Free Unleashed by Nancy Holder Page A

been wandering around in the forest by herself when she’d been killed. Katelyn had assumed it had been an animal, but what had Beau been implying in history class? With a shiver, Katelyn thought of the scratching at the door.
    She followed Trick’s gaze. “I hate to tell you this, but we’re not going to make it.”
    He gripped the wheel tight. “I know.”
    “It’s cool, though. You called my grandfather and told him we were going to be late.” It was true; she had heard Trick make the phone call. She was grateful, because she’d realized she hadn’t bothered putting Ed’s number in her iPhone.
    “Unfortunately, it’s not cool,” she heard him mumble.
    “I’m sure he understands,” Katelyn said. “I mean, you didn’t plan to have your tires slashed.”
    “Oh, yeah, he understands,” Trick said, biting the words off.
    The road twisted and wound and she watched as trees streaked by, the last light of the sun making them glow. Then it was gone and the trees became shadows, leaning toward the car, branches occasionally illuminated by Trick’s headlights. They didn’t look nearly as friendly as during the day. She felt like she was in the Snow White ride at Disneyland and at any moment the trees would come to life and try to grab her. Kimi always said Katelyn went for drama.
    The road narrowed to one lane and she wondered what cars did when they arrived at those stretches from opposite directions. Then again, there probably weren’t enough cars that came this way for it to be a real problem.
    She continued to stare outside as she waited for her eyes to adjust. But even after a couple of minutes, she still couldn’t see anything not directly illuminated by the headlights. The darkness was complete, impenetrable. We’re all alone , she realized. There were no other cars, no house lights, nothing. There were just the road, the tree branches that stretched for them as they went by, and them.
    She shivered. What if something happens to the new tires? What if the car breaks down? Fear began to creep into her mind as she strained even harder to penetrate the darkness around her. Maybe it made sense to be so cautious. She glanced at Trick and wrapped her arms around herself, wishing she could laugh off how silly she was being.
    Suddenly, as they rounded a tight turn, she saw Trick’s face change. She caught a glimpse of something in the middle of the road; then he was shouting and swerving. The car fishtailed and Katelyn screamed and braced herself against the dashboard.
    And as soon as it had started, it was over. They came to a skidding halt.
    “Don’t look, Kat,” Trick ordered.
    Of course she looked; just inches from the front bumper, a deer was sprawled across the road, its eyes frozen, blank, dead, and wide in terror. Dead! She looked away, her stomach tightening, and thought of the heads on her grandfather’s wall. Someone must have hit it .
    Still, she heard herself ask, “What happened to it?”
    Trick didn’t say anything.
    The deer’s body blocked the road; the closely spaced trees on either side made it impossible to go around. Exhaling raggedly, she turned to Trick and saw the muscles in his jaw working. He glanced up at the pitch-black sky and muttered under his breath.
    “What?” she asked.
    “Stay here.”
    “Why, where are you going?” she asked. Panic flooded her. What if he disappeared into the woods and didn’t come back? What if he left her?
    He didn’t look at her as he pulled the emergency brake and put the Mustang in neutral. “I’m going to drag the deer off the road. Stay in the car and don’t come out for anything. The woods aren’t safe at night. Lots of animals and crazies running around.”
    “ Crazies ?” she echoed. What was that supposed to mean?
    In the distance, she could hear the sound of drums beginning to beat. Was that what he meant? The wolf retreat? The executive on the plane had been a lot of things—crazy maybe, but homicidal seemed like a leap.