She heard another curse behind her, and when she glanced over her shoulder, she saw that he was no longer standing on the cliff edge.
He was coming after her.
She had lost.
“Did you think that I’d let you fool me into giving you the chance to get away? Kevin will wait for me.” He was putting on speed. “He wants you as much as I do.”
Her heart was pounding hard as she raced up the hill.
Faster.
He’s your father.
Madness.
She had to go faster. Doane was big, with long legs …
But she was smaller, lighter, younger.
She was pulling ahead a little.
No, just holding her own.
Even her mother had no sure idea who had fathered Eve. Doane could not know.
He was getting closer.
It was getting dark, and the trees were casting long shadows on the path. Darkness was good, it would help her slip off the path into the brush and lose Doane. If she could just get a little more ahead of him …
Silence except for the harsh sound of Doane’s breathing behind her.
Her lungs were hurting.
Ignore the pain. Keep running.
Her legs felt weak, rubbery.
Keep running.
“You can’t get away.” Doane’s voice was laboring. “I’m stronger than you. Kevin—makes me strong. He won’t—let you free. Can’t you feel him—beside you?”
She felt a sharp coolness touch her body.
It was the wind, she thought desperately. To believe anything else would be to accept defeat.
She steeled herself and began to run faster. Then, incredibly, with every step, she could feel her strength increase, her muscles burn, and the pain leaving her.
No coolness, gentle warmth enfolding her.
Bonnie?
Light. Strength. Love.
Oh God, yes, Bonnie.
She felt a rush of sheer joy.
“You’re done. It’s over. You’ve lost me!” she shouted fiercely back to Doane. The blood was pounding in her veins. Exhilaration was making her heady. “Can’t you see?” She was gaining distance with each breath, every step. “I am free, you bastard!”
LOOK FOR
HUNTING EVE
BY IRIS JOHANSEN
ON SALE JULY 16, 2013
ALSO BY IRIS JOHANSEN
Sleep No More
Close Your Eyes (with Roy Johansen)
What Doesn’t Kill You
Bonnie
Quinn
Eve
Chasing the Night
Shadow Zone (with Roy Johansen)
Eight Days to Live
Blood Game
Deadlock
Dark Summer
Quicksand
Silent Thunder (with Roy Johansen)
Pandora’s Daughter
Stalemate
An Unexpected Song
Killer Dreams
On the Run
Countdown
Blind Alley
Firestorm
Fatal Tide
Dead Aim
No One to Trust
Body of Lies
Final Target
The Search
The Killing Game
The Face of Deception
And Then You Die
Long After Midnight
The Ugly Duckling
Lion’s Bride
Dark Rider
Midnight Warrior
The Beloved Scoundrel
The Magnificent Rogue
The Tiger Prince
Last Bridge Home
The Golden Barbarian
Reap the Wind
Storm Winds
Wind Dancer
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
IRIS JOHANSEN is the New York Times bestselling author of Sleep No More, What Doesn’t Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing the Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora’s Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On the Run, Countdown, Firestorm, Fatal Tide, Dead Aim, No One to Trust, and more. And with her son, Roy Johansen, she has coauthored Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder. Visit www.irisjohansen.com.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
TAKING EVE. Copyright © 2013 by Johansen Publishing LLLP. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Rob Grom
Cover photograph © Shuhui Yang
ISBN 978-1-250-01998-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 9781250019974 (e-book)
First Edition: April 2013