This time, John was the one who grabbed her hand as he moved deeper into the forest. She went with him for a few steps before giving him a tug and leading him to their left. If she wasn’t mistaken—and she really hoped she wasn’t—there was a path in that direction, one of Felicity’s favorite routes when she was torturing her sisters by making them trail run.

Now that there were more trees between them and the detectives, Molly couldn’t see them anymore. She picked up her pace, wincing at every rustle and crunch her boots made, but needing to move faster. Any second, the detectives could be on them. Her pulse beat quickly in her throat as her fingers tightened around John’s. He was right behind her, trusting that she knew where she was going, so she could’ve released him…but she didn’t. The press of his warm palm against hers was the only thing keeping her calm enough to think.

Weaving around a clump of scrubby pine trees, she broke through the brush and stepped onto the path. Relief coursed over her, making her knees shaky, but she ignored that and sped up, her fast walk turning into a jog. The trail was wide enough for John to fall in next to her, making it impossible for her to pretend she needed to hold his hand anymore. She was surprised at her reluctance to release him, but forced her fingers to let go anyway. He jogged easily next to her as she risked a glance over her shoulder at the spot where they’d emerged from the trees.

No one was there—no one she could see, at least.

“Who was on the phone?” John asked a few minutes later, his voice low but annoyingly even. She, on the other hand, was already starting to breathe heavily, thanks to the running and an overdose of adrenaline.

“Sergeant Blake.” She paused for a breath before continuing. “Warning us that…the detectives…want to bring us in. Said to…get to the station…and one of the local cops…will take our statements…minus the handcuffing and detaining.”

“Nice of her to warn us.”

Not willing to waste any more breath, Molly just gave an affirmative grunt, which made John smile fondly at her for some odd reason.

“Are we headed to the station, or are we still running away?” he asked a few moments later.

“The station.” When he gave her a raised-eyebrow look, she added, “After backtracking…a little.”

Instead of protesting the detour, he just settled in next to her. She got the impression that he could run at this speed for hours, and she mentally promised herself that she would work harder during Felicity’s training sessions. Already, she was dreading it. She loathed running.

They followed the trail as it looped around and joined up with a logging road. The two-track felt too wide and exposed, especially as they reached the edge of the forest. Staying in the trees, Molly checked the area before stepping out onto the paved city street. They were several blocks away from her house, and she was fairly confident that they’d managed to lose the detectives.