The Cradle Conspiracy. Christy Barritt

      Devin’s eyes flickered into the rearview mirror. “I don’t see him yet.”

      “Do you know where this road goes?”

      “It goes to the top of the mountain.”

      “To your cabin?”

      “No.”

      “Then where?

      “It ends.”

      Sienna sucked in a breath. “That doesn’t sound like a great plan.”

      “Trust me.”

      “I hardly know you.”

      “I realize that. And I know this is difficult. But I do have a plan.” With that, Devin turned the wheel again—turned it hard again—until they barreled toward some tall pine trees on the edge of the road.

      Sienna sucked in a breath when she spotted the blackness just beyond the trees. It was dark there because there was nothing. Nothing but a cliff.

      Just what was Devin thinking? He was going to kill them all.

      Sienna’s racing heart agreed.

      As the edge of the cliff got closer and closer, a small voice came from the back seat. “Mama? Mama?”

      Colby was awake. And he began to wail in fear.

      The sound echoed in the car, matching exactly what Sienna was feeling.

      Especially when, in the next instant, the SUV lurched forward.

       FOUR

      Devin watched as the cliff materialized in front of them as a void, as nothing but darkness and air.

      Darkness and air that they barreled toward.

      Sienna screamed beside Devin and reached for the dash, bracing herself for the impact—or lack thereof.

      Devin jerked the steering wheel to the left, and the car drifted.

      Devin held his breath.

      Waited.

      Anticipated.

      Finally, the wheels gained traction—only mere inches from the ledge. Just inches beyond that, the earth ended and anything crossing its path would tumble down hundreds of feet.

      It could have been a certain death.

      Instead, the SUV turned against the rocky road.

      Devin released the air in his lungs as the tires gained traction again. Pressing the accelerator, he sped down a service road running alongside the cliff.

      He glanced over at Sienna and saw her pale face. Saw her clutching the armrest. Saw her frozen, hardly even breathing as she stared straight ahead with wide, fear-stricken eyes.

      As soon as Colby wailed again, her stupor cracked, and she turned toward the boy. She sounded stiff as she said, “It’s going to be okay, sweetie.”

      Devin glanced in the rearview mirror. The car pursuing them had turned, chasing after him.

      He watched as the driver cluelessly charged toward the cliff.

      A flash of red lit against the underbrush.

      Brake lights.

      He vaguely saw the outline of the car. The vehicle still appeared on land—but barely. It had stopped face-first on the rocky ledge.

      His heart rate slowed. That would slow this guy down for a while. He’d have to carefully maneuver the vehicle out—which would buy Devin some much-needed time.

      Devin continued down the road until turning right back onto the street he’d originally been traveling on. But instead of heading in the same direction, he decided to take the longer way around—just to ensure this guy didn’t get a clue about where he was going.

      “What are you doing?” Sienna asked. Fear laced her voice—and maybe a touch of weariness.

      “I’m just taking an alternate route. I don’t want to lead this guy to the cabin.”

      “This place...could he look it up under your name?”

      Good. She was thinking things through. That was what they needed right now—to keep a cool ahead. “It’s in my uncle’s name—on my mom’s side. This guy shouldn’t find it. If he does, it’s going to take some time. We’ll be safe there for tonight, at least.”

      Colby wailed in the back again.

      Devin saw the tension across Sienna’s face. Not being able to hold the child now was killing her. She angled her body toward the back seat and extended her hand. The boy latched on to her finger instead.

      Devin wished he could stop and let Sienna hold Colby now, but they couldn’t risk the interruption. No, right now they needed to get as far away as possible. Time was of the essence, especially until they were safe and out of sight.

      Thankfully, the cabin was only a couple miles from here.

      Devin’s knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel. There was more going on here than he’d ever assumed, and he didn’t like any of it. There were too many unknowns. Too much danger. Too much at stake.

      Namely, Colby. By default, Sienna as well. The lengths this guy was going to showed desperation and determination.

      Finally, Devin reached his old family cabin. It was set off far from the road, nestled in a fortress of tall trees and mountains. The nine-hundred-square-foot log home with the broad porch was a welcome sight.

      The place brought back a flash of memories—some warm, others grief stricken. He didn’t have time to dwell on the past now, though. No, right now was about survival.

      He pulled the car around to the back, just in case their pursuer drove past. He wanted to make it as difficult as possible for anyone to locate them, and he’d take every precaution necessary.

      “This is it?” Sienna asked, staring out the window.

      “This is it. Let’s get Colby out of here.”

      She nodded and scrambled into action. A few minutes later, she had Colby in her arms and bounced him up and down while murmuring in the boy’s ear. The child calmed down as soon as she held him.

      The sight of them together made his heart ache and brought back memories—memories that were always too close to the surface. He shoved them aside, not having time to deal with them now—even if they wanted to batter him into submission.

      Still, Devin would feel better once they were inside and they had some answers. He grabbed the few bags they’d had time to pack and ushered the two people he’d vowed to protect into the cabin.

      * * *

      Sienna breathed a sigh of relief as Colby finally closed his eyes. His breathing evened out, signaling he’d fallen asleep. After arriving at the cabin, she’d held him in her arms, singing soft songs and rocking him in a stiff wooden rocking chair in the corner of a dark guest bedroom.

      She’d thought the boy would never go to sleep—and she couldn’t blame him after the events of this evening. She wasn’t sure she would be able to sleep, either, with everything on her mind.

      When she was sure Colby was out, Sienna carefully placed the child in a bed that Devin had shoved against the wall. She pulled a blanket up over him and placed several pillows on the edge of the bed, just so he wouldn’t roll off.

      When she was satisfied Colby was safe and secure, she stepped out of the bedroom. The rest of the cabin was still bathed in darkness as well, but her eyes had mostly adjusted. She spotted Devin standing guard by the front window, his face a mere silhouette.

      Her gaze scanned the rest of the cabin. She