Aiden woke to the sound of voices and scrambled out of the car. He froze, staring at the scene, as Ranger bolted past him toward Lauren—tail wagging, barking, crying all at once.
“Ranger…” she whispered, kneeling to hug him. “You did it, kid,” she added to Aiden, eyes shining with gratitude.
After a long, quiet moment, Nathan stepped back just enough to really look at her.
“Why, Lauren?” he asked. “Why fake your death? Why didn’t you just come home?”
She dropped her gaze.
“I found out what Victor and that fund were doing with your company,” she said softly. “They needed your name to wash their money. When I refused to keep my mouth shut, they cut the brakes on my car. They thought I’d die. Mike helped me disappear. If I’d gone back to you… they would’ve killed you too.”
Nathan shut his eyes as guilt surged through him—every warning of hers he’d brushed aside, every instinct he’d dismissed. The weight of it was almost physical.
He didn’t get the chance to say more.
An engine roared in the distance. Headlights tore through the fog. Lauren’s face went white.
“They found us,” she whispered.
Nathan scanned the woods. Lauren pointed to a narrow trail behind the trees.
“That path,” she said. “You can cross the river on the rocks. I did it once.”
“Let’s go,” Aiden urged, grabbing Lauren’s hand. “Now.”
The three of them ran, Ranger in front, barking in alarm. Behind them, a voice boomed through a megaphone:
“Nathan Cole! Don’t run! You know too much!”
Victor.
Bullets tore through branches and dirt. Rocks exploded, throwing sparks. Lauren stumbled, but Nathan caught her.
He felt fire rip through his shoulder—a bullet grazing or tearing into him, he couldn’t tell. He almost went down but forced himself to stay upright.
“I’m fine,” he lied. “Keep moving!”
They burst out on the riverbank. The current rushed fast and dark, but a path of slick stones cut across it. Aiden hopped onto the first one without hesitation. Ranger followed, nimble and sure.
Nathan helped Lauren to the edge. As she stepped onto the first rock, his wounded arm gave out slightly, and the pain almost dropped him. He bit down on a shout.
They stumbled across the makeshift bridge, slipping and catching each other until finally, they collapsed on the far side, breathing hard. They crawled behind a fallen tree. Lauren ripped a strip from her dress and pressed it against his bleeding shoulder with shaking hands.
