He pulled out of the station onto the road and headed for the boat. It was the in-between time on this side, it seemed, too early for the rush of commuters coming back, and too early for those heading over to the city for the evening. And so he had the road pretty much to himself at the moment, only a few cars in sight ahead. His regular glance in the rearview mirror told him it was even sparser behind him, without a vehicle in sight.

Just as he looked back forward, something registered, like a freeze-frame of an image. His gaze shot back to the mirror. He’d been right. It had been a flash of bright blue that had caught his eye. He waited, realized he was holding his breath and forced himself to suck in some air. The blue got closer, close enough that he knew. Definitely Greg’s car; the likelihood of there being two of those classics here, on this road at this moment, was so slim as to be nonexistent. It was still raining fairly hard, so he couldn’t see into the vehicle. Not that he needed to, he could imagine Amanda at the wheel easily enough.

He made himself look forward again. Saw that he’d slowed to a creep, only then aware he’d taken his foot off the accelerator.

Good thing there’s not much traffic, Kirk. You’re driving like an idiot.

He resisted the urge to cut onto a side street and let her go past him, even though it would be easier to stay clear of her if she was ahead of him. But she was close enough to see him now, and if she recognized his truck, which she probably would, she’d know he was dodging. Why that mattered, with everything else she thought of him, he wasn’t sure. But it did.

They could still ignore each other, he told himself. Even if she was still right behind him when they boarded. Maybe he’d get lucky and they’d end up getting on at the point where the crew divided the oncoming vehicles, sending them to opposite sides of the vessel. Maybe—

A resounding crash cut off his thoughts. No screech of tires, but the road was probably too wet for that. Nothing in front of him... His heart jammed up in his throat. And even before he looked in the rearview mirror, he somehow knew.

The blue car was not in sight. Another vehicle was making a wild U-turn, and it sped off in the opposite direction.

He made the same maneuver and sped back the way he’d come. Not after the fleeing vehicle, but with his eyes scanning, searching...

There. A glimpse of blue. The side of a car at an unnatural angle. Greg Bonner’s pride and joy, sideways in the roadside drainage ditch. Smoke rising from the engine compartment.

And Amanda, pinned inside.

Chapter 9