“What do you mean?”
“What happened all those years ago?”
His voice immediately became more careful. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“JD, stop lying to me!” It almost came out in a shout.
“You’re wrong. Listen, I’m almost home, and we’ll talk.”
“No. It’s over.” She gulped hard as the words spewed out of her mouth. “I don’t care if all this ruins your career, if it ruins our marriage. You’ve embarrassed both of us, but I’m putting an end to it right now. Do you hear me? I’m leaving the house now, and my lawyer will be in touch.”
“Lydia, you listen to me.” She had never heard his voice sound the way it just had, so threatening. “If you do anything, I’ll see that you regret it. Do you hear me? We’re almost to the house, and you and I will talk. We’ll take care of all of this. Do you hear me?”
Lydia opened her mouth, but she couldn’t find any words. She was as frightened as she’d ever been.
She stared at Jo, who had stood up and was saying something to her. The words were inaudible. Lydia couldn’t hear anything past the roaring in her ears. JD was talking, too. She blinked a few times, and in an instant everything came back into focus, and she heard JD yelling at her.
“Leave me alone!” she screamed into the phone.
JD was still yelling when she ended the call. She glanced out the window and saw headlights coming down the drive. She turned to Jo.
“They’re almost here! We have to leave.”
CHAPTER FIFTY
Jo knew Lydia was right. They couldn’t wait to confront JD. When he found they’d taken the drive and paperwork from the desk, he’d never let them out of the house alive. Jo stuffed the papers and USB drive in her pocket and grabbed Lydia’s hand.
“Come on.”
They ran into the hall. Jo thought fast. The garage was too far, and there’d be no way to get the car out without Kline stopping them. Lydia gestured frantically.
“They’ll come through the front door,” she whispered urgently. “Follow me.” Instead of heading toward the main staircase, she rushed in the opposite direction. “There’s a back stairway.”
“You’re sure Samual and Alice are gone?” Jo asked.
“Yes.”
Jo caught up to Lydia as they reached a narrow stairwell. Jo stopped and held up a hand.
“Let me go first.”
They hurried quietly down the stairs, and Lydia pointed the way to go. They ran down a hallway, turned a corner, and then approached the sitting room. Kline and JD were yelling, their voices coming from the front of the house. Options ran though Jo’s mind like lightning.
“We’ll run to a neighbor’s,” she whispered.
Lydia looked terrified, but she nodded. They crouched down, and Jo darted toward a door that led to the back patio. She turned the knob carefully and eased open the door, then waved Lydia out. Jo started outside and quietly shut the door behind her. She didn’t say a word to Lydia, just motioned. They hurried around deck furniture, past the pool, and into a yard with plenty of trees, but a lot of open space as well.
“Stay low, and stick with me,” Jo said.
They needed to call the police, but she didn’t want to chance being spotted. In the darkness, the phone screen would light like a beacon, giving away their position. Plus, there was no way the police would get there fast enough to help. Right now, they just had to get away from Kline and JD.
She wondered about Kline shooting at them. He and JD were desperate and wouldn’t want their secrets revealed. Kline could have a silencer on his weapon as well, which would mean little noise or attention if he did fire at them. And even if anyone saw what was going on, she had no doubt Kline and JD had ways to cover up what they were doing. Hell, they’d done that before.
With those thoughts racing through her mind, Jo ran to a tree, Lydia so close her quick breaths were in her ear. Jo paused behind the tree trunk and glanced back to the house. Was that someone looking out a window? She couldn’t be sure. She looked ahead. There was a large open area they would have to cross, lit by the moonlight.
“Run fast,” she murmured.
She didn’t give Lydia a chance to argue, just sprinted across the open space. They reached a small grove of trees and ran through that. Another clearing awaited, but they were farther from the house now, where she hoped they wouldn’t be spotted. They kept running, and then Jo helped Lydia over a picket fence and into the neighbor’s yard. A mansion loomed in the distance, lights on in a few windows.
“I don’t know if Bev’s at home,” Lydia said.
“We should call the police now.”
As Jo headed toward the house, Lydia lagged behind.
“I’ll call.”
Jo turned to see her pulling her phone from her pocket. She started to dial, the bluish light of the phone screen piercing the darkness. Then she stumbled, hit the ground hard, and cried out.
“Ow! My wrist.”
Lydia clutched her left arm. Jo rushed to help her up, and as she did so, she looked back.
A dark figure was chasing them, and behind that, another one.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
JD entered through the front door, Kline right behind him. JD’s fury had been building the entire drive home, exacerbated by his phone call with Lydia.
