The idea comes to me as clear as day. I might not be able to get away, but maybe I can convince Aaron Monroe that he can’t shoot me.

He’s made me ride the swings, the Ferris wheel, a kiddy car ride with my knees practically bent up to my ears, and the merry-go-round. That had been the most painful so far. I could barely hold back the sobs on the merry-go-round, memories coming at me all at once, making me think of my family. My father. He loved the merry-go-round here, always riding it with us.

Thinking of my father is what gives me the idea, though I know it’s a total long shot. I need to find a way to tell Monroe my news. I just pray that he believes me.

“I’m saving the best for last,” he tells me as I come off the rock-and-roll ride, my head spinning from the speed of it. The cars went in circles, backward and forward, faster and faster, the music louder and louder. My ears still throb from the pounding beat.

I frown at him, not saying anything. He really hates how I don’t speak and it’s my only defense, so I keep up the silent treatment.

He points up at the Sky Glider. “We’ll ride that last, then go down to the beach. Check out the ocean. I haven’t seen the ocean in years.” His voice is wistful.

The wind chooses that moment to whip up, making my hair fly into my face, and I bat it away. He expects me to ride on that tiny seat on the Sky Glider with him by my side? I rest a hand over my stomach. I’m so hungry, but also nauseous. I haven’t eaten anything in almost twelve hours and I have to pee.

But he doesn’t care. He’s wrapped up in his own little world, glancing around everywhere, looking for a sign that someone has discovered us, I’m sure. The longer we’re here, the more paranoid he gets. And I think someone has found us. I thought I saw a man on the roof of the giant arcade about ten minutes ago, but I could be wrong.

It could be wishful thinking.

Does Will know yet? That his dad took me? That his father killed Lisa Swanson? Is Molly okay? I bet she’s with Mrs. Anderson, safe and warm and missing the both of us.

I blink away the tears, wipe at them with trembling fingers, and Aaron sees me.

“You crying now? Really?” He shakes his head and squints up at the sky. “I think it’s time I take you up on the Sky Glider. Our last hurrah.”

He’s speaking with such finality and it’s scaring me. What does he mean, our last hurrah? He has to know this isn’t going to end well, at least for him.

Probably for me, too.

“I’m scared of heights,” I say, making my voice extra shaky. “Plus, I’m so nauseous all the time. And tired. So tired.”

My plan is set into motion with that particular sentence and he perks up, his head slowly turning toward me.

“Why?”

I rest my hand on my stomach, trying to work up the courage to tell him. I’ve never been a good liar. I hope I can pull this off. “Because I’m—I’m pregnant with your grandchild. Will and I are going to have a baby.”

He doesn’t say a word, just looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind. I wait for him to respond, to say something, anything, but he doesn’t. His gaze drops to where my hand still rests on my stomach before his gaze lifts and he sneers.

Slowly he shakes his head, stepping closer to me. My entire body shakes and I’m scared he’ll touch me. Hurt me. But he just stares at me with so much disgust I feel the shame wash over me, swallowing me up.

“Unbelievable. You’re nothing but a stupid whore trying to trap my son. I’ll be doing him a favor by shooting you in the head.” He laughs. “Did you think that bit of news would convince me to spare your life?”

I say nothing, feeling stupid. Yes! I want to shout at him. Yes, I thought maybe you’d have a tiny piece of decency still left in your heart, but I guess not.

There’s no hope for me. My idea didn’t work. I’m as good as dead. I don’t think I can stand much more of this.

A crackling sound suddenly fills the air and I know what it is. The sound system for the entire park. I can hear the static from the speakers as they’re turned on. Aaron hears it, too.

“Looks like someone’s joined us, Katie. This ought to be interesting.” He grins and I look away, glancing around the abandoned grounds. There’s no sign of life anywhere.

“Aaron Monroe, we know you’re in there. And we know you have Katherine Watts with you. If you let the woman go, give up your weapons, you’ll be able to walk away from this. Just do as we say and no one gets hurt,” the booming voice commands.

“Maybe I don’t want to walk away from this!” he screams, looking around wildly, the gun dangling from his fingertips. “Did anyone ever consider that? Do you think they ever thought that, Katie?” He looks at me, the gun pointed right at my chest. “Do you?”

“N-no.” I shake my head. “Maybe you really don’t want to walk out of here.” I believe he doesn’t. He’d rather die at his own hand than theirs.

“You’re damn right I don’t want to. What’s the point? There’s no point. None. I’m done. It’s over.” He waves his gun at me. “Get over here. We’re riding the Glider. Now.”

Disappointment washes over me as I walk over to him and we make our way to the Glider side by side, the both of us quiet. My heart is pounding so hard I swear it’s going to leap out of my chest, and I feel like I’m walking to my death.

I probably am.

The voice keeps booming over the speakers, repeating the same thing over and over. Aaron’s not paying attention. It’s like he’s tuned everyone out, even me. He’s in his head, thinking, worrying . . . I don’t know. All I really know is I’m afraid if I try to make one last run for it, he’ll shoot me and I’ll die.

I don’t want to risk it. So I remain by his side.

We approach the stairs that lead to the Sky Glider and Aaron indicates he wants me to walk up them first as he falls in behind me. I climb the stairs one at a time, wincing at the cold concrete beneath my socks. They’re wet and worn from all the walking and my feet hurt. My head hurts.

