Charles almost killed the gas station attendant, and he did kill the responding police officer. And he stole his car.”

  “He’s gone after her.”

  “Yes, and he’s closer than we are.”

  Ericka gripped the dash as Greg took the curves on two wheels. She would have told him to slow down, but she was worried.

  Extremely worried.

  Charles would find Rosetta. She might think an officer had come to help.

  That they had come to help.

  She dialed Rosetta’s phone once more. There wasn’t an answer.

  They were running out of time. Ericka could feel it.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Rosetta ran until her lungs felt as if they would burst. She leaned her back against a tree and drew in a few deep breaths. Somewhere behind her Charles still pursued. Every now and then he would call out to her and then laugh.

  It was the scariest thing she’d ever heard in her life. If she survived this ordeal, she would need therapy and probably medication to help her sleep at night.

  She rose from the tree. The ragged bark on the trunk snagged at her clothing and she tugged, losing a piece of the fabric in the progress.

  She would have grabbed it because it was evidence that she’d been there, but she couldn’t. Just over the rise, she saw him. He was looking out, using his hand to shield the sunlight from his eyes.

  He spotted her.

  The grin that spread across his face struck fear in her heart.

  “Oh, Rosetta, why don’t you just give it up? I will catch you. There is nowhere to go.”

  She faced away from him. Downed limbs snagged her legs. The dress hadn’t been the best clothing for an escape. It was what he’d provided. She should have realized it was meant to trap her as well.

  The boots were too big for her feet and moved up and down, rubbing a raw place on her heel.

  The sound of water drew her. She saw the creek. Water rushed over rocks and headed downstream. The bottom seemed close, but she couldn’t be sure. There was no time to debate.

  She jumped into the water. The cold icy liquid entered her shoes and sent a chill up her spine. Mud created a vacuum, and it took extreme effort to pull her foot up and move another step. With a grunt, she did it over and over.

  Charles appeared at the water’s edge. She faced away, using her arms to try and propel her across faster.

  Water droplets sprang from the water next to her. The next rock hit her in the back, and she stumbled. With all her energy she straightened and kept going. More rocks fell on her, hitting her shoulder, her head, and her arms.

  Blood oozed from the cuts, but she kept going. The other side was getting closer. She could make it. She would make it.

  The rock that hit the back of her head propelled her forward. Her hand landed in the water on a sharp rock. A gasp escaped her throat. Her vision blurred.

  She was pretty sure she’d had a concussion from the explosion and the hit to the back of the head with a rock couldn’t have been helpful.

  The rest of the way, Rosetta crawled. She would get to the other side. One way or another she would make it. She wouldn’t give up.

  “God, please help me.”

  ****

  Greg sped around the curves clenching his hands so hard they hurt on the steering wheel. They had been assigned to protect Rosetta. Albeit they weren’t to do it directly, but they were in charge of doing it and they’d failed.

  She’d escaped their custody. She’d almost blown up. She’d almost died. And now she was in the custody of Charles, another fault of the law. He should have been in a prison getting ready for execution instead of outside joyriding along the coastline.

  How he’d managed to evade law enforcement so long was a mystery. Although, he’d been right under their noses and they hadn’t even noticed.

  Sunlight struck the hood of a black pick-up truck parked on the side of the road. He slammed on the brakes and pulled behind a waiting cop car. The door had been left open, but the lights were off.

  “Charles, it has to be.” Ericka was out of the car before he could shut off the engine.

  She walked to the edge of the hill and peered down. Greg followed her actions.

  Dirt was disturbed.

  “I think he slid down here.”

  Ericka grabbed onto small trees and slid down the hill. Greg followed close behind. When he reached flat ground, he pulled out his gun and held it in ready position.

  Ericka had her gun out as well. She looked at trees with broken limbs, then looked around for the next broken branch. A piece of clothing hung from a rough area of bark. Ericka used two fingers and motioned for him to move in a certain direction.

  She wanted them to split up so they could cover more ground. He agreed it was prudent they find Rosetta, but splitting up when Charles was close by, didn’t make him feel good.

  Ericka was who he was really after. Rosetta was a passing fancy. A way to get to Ericka.

