Melissa looked up, straight into the horrified look in his eyes.

“You came! I prayed for help, and God sent you! I can’t climb any farther without sliding back down.”

“You don’t have to do anything more. I’ve got you. Give me your other hand,” he said, and when she turned loose and reached up, he caught her other wrist.

Slowly, slowly, he began scooting backwards across the muddy ground and pulling her up until she was on the road. Then he stood and picked her up in his arms.

“Oh, honey…baby… What did he do to you? Let me get you in the car.”

She locked her arms around his neck as he carried her back to the car. The moment the door was open, she crawled inside on her own, shaking so hard her teeth were chattering.

“How can I feel cold when I’m bathed in sweat?” she asked.

“You’re going into shock,” Sully said as he buckled her in, then got a blanket from the trunk of his car, reclined the seat a little, and covered her up. “Did he throw you out of the car?”

“No. I was in the trunk. I got myself untied, but he was going so fast I didn’t know what to do. Then he hit a big hole and the trunk lid popped up. I was about to climb out when he gunned the engine to get out of the hole. It threw me out of the trunk, and I rolled off the road and then fell over the edge. I’m caked with mud. Your car is going to be a mess.”

“To hell with messes, and you’re sitting on leather seats. Everything will wash, including us,” Sully said.

He reached for the pocket on the back of her seat and grabbed a bottle of water and opened it, then remembered how raw and scratched her hands were.

“I’ll hold it, you drink,” he said, and when he put it to her lips, she drank thirstily.

“Thank you,” she said, and then started to cry again. “I can’t seem to stop.”

“You cry all you want. I need to let the Chief know I have you, and then we’re going to the ER.”

Melissa laid her head back and closed her eyes as Sully got in the car and made the call.

Chief Pittman saw the caller ID and groaned. They’d just arrived at Sugar Slade’s house and discovered the stolen car empty and no sign of Melissa. Sugar told them Hoover had arrived here without her, and that’s all she knew. Now Lon and his men were waiting for the county sheriff and the Georgia State Police to show. He’d come after Melissa. The search for Slade was theirs. He didn’t know what the hell he was going to say to Sully when he answered.

“Hello.”

“Chief, I’ve got Melissa. It’s a bit of a story, but she’s somewhat mobile. I’m taking her to the ER.”

“Thank God,” Lon said. “When we got here and found an empty trunk, we were sick. Take care. We’ll catch up with you later.”