Page 89 of Adam's Rising

“You know who. Adam.”

“He’s not here.”

Boyd swayed. “They’re gonna kill me, Claire. If I don’t give them what they want…”

Claire’s spine stiffened. “Where’s Peter?”

Boyd’s eyes darted. “I wish I knew. They took him. Thought he was Adam.”

Claire stepped forward, rage and fear rising in tandem. “Where is he?”

“Hewas… the same place they had you.” Boyd laughed, harsh and broken. “Doesn’t matter now. He’s gone.”

Claire’s breath caught. “What do you meangone?”

“Your little friend escaped. Now he’s lost somewhere out there, and they’re pissed.”

Claire gripped the porch railing.

“They’re looking for him now. But so am I. ’Cause if they find him first, it’s over. He don’t know nothing. Your boyfriend don’t know nothing. And me?” He let out another bitter laugh. “They’ll chop off my balls and feed them to me because, guess what? I don’t know nothing, either.”

Boyd was spiraling.

She slid her hand to the gun.

“Thomas bypassed me a long time ago. Went straight to the snake’s mouth. I was just the guy who made the intro. But in their world, that makes me liable.”

Claire didn’t need to hear another word.

“Leave. Now.”

Boyd flung his head back. “You never cared.”

She didn’t respond. Just stared him down until he climbed back into his fancy truck.

Only when his taillights disappeared did she drop onto the rocker, just outside the sliding glass door. She needed to stay within earshot of the phone.

Adam said he’d call after each stop.

24

Adam had never driven so fast. He’d called to see if Claire heard anything before driving back to Wasilla from Anchorage, and she’d shared the entire story.

He barely registered the shape of the road, just the blur of trees and the thrum of the tires beneath him.

Claire’s words kept echoing:He escaped.Denali,again.They’re looking for him now.

Peter was out there. Cold. Alone. Possibly hunted.

He gripped the wheel tighter. “Hold on, Peter. I’m coming.”

Since Peter made it out, he would stay within the trees but follow the stream that paralleled the trail — like their father taught them. He was smart and still alive. But time was running out.

When he reached the junction, he slammed on the brakes, sliding into gravel.

Rusty, already waiting in his truck, stepped out with a pair of borrowed search-and-rescue dogs and two backpacks.

“Ready?” Rusty asked.