  He did as she asked. His muscles tensed and his stomach had butterflies.

  It was the laughter that he heard first. Immediately, he searched for Ericka. Through the trees he could see her bright colored jacket. Eventually, he lost sight of her but that was when he spotted Rosetta. She was down in the water on all fours. Blood ran down the side of her face and into the water.

  Charles was on the opposite side to her. He held his sides as he laughed.

  “Why do you persist? You can’t get away. Do you hear me? I’m going to take you back to the trailer and we are going to wait on Ericka. We need to give her time to finish her job. Then you can go free. I promise.”

  The way Charles said promise sent chills down Greg’s spine. One look at Rosetta showed she wasn’t doing well. Her shoulders shook with unrestrained sobs. He had to get her out of the water and away from Charles’ strikes as quickly as possible.

  If he walked out into the water, he would be exposed. He needed to coordinate with Ericka.

  Where was Ericka?

  ****

  Tito tapped his foot against the floor as Archie ran the picture through facial recognition.

  “You know this could take a while.”

  “Yes.”

  “I mean, if you have something else you need to work on, I can let you know when it is done.”

  “You think I want to go hang out with Beta Team?”

  “Well, um, yes, I mean, no.”

  “You got it right the second time. Right now, I’m fine with waiting until you figure out who the man in the photo is.”

  “All right then, suit yourself.”

  Tito paced the office as Echo Team worked. Information from the warehouse had come in. More bits and pieces of the bomb that took out the bus lay on the table. This was a team that he would be proud to work with.

  “Got something.”

  Tito went to the screen.

  “The man who gave Alexi the package at the diner is a Yuri Petrov. His sister is married to none other than Representative Don Vilo.”

  Tito leaned closer. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure. In fact, it looks like there are photos of Yuri and Ilsa in the newspaper from her high-profile wedding to the representative.”

  “Let me see.”

  Tito studied the printout as it left the printer. Sure, enough the guy in the wedding photo was the same guy he’d seen in the diner.

  “I’ve seen some pretty twisted things in my day, but this may take the cake.”

  “What’s your assessment?” Tito knew what he thought, but he needed to hear it from someone else.

  “My take, well Yuri Petrov, promised Alexi Romanov money if he would pretend to be the person who threatened Rosetta. All he had to do was sit at home and wait everything out. He wouldn’t go to jail or prison because technically he never did anything. He just kept us busy while Yuri and probably a few of his other cronies did all the dirty work.”

  “I agree. We need to bring in Yuri for questioning.”

  “Uh, how do you think that is going to work? His brother-in-law is a seated state’s man.”

  “You know, I don’t really care. Maybe the representative didn’t know his brother-in-law was behind the entire set-up, but I’m thinking it runs deeper. Let’s bring him in. See if you can locate him.”

  “All right.” Archie typed on a few keys. “You know, this probably isn’t a legal search.”

  “I don’t care if we can use his current location at trial.”

  “You’re the boss.” He paused.

  He wasn’t but he had been told to use Archie’s talents. The cell phone ping located Yuri Petrov in a train station in New York. “So, he hasn’t left the city, but he is about to. Call the station manager and have security detain him. I don’t care what reason they give, just have them hold him until I get there.”

  Archie lifted the phone to his ear and dialed.

  “After you get done with that, get a warrant. We need it ready for what we just did and for what I’m about to do.”

  Tito was out the door and in the car before five minutes had passed. The elevator ride had almost killed him. He was glad to be back in his Dodge Charger. The motor would blow away the Pinto on the road. And he needed to get there as fast as humanly possible.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Ericka’s heartbeat hammered in her ears. Charles was on the bank of the creek taunting Rosetta. Poor Rosetta had fallen in the water that had to be freezing. Charles was throwing stones at her and hitting her. Then he would laugh uproariously.

  From the side of her vision, Ericka made out Greg. He looked like he was going to head for Rosetta. Doing so would put him out in the open, right in front of Charles.

  Ericka needed to get his attention away from them. She drew in a deep breath and stepped into the open.

  As if a ship seeking and finding a beacon, Charles spun on his heel. A smile spread across his face. Despite how terrible he was he was still one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen.

