Read Online Falling by Jolene Perry - Free Book Online

called the troopers?”
    I don’t know what on earth she thinks I can do to help her. I’m thirty miles off the main road and have no idea where she is.
    “I talked to Craig. He didn’t seem worried, but this car has been behind me since Palmer. That’s a lot of turns!” It takes her a moment to catch her breath again. “And then the car pulled off, and I thought I was okay, and now it’s behind me again, and I don’t know what to do!”
    “Dana, take another deep breath, okay?” I jog into the entry and start gearing up. “Now, it could be nothing, right? But maybe somebody is following you. Let’s plan for the worst. It’s probably nothing, but at least we’ll be prepared.”
    My heart’s hammering as I slide on my holster. What the hell, Craig? And then I have the thought that maybe Dana is the kind to bring drama, and Craig already knows this, and I’m about to learn.
    “Okay.” Her voice is still shaking, and I know she’s got to be calm to navigate the icy road to the parking lot where we switch to snowmachine.
    “You need to drive carefully but quickly, do you understand?”
    “Yes.” She sounds a little better. More determined. Probably she just needed someone to believe her. But if someone is following her, why are they still? Why haven’t they done something yet? This makes me anxious on a million different levels because I don’t know what they want from her, but they have to be pretty determined to still be behind two hours later. This also means that whoever is following her will know where she’s at. Though—there are a quite a few cabins out here. She doesn’t automatically have to be at the lodge.
    But they’d come here first.
    But I don’t even know if this is going to be a big deal.
    “I’m leaving right now to go to the far parking lot. It’s where you had your car last time, and where Boz dropped you off this morning. You know where to go?”
    “Yes.” She gasps. “Jason? The car followed me on the turnoff.”
    “Dana, take another deep breath. You’re okay. It might just be a coincidence. I will be waiting at the end of the parking lot.” No way it’s a coincidence. I grab another loaded magazine for my sidearm, and slide it in my coat. Then put another coat on over it, because Dana isn’t going to have time to suit up at the end. We’re going to have to time this well, and do it fast.
    She lets out another long breath. “Okay.”
    “You drive to the end. Speed across the parking lot, and just let your car run into the snow bank at the end. Leave everything in your car but your keys. We can go back out for your stuff later. You get out of the car and come straight to me. I’m going to stay on the machine so we can take off quickly. Okay?” I do everything I can to keep my voice quiet and calm, but I’m going to have to get off the phone if there’s any chance of me being at the end of the parking lot when she gets there.
    “Okay.”
    “You need to carefully put the phone down, pay attention to your driving. Can you see how many people are in the car?” I can’t believe I didn’t think of that sooner.
    “Just one.”
    “Dana, I will be there. Get out of the car and run toward me. I’ll get us back to the lodge.” This is insane. When Craig said the guy followed her to work, that was one thing. But he’s in jail, so someone else is following her out here. No way that’s a coincidence either.
    “Okay. Meet you at the end. Get out with my keys and run.”
    “See you in a few.” I hang up, grab my helmet and pull my machine to a start. Now I have to haul ass so I can keep my promise.
     
    I’ve driven this trail so many times I can’t keep count, but I’ve never driven it this fast. There are narrow trails through the wooded areas, and I stand up letting my machine take the brunt of the bumps as I fly through them, hoping no one else is out here today. The moment I hit the first clearing, I grab the throttle to the handle and take off. Normally,