Car doors slammed. She heard men’s voices. They were too far away to make out what was being said, but the tension in the exchanges was unmistakable.

The music started a moment later. The ominous notes rode the paranormal currents of energy that laced the fog, seeking her, summoning her. Drawing her.

“The recorder player,” she said.

CHAPTER 25

They followed us,” Harlan said. He listened to the music that was slithering through the night, searching for its prey. “How the hell did they navigate that road in this fog?”

“I don’t know,” Olivia said. “Talk about taking an incredible risk.”

“The real question is, how did they know where to stop? I got rid of the tracking device before we left the Sefton house.”

“Tracking devices don’t work in these mountains anyway, not this far from the main highway.”

“Huh.”

“What?”

“They’re using the recorder.”

“I noticed,” Olivia said. “So?”

“Why not use it to follow us up this old side road? Why stop down there on the highway?”

“Risking the highway at night is dangerous enough. Trying to drive up this road would be impossible. It’s not even paved.”

“What does that have to do with it?”

“The pavement suppresses some of the energy infused in the ground,” Olivia said. “The heat on an unpaved road like this one is more intense.”

“They managed to follow us this far but now they’re stuck down there?”

“I think so,” Olivia said.

He looked at her, searching for any indication that she might be falling under the hypnotic spell of the recorder. In the eerie shadows it was impossible to read her eyes.

How was he going to protect her this time? There was no convenient brick wall. They were trapped in a vehicle parked on an isolated mountain road. The SUV’s heavy frame provided some protection, but they had left one of the windows cracked open for fresh air. Closing it wouldn’t do much good. The glass muted the effects of the music but it did not stop them.

The worst-case scenario was that he would have to forcibly restrain her. That would not be easy. If she was unable to fight the compulsion of the music, she would fight him. He really did not want to think about how that would end. He needed to be outside the SUV, hunting for the recorder player.

Olivia stared out the window as if trying to see through the heavy fog. “That’s the same music we heard in Seattle, isn’t it?”

Her voice was tight. Tension radiated from her. He knew she was running hot in an effort to suppress the pull of the music. If she lost control and tried to get out of the car to follow the lure, he would have to act. She might thank him later, but tonight it was going to be bad.

“Yes,” he said.