Ryan looked at her, surprised. Or at least as much as she could look in the dark. “Did he say that?”
“Not in so many words,” Liv allowed. “I’m not sure how he knew where I lived, though.”
It clicked in Ryan’s head, and she groaned. “Dane. I gave your address to Dane so he knew where to find me if he needed me.”
Liv exhaled in a rush. She could only imagine what Ryan was going through with the whole betrayal of her partner thing.
Ryan hesitated. “I took the flash drive.”
“I guessed.” There was something quiet in Liv’s voice.
“I’m sorry.” That was her second apology in as many minutes. “I should have trusted you.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it.”
Ryan hadn’t considered that.
Liv leaned in and kissed her. “It’s okay.”
It was like a weight had been lifted off of Ryan’s chest.
“I love you,” Liv said suddenly, catching Ryan off guard.
They were quiet for a moment, the only noise the rumbling of the engine.
“I love you, too.” Ryan kissed her again. This time she caught her lips, and they were able to actually kiss instead of mash lips against another body part.
“You know we’re going to have to make up for this in an actual bed, right?” Liv said.
Ryan chuckled. She squeezed Liv’s hand. “We will.”
Jasmine was lying motionless and silent on the truck bed floor. Ryan felt a flash of guilt for not checking on her sooner. What if she was dying? What if she was dead?
Ryan turned to her, checking for a pulse. There was one, and it was strong, too. As she looked at her she saw a pair of strong, dark eyes looking back. “I want to help.” The strength in Jasmine’s voice surprised Ryan.
Ryan squeezed her arm. “You will.”
The truck started slowing down, and Ryan’s heart started racing even faster. They would be okay. They would get out of it.
They had to.
The door creaked open. Jasmine lay pretending to be asleep, her bindings still tied but looser than before. Liv was next to her, watching the van doors open through the edge of her vision.
Then Liv heard a crash as Ryan shot a foot out and nailed whoever it was in the face. It was a guy, so hopefully Ross. Or Dane. Liv could take either one.
Ryan used her hands and feet to get out of the truck, Liv hopping out right behind her. Jasmine struggled to sit up, but there she was, glaring at them from behind Liv and Ryan.
Veronica was standing there, her eyes boring into them. Ryan was getting ready to face down with Dane, so that left Veronica for Liv. Not necessarily well trained in the subtle art of combat, Liv basically launched herself at Veronica and used her body weight to take her down.
It worked a lot better than it should have, really. Maybe it helped that Veronica didn’t really put up a fight. She managed to roll her onto her side and pin her down. For all that Liv was non-violent, really, she didn’t mind leaving part of Veronica’s head in the dirt.
Ryan was pinned against the truck, Dane’s hand around her throat. Words stuck in Liv’s throat. Could she help?
Then a branch came out of nowhere and walloped Dane over the head, causing him to drop her. Ryan elbowed him hard in the back of the neck, and down he went.
“Thanks,” Ryan said, looking at Jasmine. Liv stared at her too, surprised to see the formerly weak woman wielding a branch the size of a club. Jasmine was breathing hard, and Ryan eased her down to sit on the van floor before she turned to Liv.
Liv could only guess how much that fight had taken out of Ryan, both emotionally and physically. That was a huge betrayal.
“Here.” Ryan handed her Dane’s belt, so Liv could bind Veronica up like a Christmas turkey. Dane was cuffed with his own handcuffs.
A shot rang out, startling both of them. Liv ducked, her heart racing, just in time to see a glimpse of Ross running into the trees.
Now, Liv mostly lived her life not making stupid decisions. But the rage of him making a run for it was making her see red. He had screwed up so much in her life. He had almost killed her.
She grabbed Dane’s gun from his holster and started racing after Ross, her vision tunneling to just the man in front of her. No matter how much she got scratched, how much she was poked at, she was going to get him.
Trees passed her in a blur, and she hopped over a branch that nearly tripped her. The gun was still in her hand. Did she know how to use it? No. She was making a stupid decision, and she knew it.
But she just knew that Ross couldn’t get away.
“You wouldn’t shoot me.” She heard Ross’s voice come out easy, almost casual. He wasn’t running anymore, most likely. Either that or he could run and speak in normal tones.
Liv didn't say anything, instead adjusting her trajectory to intersect with his. What she would do when she caught him, she wasn’t sure. But he couldn’t get away. Her pulse was pounding so loud in her ears that she couldn’t hear anything but the sound of the beats and his voice. The world had narrowed.
Tunnel vision.
“Am I there? Am I here?” Ross laughed.
Liv forced herself to stop, to slow the beating of her heart for a few split seconds. She looked down at the gun and shook her head. She couldn’t shoot him, she knew that. But she dared not dispose of the gun and risk him finding it. He didn’t need two guns.
No. But she wasn’t helpless. Liv turned and headed for the brush where she had last heard his voice. Ventriloquism most likely wasn’t part of his skill set. She couldn’t get too close because he was armed.
Instead, using Jasmine as her inspiration, she grabbed a strong-looking yet flexible branch and pulled it back until
