Of all the dumb luck, why did we have to stumble into the middle of the power struggle between Sarah Cole and her co-conspirators? I kept hoping some distraction would occur, so Mina and I could make a run for it, but no bears popped out from behind a tree, and no moose startled us as it dashed through the undergrowth. There was nothing but the whisper of the wind and an occasional falcon calling overhead.
For two hours, we walked east in what would be an aimless hike if not for the GPS device Sarah kept consulting.
When the cabin finally appeared, I almost thought it was a mirage. One moment, we were surrounded by pine trees and rocks, the next, a small log cabin appeared just yards away.
Marching up the two steps, her hiking shoes making a clomp-clomp as she crossed the worn wooden planks, Sarah kept one eye on us as she unlocked the front door.
Pushing it inward, she stepped back. “Everyone inside.”
Sticking close to Mina’s side, I followed Miranda and Walter into the dim interior.
Sarah brought up the rear and shut the door, adding to the gloom.
But it was still light enough I could see her face. She speared me with a look, then gestured to the dusty couch. “You two—sit.”
Hanging onto Betty with one hand, I took Mina’s with my other and led her to the couch. We sat down and set the dogs on the floor, but kept their leads on so they couldn’t explore. I didn’t trust Sarah not to hurt one or both if they got in the way.
Sarah barked orders at Walter and Miranda, and the three of them roamed the room, gathering candles and dusting off oil lamps, bringing them down off shelves so they could be lit.
“Do we have a plan?” Mina asked, her voice barely a whisper. She stared straight ahead, keeping attention off of us as she spoke.
“Maybe. Does that GPS device transmit coordinates?”
“Yes.” The word was little more than a hiss.
I glanced up, holding my next words for a moment as Walter walked past.
“We need to push our?—”
“No talking.” Sarah stopped in front of us. “I will not hesitate to separate you two if you can’t keep your mouths shut. I’m not an idiot.” She held out a hand. “Give me your phones.”
Deep in my gut, white-hot fury simmered. I held her gaze and tugged open the pocket on the strap of my pack to remove my phone. Never breaking eye contact, I handed it over. She stuffed it into her back pocket.
A glimmer of unease flickered in her eyes as she took the device. I bit back a smile at the knowledge I made her uneasy.
Good.
She needed to be scared of me. Because if she laid a finger on Mina or the dogs, she wouldn’t like the man who emerged.
Mina wiggled out of her backpack, setting it on the floor by her feet. She dug into the front pocket and produced her phone, passing it to Sarah, who pocketed it. I took mine off as well, then sat back, watching our three captors move about the room.
Walter seemed pensive, but mostly unbothered, which, honestly, boggled my mind. He either knew something the rest of us didn’t, or he genuinely was not scared of either woman. Whether that was because he didn’t see them as threats or because he was certain Sarah wouldn’t hurt him, I didn’t know.
Miranda, though, she held herself with a rigidity born of nervousness. I think she could sense that Sarah had a plan she wasn’t sharing. I know I could, and I doubted the plan ended well for anyone except Sarah.
I decided to prod her a little.
“So, what are you going to do with us?”
“Shut up!” she barked.
I raised an eyebrow, unphased by her outburst.
“He asks a valid question, Sarah,” Miranda said. “They weren’t part of our plan.” Her brows twitched in a small frown. “Whatisthe plan? You just told me to get Walter and bring him here. You weren’t supposed to meet us at the beach.” She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you trust us?”
Sarah scoffed. “Of course not. Do you trust me?”
Miranda looked away, not answering.
