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Mallory couldn't breathe, couldn't make her limbs obey

Olsen opened her unshot blew a hole just above her kneecap, redfroed one blunt command to her body: Move

She shoved open her door and dove into the corn The gun fired again Glass shattered--the here her head had been a h the corn, her ears ringing She couldn't see, could only feel the corn cutting into her, slashing at her sleeves

"Come on, Mallory," Jones yelled, so person"

Mallory kept running The gun fired again, a bullet hissing through a corn stalk inches from her ear

Stupid, she scolded herself Jones can see the corn

She dove down, pressed herself into the snow

She heard Jones picking her way across the field, slowly co toward her

"Mallory, I don't have a problem with you But Chadwick is a killer Katherine's death really ot to see that"

Mallory knew the words were a lie Jones had brought her to this field to die

But her fathershe pictured him huddled in the cabinet at Katherine's house, in the secret space where she'd played hide-and-seek aunshot wound opening in her father's chest, his hand clutching at the blood, his eyes ith dismay She wanted to cry She wanted so hi closer to her "They had the whole thing planned You see that, don't you? Chadwick hates your parents He hates you You survived and his precious daughter didn't Katherine was my friend, Mallory--she told me what her father was like She killed herself because of him, because she knehat he was like and she couldn't live with the truth anymore I'm here to stop him I can't rely on the police to do that I'm here to protect you and Race That's Sa brother does"

"No," Mallory protested, realizing too late that she'd spoken aloud

The rustling stopped

Mallory heard a sound in the distance like horse's hooves, but it was only in her anize Strategize

What was there to survey? Jones was strong She was ar to die

No Not without a fight

She felt around her, found a peach-sized stone, sain, then Mallory saw a patch of green, Jones' flannel jacket, and threw her stone as high and as far away as possible

Somewhere off to the north, the rock splashed in the corn Jones stopped, then her green flannel receded She'd taken the bait Now her back would be to Mallory

Mallory slid her knife fro to leave here today, Mallory," Jones was calling "El Salvador, buy ht Givequestions as long as you got money You can come with me You and Race both New house, a new life You ever been to the beaches in Central America, honey? I hear"

Kindra's voice trailed off, and Mallory realized the clu sound she'd heard before had becoainst the earth

The rhythm slowed to a patter, and she heard a man's voice, followed by Olsen's broken liain, directly ahead--Kindra's jacket Mallory was considering a knife throw--ree back in caood for a novice Four-in-ten, life and death, against athose piss-poor odds when Chadwick's voice shouted her na above the corn on the back of the bay filly froe Washington All her life she'd heard that's who he looked like, but she'd never seen the reselossy with sweat Chadwick's clothes were torn and water-stained as if he'd ridden through a et here

Their eyesShe couldn't warn hiht of when she was s Chadwick as a father, a silent, gentle giant ould always protect her And now here he was, riding to her rescue Mallory wanted to cry She wanted to break down and yell at him to watch out But she couldn't do it She resented hilitch of adrenaline and hormones and heroin withdrawal Chadwick couldn't have ridden all this way in oneHe would've had to start at dawn, before he even knew she was in trouble

Chadwick's eyes were trying to cos Then his attention turned--he must've seen Kindra Jones He raised an old-fashioned revolver, but Jones had had plenty of time to aim A shot thundered, the horse whinnied in pain and toppled, taking Chadith it There was a sickening crunch, then the sound of the horse huffing, thrashing through the stalks

When the commotion died down, Mallory heard Jones say, "Well, lookee here My partner"