They reach back and rip the mask off, throwing it to the floor at my feet. The person standing before me isn’t what I expected. It’s a woman. An older woman, to be precise. Her brown eyes are wary, but kind. Her hair is mostly gray and pulled back into a long braid. Tendrils of flyaways are coated with sweat and stick to her face. The laugh lines around her lips remind me so much of my mother’s. She doesn’t look like the type of person who could murder two people.
“Who are you?”
The woman flashes me a melancholy smile. “I’m Rebecca. I’m the one who left you the map to find her.” She points to Skye. There’s a startled gasp from behind me as Skye rushes toward Rebecca.
“Nanny!” she yells, throwing herself into her arms.
Rebecca cradles Skye, and I can’t help the flush of jealousy that stains my soul. She knows my daughter better than I ever will.
“Rebecca,” Lochlan drawls. “Who are you and why are you here? Why are you helping us? What’s in it for you?”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
“Come on, Sweet Pea,” Rebecca says to Skye, taking her by the hand before facing us again. “I’ll explain everything, I promise. But we need to get out of here before the Axeman finds us. I’m a perfect shot, so I know he’s only slightly injured. He’ll catch up to us in no time. We can’t let him take my granddaughter.”
I watch her for a second longer before deciding to trust her. I know that look. She’s full of both rage and fear, but with a ferocity like no other to keep Skye safe.
Rebecca is just as much a pawn in this game as the rest of us are.
“Lead the way,” I tell her, lowering the rifle. “But make it fast. We need to get to the rest of my friends as quickly as possible and put an end to all this bullshit.”
She squares her shoulders, her gray braid swinging behind her as she pushes past Lochlan and me, disappearing with Skye into the small cabin.
“Do we trust her?” Lochlan asks, his voice low.
There’s a loud commotion in the cabin. “Nanny! Look, it’s a kitten!” Skye’s laughter erupts through the air.
I sigh, smiling gently. “I don’t think we have much of a choice. If Skye trusts her, then I do too.”
We get into the cabin and take in the small space. It’s definitely some type of worker’s quarters. A bed sits in the middle of the room against one wall, and on the opposite side sits a smaller kitchen with a door to a bathroom on the same wall.
Skye is sitting on the bed with a small bundle of fur in her arms. Lochlan reaches over and gives the kitten a small pat on the head, inciting a small meow of protest from her. Skye looks like she’s in heaven right now. All the fear of the day has vanished from her blue eyes as she snuggles the kitten close to her.
“Rebecca,” I say, clearing my throat. “Can we talk outside for a bit?” She eyes me warily, but agrees and follows me out.
I need to know why she’s here and what she plans to do with us now that she has Skye.
We sit together, hidden in the shadows of the trees, close enough to see the cabin door, but far enough to not be overheard. It’s like sheknows what I was bringing her out here for, and immediately explains everything to me.
Rebecca wasn’t lying about wanting to help us. As we sit here, she explains she was told her son’s life was on the line if she didn’t do precisely what Pierce ordered her to do. That included killing the other two guests in the tents, along with another unnamed guest who was in Teagan’s group.
My head spins at her admission.
“I broke the rules by leading you toward the correct path to find Skye,” she admits. “I knew there was another person out there, waiting to find you. And I couldn’t let them find Skye.”
My next question burns on my tongue, but I don’t know how to ask it.
She lets out a dry cough and shakes her head at me. “I’m not really her grandmother, dear. That’s just what Pierce has ordered me to be since he dropped her in my arms a decade ago. My son loves her like a little sister, and I love her like she’s one of my own.”
Hearing that eases a fear in my heart that I didn’t know was taking root. I was scared that Skye grew up with someone who saw her as a burden, but it’s clear that Rebecca loves Skye.
I listen to the rest of her story without interrupting.
She tells me she’s been raising Skye in the cabin, while also being Pierce’s housekeeper. When she was informed of his wicked plan to invite us all here, she was roped into this mess the same way the rest of us were.
As someone who knows what it feels like to watch him toy with your child, I have no place to judge her.
“You’re just another pawn in his game,” I concede. “A pawn with wicked good aim.” I raise my brow, and she and I share a laugh. “Thankyou for keeping her safe. Thank you for loving her in the way she deserves.”
