Dark Justice by Brandilyn Collins Page A

pulled down a tote bag and shoved the wrapped gun inside. Thrust the bag over my shoulder. Hustled back to the kitchen and threw my gun inside the tote as well.
    “Let’s go, Mom.” I ran into her room and pushed her toward the hall. Picked up her small suitcase.
    “Wait, my hat!”
    “There’s no time .” I thought my heart would burst.
    “I’m not leaving without my hat!”
    My head snapped back and forth, looking for it. There—on her dresser. I grabbed it and stuffed it in her coat pocket.
    I took no clothes from my room, just the box of extra bullets. These, too, I dropped in the tote bag. I snatched up the coat I’d worn earlier that day from the front closet, and my purse. Clutching Mom’s hand, I steered her through the kitchen and into the garage. Pushed her into my car and belted her in. Her suitcase and the tote bag I threw in the backseat. I kept my purse up front. My cell phone was in it.
    Wait. Shouldn’t I have my gun close?
    I grabbed it from the tote bag and stuck it in my purse. Mom was so confused she didn’t notice.
    In the car I pushed the button for the garage door. My pulse whooshed in my ears. Would we get out? They could be sitting right out there, waiting for us . . .
    I’d shot a man. Pulled the trigger four times . What if he died ?
    The door rolled open. I screeched out of the garage and driveway. On the street I threw a wild look at the sheriff’s van. Wouldn’t the deputy inside follow once he saw me rush out of there?
    I punched the garage door shut and took off down the street, passing the van.
    It didn’t move.
    “Hannah, you’re driving too fast.” Mom clutched her seat. “Where are we going? I want to go home.”
    “We can’t.”
    At the first corner I hesitated. Which way? Where on earth could we go?
    I turned left, heading for Edgewood Road. From there I gunned up to 280 and turned south.
    Mom was crying. “What’s happening, where are we going, who was that man?”
    I hunched over the steering wheel, my back like granite. “That man tried to kill both of us.”
    “ Why ?”
    “Don’t know. I just know I need to get you somewhere safe.” Someplace where I could stop and rest. Think this through.
    “We should call the police !” Her voice bent upward.
    I said nothing, my throat tight. We couldn’t call law enforcement. It was clear Samuelson had come to my house for two reasons. First, for my computer and backup drive. Second, to kill me. Maybe Mom too. The only reason he’d want to take my laptop and backup drive would be to get rid of the copy I’d made of that video.
    And the only people who knew I’d made that copy worked for the sheriff’s department.
    Who from that department was working with those fake agents? Harcroft? Wade? Or both. Maybe someone else who’d been told about the video.
    I’d bet it was Harcroft. He’d seemed suspicious of me the moment we met.
    What did that video mean? Why was it so important?
    Questions and protests spilled from Mom’s mouth. I shut her out. I had to think .
    Two clear points of action lasered through my brain, both of which had to be done now. Call Emily. And hit the nearest bank for the biggest ATM withdrawal I could make.
    We wouldn’t be going home anytime soon.

Chapter 12
    S tone’s phone buzzed. Roz’s number. He was late. Stone cursed and punched on the line. “ Where are you?”
    “It’s done.”
    “So why aren’t you here?”
    Roz’s breath sputtered.
    “What’s wrong with you?”
    “Nothing.”
    Stone’s eyes narrowed. “What is wrong with you?”
    “Nothing. Just took . . . longer than I thought. Hurrying . . . back to my car. Be there soon.”
    The man didn’t sound right. “You have her computer?”
    “Yeah. And backup drive.”
    “What’d she tell you?”
    “Nothing. She doesn’t know . . . anything.” Roz’s breath came in spurts.
    “What do you mean doesn’t ?”
    “Didn’t. Didn’t know.”
    Stone worked his jaw. “Did you kill her or not,