Sarah went into the cabin to wait for Alex to call.
*
Leah heard the vehicle at the same time as Caleb. She looked across at him and saw his uncertainty; the police officer—Alex—wasn’t supposed to be home so early, and the vehicle seemed to be approaching from the wrong direction. He quickly recovered his composure, however.
“My contact must have gotten it wrong,” he said, and then smiled, apparently making a snap decision. “Hell, if they’re both here already it’ll make this a whole lot easier.” He reached across Leah and opened her door. “Go.”
Her body didn’t seem capable of moving, but when she hesitated, he placed his gun to the side of her face.
“Go.”
She shrank away from him and scrambled out of the car. His door clicked open seconds later, and she could hear the snap of twigs beneath his feet as he followed her at a short distance. Sunlight momentarily dazzled her, and she raised her hand to shield her eyes so that she could pick her way up onto the track. As she did so, an SUV rounded the corner, making steady progress. There was a single figure in the front, a woman wearing shades and a cap pulled down low against the late afternoon sun. Leah felt her heart sink as she saw the woman’s uniform shirt and realized that Caleb had been right: she had to be the police officer.
Dust flew up as the SUV slowed; the woman had obviously spotted her. Leah staggered sideways, light-headed with nervousness and despair.
“Hey, are you hurt?”
The hand on Leah’s arm made her jump; she hadn’t been aware of the SUV stopping or the woman approaching her.
“No.” She shook her head, all her thoughts stalling on that one word. “No.”
“It’s okay, you’re okay. I’m a paramedic. Let’s get you sitting down.”
The woman was walking carefully backward, holding Leah’s hands with both of hers and guiding her over to the SUV, and what she had just said took Leah an age to register.
“It’s not you.” She stopped abruptly, knocking the woman slightly off balance. “It’s not you. Oh God.” She pulled her arm away, looking frantically around to warn Caleb to stay out of sight, but he was closer than she had expected, his focus intent on the woman as he darted through the trees to a position directly behind her. Taking advantage of the woman’s confusion, he lunged forward and looped an arm across her throat, applying enough pressure to make her choke.
“Don’t make a sound,” he warned her. He held his knife to the corner of her eye, letting her sense the blade. She froze, her mouth open as she panted for breath.
“It’s not her,” Leah said. “She’s a paramedic.”
“The fuck?” Holding the woman roughly by her collar, Caleb knocked her cap off and then spun her around so he could look at her face. Seeing the knife lowered, the woman took the opportunity to kick out at him, aiming for his groin and connecting solidly enough to make him yell and stumble backward. She shook her arm free and ran, reaching her SUV before he had recovered sufficiently to sprint after her.
The expression of absolute rage on his face was all too familiar to Leah. He no longer cared whether this was the right woman; she was merely a woman who had dared to fight back. He caught hold of the SUV’s door and yanked it open just as she tried to slam the lock down.
Leah’s legs finally collapsed beneath her when she heard the woman cry out in pain. The knife in Caleb’s hand flashed silver and crimson as he raised it and plunged it down again.
“Jesus, oh Jesus,” Leah gasped. A dog barked close by, but the woman had fallen silent. Leah glanced up to see Caleb standing over the woman’s unmoving form.
“Get the fuck over here and grab her legs,” he said, trying to drag the woman back up into her SUV.
“I can’t.” Leah held up her bare hands; he was the only one wearing gloves.
“You useless fucking bitch.” He was struggling with his burden, but she couldn’t help,
*
Leah heard the vehicle at the same time as Caleb. She looked across at him and saw his uncertainty; the police officer—Alex—wasn’t supposed to be home so early, and the vehicle seemed to be approaching from the wrong direction. He quickly recovered his composure, however.
“My contact must have gotten it wrong,” he said, and then smiled, apparently making a snap decision. “Hell, if they’re both here already it’ll make this a whole lot easier.” He reached across Leah and opened her door. “Go.”
Her body didn’t seem capable of moving, but when she hesitated, he placed his gun to the side of her face.
“Go.”
She shrank away from him and scrambled out of the car. His door clicked open seconds later, and she could hear the snap of twigs beneath his feet as he followed her at a short distance. Sunlight momentarily dazzled her, and she raised her hand to shield her eyes so that she could pick her way up onto the track. As she did so, an SUV rounded the corner, making steady progress. There was a single figure in the front, a woman wearing shades and a cap pulled down low against the late afternoon sun. Leah felt her heart sink as she saw the woman’s uniform shirt and realized that Caleb had been right: she had to be the police officer.
Dust flew up as the SUV slowed; the woman had obviously spotted her. Leah staggered sideways, light-headed with nervousness and despair.
“Hey, are you hurt?”
The hand on Leah’s arm made her jump; she hadn’t been aware of the SUV stopping or the woman approaching her.
“No.” She shook her head, all her thoughts stalling on that one word. “No.”
“It’s okay, you’re okay. I’m a paramedic. Let’s get you sitting down.”
The woman was walking carefully backward, holding Leah’s hands with both of hers and guiding her over to the SUV, and what she had just said took Leah an age to register.
“It’s not you.” She stopped abruptly, knocking the woman slightly off balance. “It’s not you. Oh God.” She pulled her arm away, looking frantically around to warn Caleb to stay out of sight, but he was closer than she had expected, his focus intent on the woman as he darted through the trees to a position directly behind her. Taking advantage of the woman’s confusion, he lunged forward and looped an arm across her throat, applying enough pressure to make her choke.
“Don’t make a sound,” he warned her. He held his knife to the corner of her eye, letting her sense the blade. She froze, her mouth open as she panted for breath.
“It’s not her,” Leah said. “She’s a paramedic.”
“The fuck?” Holding the woman roughly by her collar, Caleb knocked her cap off and then spun her around so he could look at her face. Seeing the knife lowered, the woman took the opportunity to kick out at him, aiming for his groin and connecting solidly enough to make him yell and stumble backward. She shook her arm free and ran, reaching her SUV before he had recovered sufficiently to sprint after her.
The expression of absolute rage on his face was all too familiar to Leah. He no longer cared whether this was the right woman; she was merely a woman who had dared to fight back. He caught hold of the SUV’s door and yanked it open just as she tried to slam the lock down.
Leah’s legs finally collapsed beneath her when she heard the woman cry out in pain. The knife in Caleb’s hand flashed silver and crimson as he raised it and plunged it down again.
“Jesus, oh Jesus,” Leah gasped. A dog barked close by, but the woman had fallen silent. Leah glanced up to see Caleb standing over the woman’s unmoving form.
“Get the fuck over here and grab her legs,” he said, trying to drag the woman back up into her SUV.
“I can’t.” Leah held up her bare hands; he was the only one wearing gloves.
“You useless fucking bitch.” He was struggling with his burden, but she couldn’t help,
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