in the curve of her neck. “Just let me hold you. Give me a minute.” A minute to get his fear and fury under control. A minute to realize that he hadn’t lost Gwen. She was right there, with him. Safe. Alive.
Her fingers fluttered over his shoulders. “Chance?”
“I couldn’t get to you fast enough.” His hold was probably crushing her. He should ease up. He just—couldn’t. Maybe he needed another minute. Maybe twenty more minutes. “The van was coming right at you.
I couldn’t get to you fast enough.”
She pushed against his shoulders. Finally, Chance managed to ease back, just a few inches. Her expression was worried. “I’m okay,” Gwen said softly. “It was just an accident, I’m—”
His phone rang, vibrating in his pocket.
Gwen’s jaw tightened. “That had so better not be my father again.”
Chance kept one arm around Gwen while he pulled out his phone. His gaze swept the area. The van was long gone.
That van had been familiar. I saw it before, back at—
“We’ve got a problem,” Lex said when Chance put the phone to his ear. “A big damn one. You need to get down to the police station with Gwen because it sure looks like Ethan may not be the only threat facing your lady.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got that part already.” Because that van—that dark van—it had been the same one he’d seen the other night at Gwen’s place. He knew that make and model. The guy had just tried to run her down.
He tried to kill Gwen.
“We’re on the way.” He put the phone back into his pocket.
“Chance?” Gwen stared up at him.
Oh, hell, but he hated to do this… “Baby, that wasn’t some distracted driver.” He went back into the road. Pointed to the marks that were so easy to see in the falling snow. “The driver was waiting for his moment to attack. When he saw you, when you made a good target, he came right at you. He accelerated and he swerved to try and hit you. Not to avoid you.” The marks on the road told a clear story.
Gwen’s arms wrapped around her stomach. “That guy wanted to kill me?”
Kill her…or, at the very least, hurt her. Badly.
“Why? What have I done? Is Ethan doing this? Did he hire whoever was driving that van?” Now she looked down the empty road. She shivered. “I want this over.”
So did he. “We need to get to the police station.” There was a camera positioned right above the intersection. Faith would get them access to that camera. They’d find that bastard.
And I will stop you. Because you aren’t going to take Gwen from me.
***
At the police station, Gwen stared through the one-way mirror into the interrogation room. Ethan was seated at the table, and he seemed to be staring right back at her.
“He can’t see you,” the detective told her. Faith. The detective’s name was Faith Chestang. She’d been waiting when Gwen arrived at the station. Faith had worked for Gwen’s father years before, and Gwen had been glad to see a familiar face at the PD. “He knows someone is out here, of course,” Faith added, “but the guy has no idea it’s you.”
One of Ethan’s wrists was handcuffed to the table.
“Why is he doing this?” The
why
was driving Gwen crazy. “We broke up. People do that all the time. They break up, and then they move the hell on.” They didn’t put cameras inside the homes of their exes. They didn’t—jeez, what had he done? Hire someone to mow her down in that van?
“You know his ex-fiancée died in a car crash.” Faith’s voice had turned musing.
Gwen didn’t look away from Ethan. It was hard to think that she’d once had sex with a man who now wanted her dead.
“I did some digging on that incident,” Faith said. “And I’m not so sure it was an accident.”
Her words pulled Gwen’s gaze off Ethan. “What?”
“She was driving a brand new car. Her brakes shouldn’t have gone out, not without some help. If we still had the car, I’d get my techs to go over it…because I’d lay odds we
Her fingers fluttered over his shoulders. “Chance?”
“I couldn’t get to you fast enough.” His hold was probably crushing her. He should ease up. He just—couldn’t. Maybe he needed another minute. Maybe twenty more minutes. “The van was coming right at you.
I couldn’t get to you fast enough.”
She pushed against his shoulders. Finally, Chance managed to ease back, just a few inches. Her expression was worried. “I’m okay,” Gwen said softly. “It was just an accident, I’m—”
His phone rang, vibrating in his pocket.
Gwen’s jaw tightened. “That had so better not be my father again.”
Chance kept one arm around Gwen while he pulled out his phone. His gaze swept the area. The van was long gone.
That van had been familiar. I saw it before, back at—
“We’ve got a problem,” Lex said when Chance put the phone to his ear. “A big damn one. You need to get down to the police station with Gwen because it sure looks like Ethan may not be the only threat facing your lady.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got that part already.” Because that van—that dark van—it had been the same one he’d seen the other night at Gwen’s place. He knew that make and model. The guy had just tried to run her down.
He tried to kill Gwen.
“We’re on the way.” He put the phone back into his pocket.
“Chance?” Gwen stared up at him.
Oh, hell, but he hated to do this… “Baby, that wasn’t some distracted driver.” He went back into the road. Pointed to the marks that were so easy to see in the falling snow. “The driver was waiting for his moment to attack. When he saw you, when you made a good target, he came right at you. He accelerated and he swerved to try and hit you. Not to avoid you.” The marks on the road told a clear story.
Gwen’s arms wrapped around her stomach. “That guy wanted to kill me?”
Kill her…or, at the very least, hurt her. Badly.
“Why? What have I done? Is Ethan doing this? Did he hire whoever was driving that van?” Now she looked down the empty road. She shivered. “I want this over.”
So did he. “We need to get to the police station.” There was a camera positioned right above the intersection. Faith would get them access to that camera. They’d find that bastard.
And I will stop you. Because you aren’t going to take Gwen from me.
***
At the police station, Gwen stared through the one-way mirror into the interrogation room. Ethan was seated at the table, and he seemed to be staring right back at her.
“He can’t see you,” the detective told her. Faith. The detective’s name was Faith Chestang. She’d been waiting when Gwen arrived at the station. Faith had worked for Gwen’s father years before, and Gwen had been glad to see a familiar face at the PD. “He knows someone is out here, of course,” Faith added, “but the guy has no idea it’s you.”
One of Ethan’s wrists was handcuffed to the table.
“Why is he doing this?” The
why
was driving Gwen crazy. “We broke up. People do that all the time. They break up, and then they move the hell on.” They didn’t put cameras inside the homes of their exes. They didn’t—jeez, what had he done? Hire someone to mow her down in that van?
“You know his ex-fiancée died in a car crash.” Faith’s voice had turned musing.
Gwen didn’t look away from Ethan. It was hard to think that she’d once had sex with a man who now wanted her dead.
“I did some digging on that incident,” Faith said. “And I’m not so sure it was an accident.”
Her words pulled Gwen’s gaze off Ethan. “What?”
“She was driving a brand new car. Her brakes shouldn’t have gone out, not without some help. If we still had the car, I’d get my techs to go over it…because I’d lay odds we
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