My heart hurts the most, though. At all I’ve yet to do. At the life I’m going to lose. I think of my mom and how devastated she’ll be. And Brenna. Will she be mad that I stole the spotlight again? I hope not. I hope she knows how much I love her. She’s the best big sister I ever could have asked for.

As I crest the top of the steps and see the ocean spread out before me, gray and majestic, stormy and endless, I think of Will. How much I love him. How much I’ll miss him. That I hope he can carry on and eventually find happiness with someone else.

The tears spring to my eyes and I hang my head, stumbling when Aaron pushes past me and goes to the control panel, sticking the key into the slot and turning the ride on. I watch as the cars that hang from metal wheels start to move, one after the other, the empty cars swinging over the entry point before they take off over the park, dangling from a wire.

“Ready to get in? Have a color preference?” Aaron laughs, the bastard. “Want to ride a pink one or a green one?”

“I don’t care,” I mumble, but he shakes his head, waving the gun again.

“Pick a color, Katie. Yellow? Blue? Red? How about orange?”

A different voice sounds over the speaker, one I recognize. My entire body lights up with hope when I realize who it is.

“Dad. Dad, it’s me.”

Aaron halts in his movements, the gun going still. He doesn’t joke, doesn’t smile, doesn’t say a word.

“Please don’t hurt her, Dad. You don’t need any more trouble. Just . . . surrender to the police and let this be over with. Please.”

I’m crying, tears streaming down my face at the sound of his voice, how he’s pleading for my life. I’m not going to make it. I can feel it. This is the end. My head is empty, my body is light, almost as if the angels have already grabbed hold of me and are preparing me to go with them.

“Get in the car,” Aaron says, his voice flat. He points his gun at the cars that keep swinging by, one after the other, and he steps closer to me. “We’re riding one together. That way they can’t shoot my ass if there’s a sniper anywhere. You’re my shield. I’m not as stupid as you all think I am.”

I never thought he was stupid. The man is crafty. Shady. Horrible. A monster. But he’s not stupid.

“I’m begging you, Dad. You’ve done enough damage to her. Just . . . let Katie go. Exchange her for me. I’ll take her place. Please. Please, don’t hurt her.”

I close my eyes against his heart-wrenching words. He can’t exchange himself for me. What if his father kills him instead? How is that any better?

How could I ever survive without him?

“Meet us at the other end of the Sky Glider and then we can do the exchange!” Aaron yells toward the sky. “Did you hear that, Willy? Did you?”

My eyes slowly open to find he’s crying, too. Tears fill his eyes and his cheeks are red. Does he even realize what he’s doing?

There’s a delay, and finally Will’s voice comes over the speaker again, firm and strong. “I got it. I heard you. You’ll exchange Katie for me at the other side of the Sky Glider. Deal?”

“Deal.” Aaron smiles, baring his teeth at me, his eyes glittering with unshed tears. “And while we’re on the Glider together, you get to watch, Willy. You have to watch.”

The one word triggers what Will told me about his past. How his father used to make Will watch him have sex with women. He wants to do something to me on that Glider when we’re riding together, something horrible, and he’ll make Will watch the entire thing unfold.

I can’t allow it to happen.

I just . . .

I can’t.

Numb, my mind spinning, I start toward the cars, standing in the area where everyone in line is supposed to wait until they’re called over. A car leaves and I step in front of the next one, ready to fall into it and pull the bar down so that it can take me over the boardwalk, high in the sky.

“Wait for me,” Aaron starts to say but I turn on him, fast and quick. Like a whirlwind. I don’t even think, I just bend my leg and kick him, making direct contact in the balls. I wish I had shoes on. That would have done more damage, but it was enough. Just enough.

Howling, he bends forward, covering his crotch, and I fall into the moving car, pulling the bar over my lap and watching him scream at me as the car takes off and up into the air, moving slowly over the park so I can get a perfect view of everything below me, spread out before me.

But I don’t care about the view. I need the car to move faster. I need to get away from Aaron and make my way to Will. I glance over my shoulder to see the car right behind me is empty. Aaron’s in the next car, arms straight, the gun clutched in his hand, aimed directly at me.

I duck at the precise moment the bullet goes whizzing by, and I almost slip out of the car. I cling to the metal bar in front of me, practically hanging from it, my butt almost all the way off the slick car, legs dangling toward the ground. I scramble to get back up, my hands slipping, and a scream escapes me when I hear another bullet fly by.

The ground below is a long way down. If I fall, I’m going to die. Sobbing uncontrollably, I muster all the strength I can find and somehow manage to hoist myself up, back into the seat. I drape myself across the cold hard plastic, keeping my head low so I don’t give Aaron anything to aim at.

“Stay low, Katherine!” a voice shouts over the loudspeaker, startling me, and I grip the metal bar, my sweaty fingers barely holding on. “Stay down!” the voice yells just as a hail of gunfire erupts.

I close my eyes and duck lower, as low as I can get. I’m half hanging off the Glider car and it rocks back and forth, the wire and wheel creaking above my head. I’m shaking so bad my teeth chatter and then I can tell . . . we’re going lower. And lower.

Cracking open my eyes, I see we’re at the other end of the ride.

And there’s Will, waiting for me just like he said he would be. He’s running toward me, his arms outstretched, his expression full of hope and love and fear. I fall apart in his arms, clutching him so close, like I’ll never let him go.

I made it.

I survived.