The gunshot should have made Theodore spook.

It certainly made me almost lose my grip on the saddle, but Theo seemed to feel my weight shifting and moved, helping me regain my balance.

“Good horse,” I said, stroking his neck as I kept my eyes on the person who’d stepped onto the trail in front of us.

By my guess, we’d been riding for close to an hour. The sun was just peeking over the horizon and though the world was still filled with shadows, they were growing less ominous and more like the real-life objects they were—trees, bushes, tall grass.

But the person—the woman—who’d stopped us on the path didn’t look less frightening in the gaining light.

The gun in her hand certainly didn’t set my heart at ease.

“Get down,” she said, and hers was the voice on the phone.

“Why are you doing this?”

Click.

I knew that sound. It was the faint metal-against-metal noise of a gun’s safety being removed.

“I said get down.” She pointed the pistol at Theodore. “Unless you want me to shoot your perch first.”

I lifted my leg from the stirrup and practically dropped from the saddle. It wasn’t graceful, and my feet weren’t prepared for the sudden weight. I ended up on my ass in the dirt with throbbing soles, but I’d gotten down.

The woman bent at her waist and laughed.

It was just as disturbing in real life as it was over the phone.

Ignoring her, I pushed to my feet and carefully stood in front of Theo, blocking him as I purposely let go of the reins and tried to shove him back in the direction of the barn.

He wouldn’t budge.

“Go,” I said, shoving his shoulder. At least I could save him. Or maybe someone would see him and realize—

“Freeze.”

“Where’s my daughter?” I blurted because the woman suddenly looked very scary.

She ran up to me and pressed the gun to the center of my forehead. “You don’t speak unless I tell you to. You don’t move a fucking muscle until I tell you to. Do you understand, you stupid, stupid bitch?”

I nodded.

Theo’s head popped over my shoulder, and he bared his teeth.

The woman shoved his head away. “Shut up, you dumb beast.”

Theo’s teeth flashed, and he moved with the quick serpent-like speed he’d displayed at the barn.

He gripped the woman’s arm and bit down. Hard.

She screamed, dropping the gun, and blood gushed everywhere. It was bright red, a crimson color that made me gasp and glance up at her mouth.

Because that was crimson too.

The same fire engine red I’d found on Rob’s collar.

And I knew. Suddenly, I knew.

“Celeste,” I whispered. Her eyes flashed to mine as she staggered to her feet.

I stumbled back against the pure hatred in her gaze, tripping over something in the dirt. Glancing down, I saw the gun had fallen between us.

I didn’t think. I just dove for it.

The metal was warm against my fingertips, so much warmer than Celeste’s icy hands as she grappled with my wrist.

For a second, she almost managed to rip it from my grasp, but I had a sudden burst of strength because I knew that if she took the gun from me that I was going to die.

It was the only bargaining chip I had, and I needed to keep it.

I tucked my feet between us and kicked her hard in the stomach. She grunted and held tight, both hands gripping and twisting my wrist. I felt something snap underneath my skin, cried out as a burst of white-hot pain shot up my arm.

But I didn’t let go.

Instead I shifted the gun to my uninjured hand, tore my throbbing wrist free of her grip, and dug my fingers into the bite on her forearm.

She screamed, lurched away.

And I didn’t let go. I moved with her, climbing on top of her and screaming at the top of my lungs, “Where the fuck is my daughter?”

“Funny, I was wondering exactly the same thing,” came a cool voice.

I didn’t have a chance to turn around and confirm my suspicion. The words had barely processed and my brain started pinging with alarm as it tried to comprehend—

Crack.

There was a flash of pain as something collided with my skull and then everything went black.