BooksBarbecue
Back Strangers She Knows Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. Dedication
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. BPA
  61. Author Bio

If she drove that truck over Mara, she’d die in the blast she herself had engineered.

Kellen gave it one last fruitless try, knowing Mara would snap at the challenge she had set.

From outside the back door, she heard a mocking laugh.

She leaped out of the driver’s seat, leaving the door open, the key swinging. She shoved open one of the wide carriage doors and fled outside. She ran. God, she ran, and as she did, her mind built the scene in her mind.

Mara entered the garage. She saw the truck, the lights on, the driver’s door open. She jumped inside, tried the key, heard the engine almost turn over. Maybe she saw the starter button, maybe she didn’t. Maybe she knew what it was for, maybe she didn’t. Who cared? She sat in that truck. That was all that mattered.

At a safe distance, Kellen stopped and turned, anticipating that moment when the lit fuse hit the blasting cap, the dynamite ignited, and the garage, and Max’s beloved truck, and Mara vanished in a fiery blast.

“Come on,” she whispered. “Blow!” How long until the fuse burned down?

Max had never succeeded in making the truck run… He was going to have a hard time with this loss, and the loss of all his beloved equipment… But he was a sensible man and valued her life more than a truck… She was pretty sure…

She narrowed her eyes at the garage. Maybe, when this was over, she would go looking for a truck for him to repair. A goldenrod-yellow F-100. That would ease whatever heartbreak he felt from—

From inside the garage, she heard the roar of an engine.

What the hell?

The truck came blasting through the garage doors, driven with maniacal fervor by a grinning killer.

47

No!

What the hell?

No!

How was this possible?

Max hadn’t managed to get the truck running. He hadn’t…

Wait. She remembered. When Rae had come home, horrified by her encounter with the blood-soaked Dylan, Max had been under the truck. That day, he had been sure he would get it running.

Well, he had. “Oh, Max,” she moaned. Of course, once his baby girl had been stricken, he never thought of the damned truck again.

Did he even know?

Mara raced forward, gaining speed through the wet grass, toward Kellen.

Great. The woman could drive a stick shift.

As the sun lit the interior of the truck’s cab, Kellen could see her, Mara Philippi, maniacal and vengeful, with black hair that stood up like a Bride of Frankenstein parody.

Kellen ran.

She ran harder than she had ever run in her life. Because if Mara got close before the dynamite blew, Kellen would be blasted to kingdom come accompanied by her worst enemy. They might not both be going to the same eventual destination, but by God, Kellen didn’t want to make the journey with Mara.