There was no way out. One car blocked the road heading down the mountain, and another blocked their way back to the lodge.
They were trapped.
River whimpered and hugged herself tighter, Hannah sat frozen in her seat and Bailey and Sarah were each watching a set of headlights, waiting to see what would happen next.
Sarah’s stomach twisted in fear. It had to be Granger or some of his men. They must have already been watching the lodge while everyone was planning to leave, waiting for the perfect time to strike.
They were too far away from the lodge now, for Lawson or the others to know they needed help. Besides, if these cars were here, Sarah was sure they were at the lodge too. Help wouldn’t be coming for them. They would get out of this on their own. One way or another.
The vehicle behind them was a black SUV with dark-tinted windows, making it nearly impossible to see anyone inside. The women sat in terrified silence and waited as the front passenger door opened, and a well-dressed man stepped out. The moment Sarah laid eyes on him, she knew he had to be Victor Granger.
There was nobody else who would have carried themselves like that, she was sure of it. He exuded a cold, calculated confidence. His head was shaven, and his face radiated a fury Sarah had never seen before. She felt like a helpless animal trapped by a ferocious predator, ready to swallow her whole.
Granger made his way toward the car, and his eyes seemed pinned to Sarah’s. He gave her a dark, cruel grin that sent a shiver down her spine. But it told her exactly what she needed to know. He was there for her, not any of the other women. He had singled out Sarah with that one look. Now, she could use that knowledge to her advantage and get the others out of there.
She quickly turned to the other women, lowering her voice and speaking urgently.
“Listen to me,” she ordered them. “He’s here for me. He’s trying to get leverage over Lawson, I’m sure of it. If I make a break for it, then he’s going to send his men after me. And you can get out of here.”
“We’re not leaving you here,” Bailey said sharply, sounding angry at the very suggestion.
River and Hannah shook their heads emphatically to agree with Bailey.
“You’re leaving for me, because I’m asking you to,” Sarah assured them. “You all need to get to safety, then you can get me help. But you have to get out of here in order to do that.”
“Sarah, no.” Hannah reached back and grabbed her hand.
“There is no way this car is leaving without you in it. I will not leave you here for these men. Lawson is depending on me keeping you safe, Sarah. I won’t do it,” Bailey said, all but growling at her.
“It’s the only way, and you three know it. He won’t hurt me, he’ll take me back to the lodge to flaunt me at Lawson. To show him he couldn’t keep me safe. When I make a run for it, you need to hurry. He won’t be expecting it, you can get away. I can’t…”
Her voice hitched at the back of her throat as the reality of this situation began to sink in. She was going to have to get out of this car and put herself in grave danger, to ensure her friends could get away. The thought was terrifying. But she knew it was the only way to help her friends. To give them a chance.
It seemed Granger had been making his own plans on how best to get to Lawson, throw him off his game. Apparently, she was his trump card. The man knew Lawson would do anything to keep her out of harm’s way, and that would most likely get him and the other guys at the lodge killed. Sarah couldn’t let herself be used like that. Against the man she loved.
Granger stopped a short distance from her side of the car, holding his hands up, trying to seem nonthreatening.
“Sarah Peterson, my dear,” he said with a smile curling his lips. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
She reached for the door handle, her heart pounding in her chest. River shot her a panicked look and squeezed her leg tightly, as though telling her to stay right where she was, but sheknew she couldn’t. She couldn’t risk her friends getting caught, too.
Hannah turned in her seat and pinned Sarah with her watery eyes. “Sarah, please—please don’t do this. We need to stay together.”
Sarah shook head and turned to Bailey, giving her a hard look.
“You need to get out of here, get to Sheriff Willis,” she firmly told her.
“Sarah—” Bailey replied, but Sarah just cut her off.
“Bailey. You know this is the right move. Get to town as fast as you can.”
Bailey gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, then nodded and pinned Sarah with a determined gaze. “Fine. We’ll go,” she replied. She seemed to know as well as Sarah did that there was no other way out of this. She would do her part, and she had to trust that her friends would do theirs.
“You stay alive out there. Lawson will kill me if anything happens to you. You hear me?”
For Lawson. For her friends. She had to run. She had to put as much distance between herself and these men as she could. She doubted she would be able to outrun them, but she was going to give it everything she had.
Sarah sucked in a deep breath, trying to slow the terror gripping her insides, then nodded once to acknowledge Bailey’s demand. “I will.”
