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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