Excerpt:Before
she could move, he stood up and turned to face her, his expression soft now,
almost friendly. She hesitated, momentarily confused. Maybe she was wrong.
Maybe he wasn't angry.
"Hi,"
he called.
She
sputtered a greeting in return, but there was still something about him that
made her nervous. Something....
Out
of her peripheral vision, she caught sight of a white patch on the ground.
Thinking maybe it was his hiking gear, she looked beyond him, to the spot where
he'd been crouching just moments before, and felt the bite of cold winter air
pierce her lungs as she gasped in alarm. A pair of bare legs was sticking out
of the midst of the palmetto patch, lifeless and still. She stared for what
seemed like an eternity, her brain barely grasping what she was seeing. She was
having trouble registering it, putting it all together in her head, but when
the reality finally hit, her entire body began to tremble. She lifted her eyes
back to his face, searching, hoping she was wrong.
He
smiled, and the blood froze in her veins.
He
stared at the hiker. The fear literally boiled off her, so powerfully alluring
that he could practically smell it. She'd seen the body. There was no question.
He had no choice now but to kill her. Not a bad bargain as far as he was
concerned.
She
stood there staring, frozen by her own fear. He'd seen the look a dozen times
before, and he knew what it meant. She was immobilized by terror, confused,
searching for a way out, but not quite comprehending.
He
glanced around, made sure that she was alone, and his smile broadened.
Suzanne's
heart began to race, and the sound of her own blood throbbing through her ears
made it almost impossible to hear anything else. There was a pain in her chest,
a squeezing, suffocating sort of pain. Her body was providing her with the
perfect burst of adrenaline to flee, but she couldn't seem to make her feet
move. All she could do was stand there and stare at him in abject terror, her
mind cataloging every detail of his face. He was so handsome, so clean-cut. So
benign. He hardly looked like what she thought a killer should.
She
couldn't seem to tear her gaze away from his, couldn't seem to do much of
anything at all. God, why couldn't she run? Why was she just standing there
like an empty-headed fool when she knew she should run--must run! Yet, the
futility of even making an attempt.... What was the point in giving in to such
a conditioned response when she knew it was hopeless, utterly hopeless?
He
took a step toward her. She gave a little whimpering gasp and stumbled
backwards. He laughed, a lethal whisper of sound, and took another step
forward. His movements were slow, self-assured, like he knew he couldn't
possibly lose. A second later, she heard an odd scream burst through the
forest, echoing off the surrounding trees. She was so terrified that it took
her a moment before she realized the scream had been her own. She was so intent
on getting out of there, getting away. Dammit, there had to be a chance.
Dear God, please give me a chance, she
mentally screamed.
She
twisted around, prepared to run, felt her booted foot snag on something. A damn
tree root! Her arms flailed the air for one terrifying moment, and then she
managed to right herself again. She lunged forward, began a stumbling flight
back the way she'd come, blindly tearing through the woods, dodging the tree
branches that slapped at her body and pulled at her hair as she passed.
Her
breath became a ragged wheeze. Her lungs felt like they would burst. And the
whole time her legs were pumping hard to get her out of danger, she knew...she
was never going to make it. She would never waste another second resenting her
ex-husband. Would never again enjoy the cool crisp country air, the wisps of
white clouds in an otherwise clear blue sky. She would never be thrilled at
catching sight of a meteor on a dark night, never feel the touch of a man's
fingers caressing her face. She was going to die. This man was going to kill
her. She knew that as surely as she knew the sun was still shining.
She
was already losing ground. Her legs burned from the effort, the strain she was
forcing on them. She'd always been an athletic person, had always been in good
shape, but she knew she couldn't run forever. Not at top speed. Eventually, she
would exhaust herself, and then.... He would be there. With a sinking sort of
dread, she felt it coming. She was flagging already. She wasn't going to make
it. God, she wasn't going to make it!
