What Are You Afraid Of? (The Agency #2)(64)

The wide tires spun on the ice, fishtailing the back of the truck so when the SUV slammed into them it sent them spinning into the ditch instead of forward and off the bridge.

Carmen cried out, grabbing the dashboard to absorb the majority of the impact. Griff clutched the steering wheel and continued to smash his foot against the gas pedal. The tires churned through the mud, slogging them slowly forward into a nearby field.

Griff glanced over his shoulder, seeing the SUV come to a halt, the front bumper half hanging off and the headlights busted. There was a brief hesitation as the attacker was no doubt considering whether to pursue them into the field. Then, with another squeal of tires, the SUV was backing down the road at a reckless speed.

Griff cursed as he realized the damaged bumper was hiding the license plate. And worse, the angle of the sun reflected off the windshield, meaning he could only catch a shadowed outline of the driver.

Once certain that the SUV wasn’t planning another round of bumper cars, Griff stomped on the brakes and put the truck in park. Then he swiveled in his seat to study Carmen’s tense expression.

That’d been close.

Too close.

If he’d attempted to cross the bridge, the slightest tap from behind would likely have sent them spinning over the edge and into the river.

An icy fury detonated through him. Not only at the mystery driver who’d tried to ram them into the river. But at himself for not paying attention to their surroundings.

He’d allowed the empty roads to lull him into a false sense of safety. A near-fatal mistake.

“Are you okay?” he demanded, his voice harsh with a toxic combination of fear and anger.

“I think so.” She released a shaky breath. “Some people shouldn’t be allowed to drive when there’s ice on the road.”

“That was no accident.”

Griff heard her suck in a startled breath. “You think they deliberately tried to hit us?”

“I think they tried to kill us,” he corrected.

There was a shocked silence as Carmen glanced over her shoulder at the empty road, then toward the icy bridge. It didn’t take her long to realize how close they’d come to disaster.

Her face paled, but she turned back to confront him with a determined expression. Her courage tugged at his heart, even as it made his gut twist with dread.

There was no way he was going to be able to convince her to find a place where she would be safe until this was over.

“Did you see the driver?” she asked.

He shook his head. “The sunlight was reflecting off the windshield. I couldn’t see more than a shadowy figure behind the steering wheel.”

Disappointment darkened her eyes. He knew that it must feel like fate itself was trying to prevent her from discovering the identity of her stalker.

“Should we call the police?”

He considered their options before giving a shake of his head. The local cops would dismiss it as an accident caused by the slippery roads. Besides, they wouldn’t have the manpower or the training to locate the SUV. Griff would bet good money that it was already stashed in a hidden location until it could be repaired.

“We’ll report it to Nikki when we see her,” he finally said. “She’ll have more resources.”

Carmen shivered and he reached to switch the heater on high. He ached to pull her into his arms and comfort her, but he’d already failed Carmen once by letting down his guard.

It wasn’t going to happen again.

He allowed his gaze to roam over the empty field before returning to the rearview mirror to keep watch on the road.

“It had to be one of my family, right?” Carmen demanded. “But how would they know we’re here?”

He considered her question. “They might have suspected we’d discovered the truth of the insurance money,” he at last suggested. “The logical place to search for evidence would be your grandparents’ home.”

“The evidence they already stole,” she muttered.

His jaw tightened. It didn’t matter if the actual policy was missing or not. Eventually he would be able to track down the insurance company and get a copy of it. What pissed him off was the knowledge that the bastard had intruded into Carmen’s home. How could she ever feel safe there again?

“True,” he agreed. “Or someone might have followed us from the hotel.”

She released a shaky breath. “This is insanity.”

“You’re not going to get an argument from me,” he said in dry tones, giving one last glance around before he shoved open the door of the truck. Even if he wasn’t one hundred percent certain that the attacker wasn’t waiting down the road for them, they couldn’t stay there all day. “I’m going to check the truck.”

He climbed out, grimacing as his feet sunk into the muddy field. His shoes would be ruined. No big loss. But his wet socks were going to make the drive to Chicago uncomfortable.

Moving down the side of the truck, he bent to examine the crumpled metal where the SUV had slammed into them. The impact had dented the side panel just behind the wheel, and a section of the tailgate, but the damage was mostly cosmetic. Now the only worry was whether he could get the thing out of the muddy field.

Oh, and whether there was still a crazed killer on the road who wanted them dead.

Climbing back into the truck, he shut his door and pulled on his seat belt.