And he wanted to. He desperately wanted to. Somehow, someway, he was going to keep her safe. He wasn’t going to let George hurt her. Whatever it took.
“We need the bear spray. Can you get to yours?”
“Without him noticing? I’m not sure. Maybe.”
“Try,” he said quietly. “When I make a move, follow my lead.”
“What kind of move?”
“I’m working on it.”
“Time’s up,” George called. “You’ve got enough snow. Let’s get back inside.”
Back in the hotel, they took off their wet jackets and wrapped up in dry layers. Gina started the camp stove and set the soup pot on it, the snow on the outside sizzling from the heat.
The rest of the trail runners clustered together, and Nick could see the fear in everyone’s faces. Everyone except Kelsey, who looked more resigned than afraid.
“So, here’s how this is going to work,” George said. “We’re going to wait until morning. If my contact shows up, great. If not, well, like I said, tragic accident.”
“You won’t get away with this,” Brooke said, her voice sounding less than confident.
“Actually, I will.” George settled back into his chair, gun now resting openly in his lap. “Because nobody knows where any of you are except each other, and dead people don’t file reports.”
Brooke shook her head.
Nick reached out and touched her arm. He knew what she was about to say. It wasn’t true that no one knew they were here. Brooke had posted her plans in their chat group and had even written them on the calendar at the coffee shop. He had seen both himself.
Chances were good she’d mentioned it elsewhere too. She was active on social media and often shared her training plans, though he had warned her not to post her locations in advance. Even revealing where she had gone was risky, since she often repeated the same runs.
George didn’t need to know how many people knew where they were. Not yet, anyway. Let him think what he wanted. Thecasual way he shared his plans sent a chill through Nick, but it also revealed something important: George wasn’t planning to act until morning. That gave them time.
Time to plan. Time to figure out how to survive. Time to stop second-guessing and start acting.
Chapter 11
Gina
Back inside the building, Gina made sure everyone, even George, had something hot to drink. They were reusing Nick’s supply of teabags and instant coffee bags, and each person’s cup was on the light side.
As she handed George’s cup to him, she was tempted to dump it on him, hoping the scalding water might give them the opportunity they needed to overtake him.
She suspected he might have read her thoughts from the way he reached out as she approached, effectively keeping her at arm’s length. She could still throw the hot water in his direction, but it wouldn’t work as well.
Instead, she met his gaze as he met hers. “Why, thank you, Miss Gina,” he said, his tone carrying a note of mocking. “Mighty kind of you.”
Her first instinct was to tell him to drop dead. It’d make her feel better for sure, but antagonizing him would do little to help the situation.
As she turned away from him, her eyes traveled to the hallway where her backpack, along with Brooke’s and Joe’s, sat along the wall. She’d pulled everything they needed to keep warm from her pack, but had left unimportant things inside, including the bear spray.
She scrunched her brow. Where was Kelsey’s pack? She had still been outside when the three of them had dropped theirs. Gina scanned the room with her eyes, finally locating it in the corner behind where they’d set up camp.
She went to the camp stove to fill her cup, the same paper one she’d picked up at a gas station before leaving Irma. It was barely holding together now.
When George first showed up, she’d handed him Nick’s mug, leaving Nick without one. After their trek outside, she knew he needed something hot as much as anyone. She held out her cup toward him.
“Let’s share,” she said quietly.
As he sipped, she tipped her head toward Kelsey’s backpack, widening her eyes. He frowned, so she lifted her chin at the pack again.
