No red Mustangs.
She needed to get back to the No Name before Cord discovered she was gone. Except, she’d probably already blown that, considering how long the drive had taken her.
Last night when Cord had threatened to run away with her, it had shifted something inside of her. Sort of like the iconic movie moment when the Grinch's heart grew three sizes in one go.
She loved him. And she wanted to be with him.
And he needed the No Name, even if it was to be free of it. Which meant she needed to finish the tractors so the sale could go through on Monday. And Rick had left her a voicemail in the early hours of the morning that one of the parts had been left behind at the store. She couldn't finish without it.
As soon as she got the final part she needed from Rick, she’d call Cord, assure him she was all right. But she wasn’t about to take her hands off the wheel right now. Not as ice pelted her ancient truck and her tires fought for purchase on the slick road.
Nobody else out today, thanks to this terrible weather. She knew Rick was in his store, but he’d told her he’d be closing early. No customers thanks to the weather.
Once she had the part, she could hole up in the living room at the No Name and rebuild the transmission, maybe talk Cord into starting a fire. She could imagine it now, the crackling flames, the pot of chili she’d fix for dinner, maybe with a side of cornbread. The comfort of the house that had come to mean so much to her. Cord’s memories there were painful, but hers would always be sweet. If he sold the place, at least she’d always have her memories.
Finally, she angled into a spot in front of the parts store and killed the engine.
The passenger door jerked open, and Toby’s face seemed to fill her vision, made everything else go dark.
She froze, hands clutched on the wheel, voice stuck in her throat. Not that anybody would hear her if she screamed.
Not that she dared.
Toby aimed a handgun at her face, dead eyes trained on hers.
And it all faded away. The cozy fire, the bubbling chili, the comfortable home, and the man she loved. All dissipated like her breath in the cold air, gone almost as if they’d never existed at all.
As if they’d only ever been a dream.
And this, this nightmare, was the only real thing in the icy world.
She was stupid. So, so stupid. She'd walked right into Toby's clutches.
He climbed into the truck, still pointing the gun at her. She couldn’t pry her hands off the wheel and she was buckled in—too late to escape.
“Start driving. Out of town.”
Her eyes blurred with tears as she followed his order. The tires slipped and then caught and the truck lurched forward.
She was going to give Cord something else to blame himself for. He already held himself accountable for what had happened to Noah, even though there'd been others present that night.
She didn't want that for him.
Maybe she could talk her way out of this.
"How did you find me?" She couldn’t help the way her voice shook.
"Today? I got lucky. You didn't even see me."
He hadn't been driving the Mustang today. She’d scoured every parking spot on Main Street before she’d pulled in. Did he have another vehicle?
"No, I meant here. In Sutter's Creek."
"It's not hard to install a GPS tracker on a vehicle. They're surprisingly cheap when you buy online."
She wanted to close her eyes but didn't dare take her attention off the road. Toby had known all along where she was. She'd never been safe.
"What do you want from me?"
"The same thing I've always wanted. You. Just you."
Somehow, the lack of malice in his words scared her more than anything else. He was talking as if they were having a regular conversation.
"I told you before, I don't feel that way about you."
He shrugged. "You will."
"I could never have feelings for somebody who kidnapped me. It's not right."
He shook his head. "You'll see. Once we get back home, you'll see."
Back home? If he were stupid enough to take her back to Austin, maybe the police would have a shot at finding her. But the unholy light in his eyes made her itch to bolt from the car. She had a very bad feeling that, even if it were Toby’s plan, she’d never make it all the way to Austin.
"I'm in love with Cord."
He smacked her across the cheek with the butt of the gun. It was so unexpected that she lost control of the truck. The tires skidded on the pavement, and she had to navigate back between the white lines. Her face throbbed, as if she could feel blood swelling beneath her skin already. Tears smarted.
"Don't ever talk about him again." Now there was malice in Toby's voice. Pure hatred.
She struggled to focus on the road. Her attention spun out. It was too much. Keeping track of Toby’s hand with that gun. Worrying about Cord. Trying to stay alive.
How was she going to get out of this? How was she going to escape?
After two hours of combing the back roads and weaving in and out of every street in town, Cord pulled off the side of the road. He threw the truck into park and slammed his hands against the steering wheel.
What if Molly had really left him? She’d claimed she had feelings for him, but the little boy inside of him, the one Mackie had beaten and shamed, questioned whether he could really deserve Molly's love.
Maybe she was right to go.
Except the Molly he'd to come to know wouldn't leave without a good-bye. She faced her demons head on. She might've run from Toby, but that was because she tried to get help, and
