CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

Sheila led the way, her gun in one hand and the flashlight in the other. Star stayed behind her, one hand clinging to the back of Sheila's shirt. Sheila wasn't about to let them get separated again.

The tunnel narrowed, twisting through the earth. Sheila's breath grew louder as she pressed forward, joined by the shuffling of their feet on stone and dirt. Neither she nor Star spoke.

Then, as the tunnel took a turn, Sheila spotted light up ahead—not artificial light, but starlight. An exit. As grateful as Sheila was at the prospect of escaping the mine, it also meant that Solberg may have escaped. If he was outside, she needed to track him down and stop him before he could get far.

But the light also meant that she could call for backup, get more eyes on the situation. She pulled out her radio, turning it to a low volume so as not to alert Solberg of their position. "This is Deputy Stone," she whispered into the receiver. "I have a visual on an exit from the mine, requesting immediate backup."

Only static answered her. She tried again but received the same response. It was possible that they were still too deep underground for her signal to reach the surface. She cursed under her breath, clipping the radio to her belt again.

They reached the exit shortly after, creeping out into an open field illuminated by the soft glow of moonlight. There was no sign of Solberg—only silence and looming trees that flanked the clearing in a semicircle.

"Where could he be?" Sheila murmured. She glanced at the ground, searching for tracks. She could just barely make out faint impressions in the salt. It appeared Solberg had left the mine, then circled back around…

She turned back toward the entrance of the mine just as Solberg, crouched on the roof of the tunnel, leapt at her.

"Watch out!" Star screamed, but it was too late. Solberg crashed into Sheila, sending them both sprawling to the ground .

Sheila groaned as she struggled to push Solberg off her. He was heavier than he looked, his body pinning her down. She could feel her gun digging into her side, lodged between them but out of reach.

Solberg's cold eyes were inches from hers, a mad glint in them reflecting the moonlight. "Did you really think you could stop me?" he asked, his voice a low hiss.

With a burst of adrenaline, Sheila bucked beneath him and managed to throw him off. Scrambling to her feet, she drew her gun and pointed it at Solberg, who was also getting up.

"Stay down!" she ordered, the barrel of the gun unwavering in her grip. "You're under arrest!"

But Solberg let out a derisive snort instead. "You really don't understand, do you? It's too late—the stars have already aligned."

Before she could react, he lunged at her again. Instinctively she fired, but if the bullet hit Solberg, he hardly seemed to notice. Then his hands were around her throat, squeezing her windpipe. Sheila gasped for breath, her vision blurring.

"Stop!" Star shouted. She raced at Solberg with a stone raised high in her hand. Just before she could strike him, he shoved Sheila away and turned toward Star. He caught her wrist, then punched her in the stomach. The girl doubled over, groaning.

"Leave her alone!" Sheila shouted, aiming her weapon at Solberg. She could probably make the shot—she had staggered a few paces away when Solberg shoved her, but she was still relatively close. Then again, it was awfully dark, and if by some terrible accident she ended up shooting Star instead…

Solberg seemed to be thinking along the same lines. He grabbed Star and dragged her toward himself, using her as a human shield.

"Let her go, Solberg," Sheila said, her voice calm though her heart was beating wildly in her chest. "This is between you and me."

Star struggled against Solberg's grip, but he held fast. His breath was ragged, and his eyes were wild with a desperate energy that chilled Sheila to the bone.

"No," he sneered, pulling Star even closer to himself. "We're in this together now."

Sheila felt a surge of fury. He was using Star as a pawn, a shield against the justice he knew he deserved.

"I said let her go," she repeated, never taking her eyes off him. She could feel the cool metal of her gun against her skin, and she wanted more than anything to gun this man down and rescue Star. But did she dare take such a risk? What if she missed?

Solberg just laughed. "Or what? You'll shoot me? Go ahead! I dare you."

Sheila knew she couldn't risk shooting Star. But what if he tried to get away with Star? He might promise to let her go, but there was no guarantee he would do so. If anything happened to Star…

Don't think about it, Sheila told herself. She'll be okay—you'll figure this out. You just have to find a way to—

"Sheila, is that you?" a voice called. It was Finn. Solberg spun toward the sound of the voice, and then Star kneed him hard in the groin. He doubled over, releasing her, and Star followed it up with a pair of jabs to the man's face. Then, as he was reeling, she kicked him hard in the side with her shin, watching as he toppled to the ground.

Sheila stared at Star, stunned by this turn of events.

"What?" Star asked, blowing a lock of hair away from her eyes. "You're the one who taught me."

"I guess I didn't think you were paying attention," Sheila said. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Star. Star resisted at first, but then she relaxed, hugging Sheila back.

Sheila squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a sudden rush of relief and fear mingling. She was proud of Star—proud of her for fighting back, for not allowing herself to be bullied or abused any longer.

"You did good, kid," she whispered, her voice hoarse. She pulled back and gave Star a stern look. "But don't ever do that again, you hear me? Following us when we go after a serial killer, I mean."

Star nodded vigorously, her eyes wide and serious in the starlight.

Solberg groaned, pushing himself to a sitting position. Sheila pushed Star behind her, ready to confront Solberg.

"You think you can stop what the stars have already set in motion?" he demanded. "You think—"

Before he could get any further, Finn crept up behind him and wrenched his arm behind his back, cuffing his hands.

"Not another word," Finn growled at Solberg. The man let out a hiss of pain as Finn tightened the cuffs, but he didn't struggle.

"This isn't over," Solberg said. "I'll be back—you'll see! You'll see!"

Just then, a trio of police cars raced toward them, kicking up salt and dust. As they came to a sudden stop and the officers started spilling out, Finn pushed Solberg toward them .

"You boys mind taking this man in?" he asked. "Don't let him out of your sight."

"You got it," a burly officer said, clamping a vise-like hand around Solberg's arm. As the officers led Solberg away, Finn walked back over to Sheila and Star.

"Well," he said, sighing, "it's been an eventful evening, hasn't it? You two alright?"

Without a word, Sheila threw her arms around his neck and gave him a long kiss.

"Get a room," Star said, making a gagging motion. "I'm serious. If you're going to have your boyfriend over to fool around, you can forget about being roommates."

"We'll behave," Sheila said, winking at Finn. "For now."

Finn smiled. "For now, I'll settle for a hot meal, a hot shower, and a long, long sleep."

Staring at him, Sheila felt a sudden urge to be open with him, perhaps more open than she'd ever been before. She took his arm and led him a few paces away so that Star wouldn't overhear their conversation.

"Listen," she said. "This weekend, my dad and I are going to Natalie's cabin to look through her things." She paused and swallowed hard. "I want you to come with us."

Finn studied her with his kind, gentle eyes. "You sure about that? You don't have to bring me along just because we're dating."

"It's not that. I…" She paused, choosing her words carefully. "I trust you. And I want you there. No more half-measures, no more hiding the most painful parts of my life from you. I'm giving you the master key."

Finn raised his eyebrows. "You don't mean a literal key—"

"No, I'm not talking about the key to my apartment." She slapped his arm playfully. "I just…I don't want there to be secrets between us, okay?"

He touched her cheek, his eyes full of tenderness. "Neither do I." He kissed her forehead.

"Are you kidding ?" Star exclaimed. "We all just nearly died, and you think it's time for a makeout session?"

Sheila and Finn grinned at one another as they pulled away. "Guess we'd better get the little one to bed," Finn said.

Sheila laughed, struck by how odd it sounded. How settled. But even more surprising was the fact that she didn't mind.

Be careful, she thought. This one's fixing to sweep you off your feet.

Then again, maybe he already had.