The bastard would not take what was hers. He would not harm what she loved.

She stumbled for the knife block, but it was gone.

She turned back, prepared to leap, to use teeth and nails. And saw Evan standing over Zack’s body, the knife dripping in his hand.

“Oh, my God, no! No!”

“Your knight in shining armor, Helen? Is this the man you’ve been fucking behind my back? He’s not dead yet. I have a right to kill him for trying to steal my wife.”

“Don’t.” She drew in a breath, released it. Struggled to gather herself and find her core of strength. “I’ll go with you. I’ll do anything you want.”

“You will, anyway,” Evan commanded.

“He doesn’t matter.” She began to edge around the counter, saw Diego crouched, teeth bared. “He doesn’t matter to either of us. It’s me you want, isn’t it? You came all this way for me.”

He would go after her. If she could get out the door, he’d go after her and leave Zack. It took all her will to keep herself from throwing herself down over Zack, to shield him. If she did, if she so much as looked at him now, they were both dead.

“I knew you would,” she continued, every muscle trembling as she watched Evan lower the knife to his side. “I always knew.”

Evan took one step toward her, and the cat leaped like a tiger on his back. With his howl of rage in her ears, Nell ran.

She veered toward the street, toward the village, but even as she glanced back, he was coming through the door. She would never make it.

So, it would be the two of them, after all. Putting her faith in the fates, she dived into the trees.

Zack pulled himself to his knees as Evan bolted out the door. The pain was like hot teeth gnawing at his shoulder. Blood dripped from his fingers as he got to his feet.

Then he thought of Nell and forgot the pain.

He was flying out the door just as the trees swallowed her and the man who pursued her.

“Zack!”

He paused only to flick a terrified glance at his sister and Mia. “He’s after her. He’s got a knife, and she doesn’t have much lead.”

Ripley bit down on the worry. His shirt was soaked with blood. She nodded, drew her weapon as he did. “Whatever you’ve got,” she said to Mia, “we use.”

She plunged into the woods behind her brother.

In the dark of the moon, the night was blind. She ran like a wild thing, tearing through brush, leaping over fallen branches. If she could lose him, get him deep enough in and lose him, she could circle back to Zack.

She prayed with every beat of her heart that he was alive.