The shore was empty, but she could sense a presence. The goose bumps on her skin prickled. Someone was watching.

Where is he?

Maybe she’d gotten lucky. Maybe he’d returned to the woods to search for her. Maybe he hadn’t heard her almost drowning in the marshy lake.

Olivia’s bare feet were numb as she tried to walk toward the shore. She could barely feel the slime on the bottom of the lake. Tall weeds and cattails tangled around her legs. She tripped over a rock and fell forward. Reaching out, she caught her balance on the side of the dock. Righting herself, she plowed forward. She could do this.

Dry land was ahead. Then what? She was soaking wet, having an asthma attack, and probably hypothermic. She could barely breathe standing still. How could she run away?

A hand reached down from the dock and grabbed her by the arm. “Get up here, bitch!”

Olivia tried to resist as he pulled her from the water, but there was nothing to hold on to. Lack of oxygen had stolen her energy. Not even the panic swirling in her belly could give her the strength to fight back. She flopped like a rag doll. Her leg banged into the wood as he dragged her over the edge. Her legs tangled in her wet pajama bottoms.

He shook her arm. “I’ve had enough of chasing you through the woods. Did you think you could escape?”

She did not.

As her oxygen levels fell even further, her panic faded to sadness. She’d never see her family or Lincoln again. Her life was over, and she had left too many things undone and unsaid. She had been defeated. She had nothing left. Her lungs were tighter than an industrial vise. She could barely draw in enough air to stay conscious. She couldn’t fight, and she couldn’t run.

She was at his mercy.

Chapter Forty

Through the black-and-white imaging of his NVGs, Lance watched the man he was assuming was Stephen Holgersen drag a women’s body from the water up onto the dock. She fell onto her hands and knees. Was that Olivia?

The woman was the right size and shape. Moonlight brightened the lake, and he could see Olivia.

Relief passed through him.

She’s alive.

Lance paused behind a bush to send Morgan a quick text, asking her to call 911 and send help to the lake.

He returned his phone to his pocket and drew his weapon. If Morgan received his message and called for help, emergency response was at least twenty minutes from the entrance to the camp. Then the Redhaven police or Randolph County sheriff’s deputies would have to find them. Who knew how long that would take? He and Sharp were on their own. At best, law enforcement would show up to clean up the mess after it was all over.

He had to sneak up on Stephen. Lance removed his NVGs and set them on the ground at the base of a tree. Holgersen was focused on Olivia, who was on her knees in front of him. Lance crept across the beach and hid behind the shed. He peered around the building and saw Sharp approaching from the other side. Slipping out from behind the shed, Lance eased into the lake. He lowered his body until only his head was above the water.

Olivia and Stephen were near the end of the dock, about forty feet away. Lance slid alongside the dock. He moved slowly so he didn’t splash. When he’d gone twenty feet, Lance chinned himself up and peered over the top of the dock.

Still on her hands and knees, Olivia coughed and spit water onto the dock. Her long dark hair dripped. Her pajamas were soaked. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. Closer now, Lance could see bruises on her face.

“You thought you were being clever, hiding in the water.” Stephen grabbed her by the hair and jerked. “Do you feel smart now?”

She whimpered, and fury stoked inside Lance. Men who hurt women deserved the same treatment tenfold.

Stephen released her hair. Her head fell and hung low. She began to cough, a dry, painful sound. When the spell ended, Lance could hear her wheezing from twenty feet away. Her body moved with the effort to draw in air. Could she even breathe? How long had she been in the water?

Lance moved forward. She needed help. Now. But Olivia was too close to Stephen. He couldn’t shoot him without risking hitting her. He needed a better angle.

He eased back into the water and moved through the thick weeds and cattails until he rounded the far end of the dock. A ladder led up. Lance started up the rungs and peered over the top.

A few feet away, Stephen took a big-ass KA-BAR knife from his pocket. He took hold of Olivia by the hair again and pulled her head backward, stretching her neck. Rage rose in Lance’s chest. Olivia’s eyes were wide. How fast could Lance get over the side of the dock? Not fast enough to keep Stephen from slitting her throat.

Putting the knife to Olivia’s neck, he said, “Say goodbye.”

From the corner of his eye, Lance saw Sharp leap onto the other end of the dock and draw his gun. “Put down the knife, Stephen.”

Stephen’s head snapped around. His eyes narrowed as he assessed Sharp. “Who are you?”

“A private investigator,” Sharp said.

“A PI?” Stephen snorted. “Don’t come any closer, Private Dick. One slice is all it’ll take.” He caressed Olivia’s throat with the KA-BAR. A thin line of blood trickled down her neck.

“Then what?” Sharp asked. “I’ll be a witness. Are you going to kill me too?”

“Why not, old man? Doesn’t look like it’ll be that hard.”

“Come and try it.” Sharp extended his empty hand, palms up, and curled his fingers in a come here gesture. “What’s the matter? It’s easy to best a girl. Are you afraid to take on a grown man? Are you a coward?”

Stephen dragged Olivia to her feet and held her in front of him, using her as a human shield. “Go ahead. Shoot. She’s only a woman. No big deal if you hit her.”

Sharp didn’t move. He kept his gun leveled at Stephen. “Put down the knife.”

“I don’t think so,” Stephen snapped. “One more step, and I will slit her throat. She’ll bleed out before you can dial 911.”

Sharp eased forward one tiny step. “Why did you kidnap her, Stephen? Why?”

Keep stalling, Sharp.

“Is this the part where I’m supposed to confess and tell you my life’s story?” Holgersen mocked. “Fuck that. I’m not telling you anything.”

Chest-deep in the lake, Lance went up another rung. Between Stephen’s and Olivia’s legs, he could see Sharp. Did Sharp see him? Slowly, silently, he pulled his body from the water until he crouched on the dock.

Lance needed a few inches of space between Olivia’s throat and the blade. He couldn’t risk attacking Stephen with the knife so close. Sharp needed to make him move. Just an inch or two. That’s all Lance needed.

Come on.

“You don’t have a chance,” Sharp yelled. “I didn’t come alone. The cops are already on their way.”

“It’ll take them forever to get way the fuck out here. Put down the gun!” Stephen shouted at Sharp. The knife remained pressed against Olivia’s neck.

“OK. OK,” Sharp said. “I’ll put it down. But you have to move the knife away from her throat.”

“Fuck you. I’m making the rules here.”

“Know this.” Sharp’s voice went harsh. “If that knife touches her again, I will shoot you. From this distance, I won’t miss. If she gets hurt, you die.”