Lauren lost her cool. "That's ridiculous! You're just trying to confuse me!"

Lauren refused to believe the truth. She never had issues with Katie.

Even though Katie was once engaged to Mitchel, Katie had always been nice to her. Plus, Katie was the one who brought clients for her back when she couldn't get any near to Mitchel.

“Why do you think Katie went out of her way to save you? What's in it for her?" Raegan's voice was sharp with accusation. "Remember what those guys said? Katie's playing you as her pawn. She's got a knack for pulling strings from the shadows, never touching the dirt herself!"

Lauren's face showed a flicker of doubt as she weighed Raegan's point, which held some truth.

Raegan's true motive wasn't to convince Lauren. She was just buying time. Trying to negotiate with someone as unpredictable as Lauren was a gamble. After all, Lauren had already ended two lives without a second thought.

As Lauren's attention wavered, Raegan edged toward the exit and, seizing her moment, sprinted out. She wedged a stick she'd found into the door handle, jamming it shut.

Lauren's reaction was immediate, her fists pounding against the barrier.

Raegan knew the makeshift lock was temporary. Spinning around, she noticed a black SUV by the entrance. She pulled the door open and started searching, her hands finding the keys in the glove box.

As Raegan slid the key into the ignition, she flinched at the sound of the door giving way.

A livid Lauren was barreling toward the SUV.

With a start, Raegan noticed the car had a stick shift. It had been ages since she'd handled one. Trusting her instincts, Raegan fired up the engine, stepped on the clutch and brake, slipped it into gear, and let go of the handbrake.

But the SUV jolted!

Regaining her composure, Raegan realized her mistake with the pedals.

With the brake released, she finally got the car rolling smoothly.

Suddenly, there was a thunderous crash from above!

Lauren, thwarted by the locked doors, had scrambled up to the roof rack and was now atop the SUV. The sunroof was her only barrier.

Raegan barely had a moment of relief before Lauren's wild, red eyes fixed on a brick, and she began to hammer at the sunroof.

At that instant, Lauren seemed like a creature from a nightmare.

Then, without warning, the car's system booted up.