Dead Right (Stillwater Trilogy #3)(95)
Author: Brenda Novak

Unfortunately, the cold was no longer her ally. She was trembling violently. And her fingers were so swollen and stiff she could hardly use them. She fumbled with the knot but couldn’t untie it.

Should she try to slide away from the cabin door? Around to the side, where she wouldn’t feel quite so vulnerable? She longed to—but didn’t dare. She was afraid the noise of her movements would draw Ray back. She was better off staying where she was and getting out of the ropes so she could sneak away more quietly. At least if he caught her at that point, she’d be able to run, kick, fight. And she’d have the ax.

A creak alerted her to the fact that Ray was at the threshold. But he wasn’t using his flashlight, and he seemed to be moving stealthily. Why? Was he about to spring at her? Or did he feel that the light made his whereabouts too obvious?

Either way, his lack of light worked in her favor. Now he couldn’t see anything, either. She just had to be careful not to stumble into him once she was capable of running.

She thought she heard him move again, but she couldn’t tell in which direction. He was close, she knew that. He was probably standing two feet from her, listening, waiting.

After stretching her sore hands, she worked at the knot some more.

Calm down. Ignore him. Make no sound but feel the rope. Start in the right place. That’s it.

Another creak sent chills down her spine. Judging by the proximity of that noise, she could reach out and touch him. He even knocked a piece of wood off the pile above her—most likely a mistake on his part—but it nearly hit her as it tumbled to the ground.

She covered her head with her arms and remained exactly where she was. She wanted to take the ax that was behind her and swing it at him. But she had so little strength. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to strike much of a blow. He’d wrest it away far too easily. And her feet were still tied.

She’d be stupid to act so soon. She could blow her only opportunity.

Patience. Swallowing hard, she opened and closed her burning hands, hoping to get the blood flowing again, and persevered with the knot. She couldn’t wiggle her feet back and forth to help loosen the bands, couldn’t risk any noise, which made her task harder. Ray seemed to sense that she was there. He hovered on the porch, within a few feet of her.

The tension in the ropes around her feet began to ease. Madeline was almost free. She’d slip carefully away, figure out how to find civilization and pray she didn’t freeze to death first. But she must’ve made some sound as she started to rise because Ray’s flashlight suddenly snapped on, so bright it temporarily blinded her.

She screamed as he lunged at her, then fell back, scraping herself on the wood. “No!” Her voice was unrecognizable to her own ears, but she had the presence of mind to bring her legs up and kick him as hard as she could. She knew she’d hit him in a good spot when he dropped the flashlight and sank to his knees.

Scrambling, Madeline tried to run, but she couldn’t feel her feet. She fell and whacked her knee on the porch, got up and fell again.

“I’ll kill you for this,” he rasped.

She’d never heard such deadly intent. Grabbing the flashlight that had now rolled closer to her than him, and the ax, she hobbled around the house—and somehow managed to keep her balance.

She could hear him trying to limp after her, still wheezing and cursing from the pain, and turned off the flashlight. He’d have to track her by sound. She wasn’t going to give him a beacon to follow.

The forest stood dark and silent all around her. It was too dark to move very fast. She could turn her ankle or fall into a creek or gully. Forced to slow, she glanced behind her but couldn’t see or hear anything. She longed to put some space between them, then hide and wait for morning. But she knew that wasn’t a reasonable plan. Morning could be hours away—she was disoriented in her perception of time—and it was far too cold to stay outside. She didn’t have boots or warm clothes, wouldn’t survive even three hours. And because she didn’t know the area, she had no idea which direction to take. She ran the risk of returning to the cabin without even knowing it, wandering around indefinitely, or falling off a cliff.

No, she couldn’t hope to avoid Ray until she found help. She had to get inside, get warm, acquire some kind of transportation. He stood between her and all of that. Which meant her best option was to do something about it—and the sooner the better. The longer she waited, the weaker and colder she was going to get.

I can’t go back into the cabin. After the pills she’d ingested, she still wasn’t herself. She was so tired she could barely lift the ax. She was tempted to give up, to sit down and cry. None of this was fair; she’d done nothing to deserve it.

But if she wanted to live, she had to get him before he got her.

Ray leaned against the cabin until he was sufficiently recovered, wondering what he should do now. He couldn’t go after her. He had another flashlight in his glove box, but if he used it, she’d know where he was at all times. If he didn’t use it, there was no telling what he might walk into. He could chase her around the forest all night, but that would be stupid.

He had to lure her back to the cabin. And the only way he knew to do that was to make her believe he was giving up.

Climbing into his truck, he started the engine, backed up and headed toward the road. When he’d gone about a hundred yards, he parked, more enraged than ever. She had to come out of hiding eventually; she’d freeze to death if she didn’t.

When Madeline heard Ray’s truck, she couldn’t believe it. He was leaving? Had she injured him more badly than she’d thought? She doubted it. Maybe she’d gotten lucky enough to hit him where it hurt, but she lacked the strength to do much damage.

Was he afraid she’d find help and bring the authorities down on him? That wasn’t likely, either—or not in the immediate future, anyway. He knew she didn’t have a clue about where she was. He’d brought her bound and gagged beneath a tarp. A person didn’t get much more disoriented than that.

So what? She wasn’t sure what he was doing. But she needed warmth and shelter and knew of only one place to get it. That meant he’d find her if he returned.

She needed a plan. And she needed it fast.

Dragging the ax behind her, she hurried for the cabin.

Ray waited long enough that he felt safe using the flashlight to make his way back, but he didn’t need it once he started down the narrow, winding drive. Even from twenty yards, he could see that Madeline had a fire going. The flicker in the front window looked like a beacon, an invitation welcoming him home. She’d gone back inside and was hoping to get warm, poor thing.