  “I knew it was you. I could smell your unique scent.”

  Ericka tried to ignore the panic words brought on as she said, “Hello, Charles.”

  He began to pace back and forth, only walking a few steps at a time. Perhaps to throw her off balance, she wasn’t sure. She wasn’t going to let that happen though.

  He stopped, his chin lifted and he looked straight at her. “Ericka…” He drew out the word and it almost sounded like a caress.

  She swallowed.

  He lifted his hand, and she took a step backward.

  “Don’t be afraid.”

  That was laughable, but she withheld the emotion.

  “I don’t want to hurt you, at least not yet. I have a special place. It’s buried in the woods in this little two room cabin.” He sighed. “You know, we are so much alike. Both our mothers left us to rot. They both thought we would be better off without them. I often wonder what it would have been like if she’d stayed around. How about you?”

  “I do.” Being honest with him hurt, but it was the only way to keep his eyes away from Greg.

  “I would have gone with you to Mercy Hospital. I could have made them talk.”

  She tensed. How did he know about that?

  “I’d say that you are starting to have memories about your past. Trauma seems to do that.”

  It was as if he was in her head. Like he knew everything about her.

  “What did you remember? Did you remember your mother?”

  “That is none of your business.” Why was she letting him get to her? If he saw that Greg was moving, they would both be in danger, she needed to try and play along.

  “Maybe all of this will spur some more memories for you.”

  “All what?”

  “The trauma.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “The first time that Charles Senior made me kill he made me kill our dog. She was such a sweet puppy. I loved that puppy.” He frowned. “That night I had the most horrible memory of my life from before. My mother lying in a corner beaten within an inch of her life, my father hovering above her with a baseball bat. He had the most satisfied grin on his face. Then he dropped the bat and left. Somehow my mother clawed herself off the floor and dialed 911. The police took us both away, but she didn’t think she could care for me, so she gave me up.” He laughed, a deep, almost sad laugh. “She let me go to a monster.”

  He looked at his hands. Then up at her, then back at his hands. A horrified expression settled over his face. His eyes widened, his mouth turned into an o.

  “I’ve become him.” He gasped. “My father. I’ve become my own father.”

  He looked at her, taking a step forward. “Kill me! You have to kill me!”

  Ericka moved back. Her hands trembled, but she pointed the weapon at him. “Don’t come any closer.”

  Tears streamed down his face. “I thought I was sane. I thought this was rational. I thought I was doing what I was supposed to do. All this time, I thought I was playing a game.” He laughed. “I wasn’t playing a game. I was just killing people to satisfy Charles Senior. Then I don’t know when it happened, but I wanted to be different. But I can’t be different, don’t you see? I’ll never be normal. Help me stop! Help me!”

  He was coming closer and closer. His arms were out as if he was going to grab her. Her finger was on the trigger. She should pull it. She should.

  “Kill me!” He ran toward her.

  The shot echoed in the woods sending a flock of birds into the air in an erratic pattern.

  Blood pooled in a circle on Charles’ chest. A smile tugged at his lips as he fell to his knees.

  “Thank you…” He fell forward, his face turned to the side. His eyes still wide open.

  ****

  Smoke drifted from the tip of Greg’s gun. Charles was down. Hurriedly, he put away the weapon and went to rescue Rosetta. She was pale from either cold or blood loss or both.

  “Ericka! I need your help!”

  He heard her splashing in the creek behind him. When she reached them, she pulled off her jacket and put it around Rosetta’s shoulders.

  “We need to get her back to the car.”

  “Yes.” Greg lifted her in his arms and started back across the creek.

  The cold water dragged down on his pants and almost pulled him under a few times, but he kept going. On the other side, Ericka took Rosetta. She had to throw her over her shoulder in order to carry her, but she made it for a few hundred yards before they reached an embankment and Greg took over once more.

  They found an easier way up than the one they had taken down. When they reached the cars, Ericka turned on the motor and put the heat up as high as it would go. Then she called an ambulance.

  They didn’t wait. They began driving toward the hospital. Ericka massaged Rosetta’s arms and legs to try and keep the blood flowing. She removed most of her wet clothing and wrapped her back in the mostly dry jacket.