He’d been at the hospital? Something sparked in the back of her mind, but the temporary lack of oxygen was still playing havoc with her synapses.

“Jacob is dead because of you. And now you’re going to pay.”

He practically spat the words at her and she recoiled at the force of his fury.

“I swear to you, I don’t know anyone named Jacob.”

But he wasn’t interested in her claims. “Turn around and start walking,” he said, shoving his gun into her ribs.

Temporarily out of options, she did as instructed. Was it at all possible that this guy was some whacked-out fan of hers who had gone off the deep end after his brother died? Had he somehow manufactured an imaginary scenario where she’d killed his brother and that’s why he was calling her a murderer?

And if so, did she have any chance at all of getting him to comprehend the real situation?

Several years back, when she’d been working as an assistant on one of the shows at her station, she’d heard a near miss rape victim describe how she got away from her captor. She got him to talk about his life, about why he was doing something so horrible, and ultimately, he let her get away.

Praying that a similar tactic might work for her, she said, “I’ve got a sister and I know how hard it would be for me if anything happened to her. I’m truly sorry that your brother died and I know everyone else is, too.”

But instead of softening, the man shoved the gun into the small of her spine even harder.

“Do you think I give a shit that you’re sorry? Do you think I even believe you, you lying bitch? You walked away with a couple of bruises, while my brother is dead!”

I walked away with a couple of bruises?

A few short moments later, it hit her. This crazy man was talking about the car crash.

Her hand went to her mouth in horror. “Are you saying that your brother was driving the other car?”

“Of course that’s what I’m saying. You were too busy with the reporters to give a shit about my dead brother.”

His bitter accusation made her stumble. He caught the back of her shirt in his fist before she fell.

“I swear to you,” she said again, “the crash was an accident. And I did care about what happened to your brother. When the doctor told me he died, I was horrified. If I could change what happened to bring your brother back to you, I would.”

“Bullshit! You’re rich, you’re famous, you think you’re so important. You were probably putting on lipstick instead of paying attention to the road.”

All of his accusations were false, but telling him the truth wouldn’t help. Not when he’d already tried and convicted her in his own mind.

Her brain whirred as she tried to think of something—anything—she could say to sway him. Then he said, “I’m going to make sure you pay for what you did to my brother. And I’m going to use your precious little sister to do it.”

She gasped, momentarily forgetting about the gun and swinging around to face him.

“You’re the one who kidnapped April?”

“You might be pretty,” he taunted, “but you sure aren’t smart, are you?”

He thought she’d killed his brother. Of course he’d abducted her sister. April was the perfect means for revenge. April had said some guy grabbed her in the hospital’s parking lot.

This was the guy.

Pure rage replaced fear as all of the fierce protectiveness Dianna had ever felt for April swelled up and filled her, head to toe.

“If you’ve hurt her, I’ll—”

Her threat was cut off by the slamming blow of the gun against her cheekbone. The force knocked her against the rock and she might have fallen off the edge of the trail just like Sam if the man didn’t grab her by the hair on her way down.

“If you haven’t figured out by now, you can’t do a damn thing to me,” he said. “I’m the one who’s in charge now. None of your money or fame means a damn out here.”

His eyes held a strong glimmer of satisfaction. “So move the f**k forward or I’ll shoot you right here and you’ll never see your sister again.”

Visions of April being hurt by this man and then another of Sam falling down the steep cliff assaulted her. Dianna’s heart clenched with grief.

The guys on Sam’s hotshot crew used to joke that he was superhuman, able to outrun a ball of flames in a single bound. Somehow she needed to keep believing that if anyone could survive a fall off the trail, it was Sam.

She could almost hear him telling her, “Don’t worry about me. Just concentrate on staying alive. I’ll come for you. I promise.”

As the man pushed her farther down the trail, she tried to think what she could possibly offer this man that would make him back down. Practically, all she had was money. But even though she knew that nothing could ever bring his brother back, she still had to give it a shot.

“Let April go and I’ll pay you whatever you want.”

She heard harsh laughter behind her. “I knew you’d say that. Rich bitch like you probably thinks she can buy anything she wants. I’ll bet you’ve never had to work an honest day in your life. Not like the rest of us.”

“You’re wrong about me,” she told him, even though she knew he wasn’t going to change his mind. “I’ve worked hard. Really hard. To provide a good life for my sister. That’s why I understand how you’re feeling.”

He shoved the gun even harder into the soft spot beneath her ribs. “Your money won’t bring Jacob back.”

“Please, just let her go and I’ll give you anything you want,” she begged, wanting to make herself perfectly clear. “Anything at all.”

“You stupid slut. I wouldn’t f**k you if you were the last cunt on Earth. Now shut up and keep moving.”

With his gun at her back, she had no choice but to continue moving down the narrow trail, farther away from Sam, but, hopefully, closer to her sister.

She wanted him to think she’d given up, but she hadn’t. Not by a long shot. Every moment, she looked for an opportunity to escape. So when the narrow trail finally intersected a much wider dirt road, figuring it was her best chance to make a break for it, she went for a move she’d learned in self-defense class.

Kicking behind her, she nailed him in the kneecap with the sole of her shoe, then ran as fast as she could.