“Why, Lauren?” he asked. “Why fake your death? Why didn’t you just come home?”
She dropped her gaze.
“I found out what Victor and that fund were doing with your company,” she said softly. “They needed your name to wash their money. When I refused to keep my mouth shut, they cut the brakes on my car. They thought I’d die. Mike helped me disappear. If I’d gone back to you… they would’ve killed you too.”
Nathan shut his eyes as guilt surged through him—every warning of hers he’d brushed aside, every instinct he’d dismissed. The weight of it was almost physical.
He didn’t get the chance to say more.
An engine roared in the distance. Headlights tore through the fog. Lauren’s face went white.
“They found us,” she whispered.
Nathan scanned the woods. Lauren pointed to a narrow trail behind the trees.
“That path,” she said. “You can cross the river on the rocks. I did it once.”
“Let’s go,” Aiden urged, grabbing Lauren’s hand. “Now.”
The three of them ran, Ranger in front, barking in alarm. Behind them, a voice boomed through a megaphone:
“Nathan Cole! Don’t run! You know too much!”
Victor.
Bullets tore through branches and dirt. Rocks exploded, throwing sparks. Lauren stumbled, but Nathan caught her.