Find Her: The Lacey James Series: Book 1 by Patchell Chris

Author:Patchell, Chris
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-11-15T16:00:00+00:00

12

Eden’s eyes fluttered open to the sound of an engine humming, and the buzz of tires on the road. Daylight streamed through the car’s windows. Thick locks of hair clung to her neck, plastered to her skin with sweat. Her mouth tasted like tin. She gazed out the passenger’s window, struggling to orient herself.

A thick blanket of fog hung low over the winding two-lane road, cutting through a patchwork quilt of fields. They sped past shadowy barns, rundown houses and empty orchards stripped bare of their leaves. Without the sun to guide her, there was no way to glean what direction they were driving, let alone where they were.

A short twenty-four hours ago, she’d have given anything to be out of that room, but now, she was trapped in a car heading god-knows where with a murderer. With each passing mile, her hopes of being found dwindled. Eden was caught in a desperate loop between panic and denial.

Noah was going to kill her.

Noah would let her go.

She would find a way to escape.

She was going to die.

“Where are we going?”

“Well, look who’s awake.” Noah smiled. “We’re heading south.”

“South? Where?”

“We need a clean slate. A place to start over. California. Mexico maybe, if I can figure out a way across the border.”

Fear gave way to despair and Eden knew that California was too far away, and if they crossed into Mexico, she was as good as dead. At least in Oregon, she might still be found. There would be news reports about the kidnapping and missing persons flyers. The police would be looking for her. But in California, she was no one, just another lost girl with no hope of making it home.

God, her poor parents. They must be going nuts, not knowing whether she was dead or alive. And Hayden. The cops would be all over him. The night they’d gone to the karaoke bar with Claire, he’d tried to warn her about Noah, but she’d brushed him off, chalking it up to misplaced jealousy. She and Noah were just friends. Right. What an idiot she’d been.

Even if Hayden voiced his suspicions to the cops, it wouldn’t do any good. Not without evidence. Noah was bat-shit crazy, but he wasn’t dumb. Her last hope was the list of cosmetics she’d given to Noah on the slim chance that Claire might recognize them, might suspect him. But Noah had spotted the trap and hadn’t shown the list to Claire. Even if he had, Claire wouldn’t have believed that Noah was capable of such darkness. Any fool could see that she was in love with him.

They passed a road sign for Silverton. Noah bypassed the town, traversing a series of back roads that left the valley behind. The flat farmer’s fields gave way to more rugged terrain. Barns clung to the hillsides and opened onto muddy fields. Christmas tree farms filled with prefabricated rows of noble firs emerged from the fog. They were soon dwarfed by towering Douglas Firs. The forest thickened

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