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Why are his clothes left there? Where is he?
A terrible thought invades my mind.
Did he strike a deal with the devil behind my back? Would he do that?
The idea is unbearable, unthinkable. But he’s been so standoffish, so unreachable. Was he planning all along to do something this stupid? Something that would enrage me so badly he couldn’t tell me?
He wouldn’t.
I don’t care if we freeze to death. I will never be okay with him trading his body for heat and running water. He knows that!
Goddammit, what should I do?
Ice stings my face as I weigh my options.
Banging on the window could forfeit the element of surprise, crucial if Denver is roaming free inside. There’s another way in, through the rear door, but it’s buried under a mountain of snow. Time is not on my side, nor is physical strength. I’m so fucking calorie deficient that my legs can barely keep me upright.
Fuck!
Pressing my cheek to the glass, I strain for a better view of the door’s barricade. In the shadows, I spot the faint outline of a pipe, the same one Kody used to brace against the door when he walked in on Leo and me.
He planned this. Blocked the entrance to prevent me from intervening.
My heart flails in my chest. Betrayal, anger, fear—I’m a blizzard of vicious feels.
Later. I’ll unleash hell on him once I know he’s safe.
Instinct takes over as I retreat from the window. Muscles burning, I fight the exhaustion and rush back to the cabin. Leaping over snowdrifts, stumbling, scrambling, and crying out with frustration, I pull myself forward with a death grip on the pathway rope.
Every second counts. There’s no room for error. By the time I reach the cabin, I have a mental checklist of everything I need.
This time, when Denver stares down the barrel of my gun, it will fucking be loaded.
69
Frankie
—
I return to the workshop, the door looming before me. Still barricaded. My persistent rattling of it echoes in the frozen air, a sure sign they’re aware of my presence now.
Kody would never willingly leave me standing in the cold.
A knot of dread tightens in my gut.
My pack hangs from my shoulder, bulging with the essentials. A first-aid kit, ammunition, and the comforting weight of guns. The shotgun, a beast in its own right, will wreak havoc at close range, while the pistol promises precision at a distance.
But what if I’m too late?
With a surge of urgency, I level the shotgun at the door.
“I’m coming in! Stand back!” I bellow as loudly as I can muster.
The wind bellows back.
This is it. The point of no return.
Gritting my teeth against the frostbiting cold, I brace myself and pull the trigger.
A deafening boom erupts, tearing across the tundra. The barricade shatters, and a storm of splinters and debris shower the air.
The door, now a mangled remnant of its former self, swings open.
Wracked with nerves, I step inside, the shotgun an unsteady extension of my arm. My eyes dart around, searching for any sign of life.
The room is eerily silent, hauntingly empty.
“Kody?” I trip over the pipe and hastily grab it with my free hand.
“Frankie!” His roar, a detonation of anguish and warning, blasts from the cage. “Get out!”
Terror seizes my breath and roots me to the spot. I feel the ground shifting, the cold biting deeper into my bones.
What has he done?
“Where’s Denver?” I manage to choke out, my voice barely a whisper, laden with a devastating horror.
“Go back to the cabin! Right fucking now!”
A gut punch.
Confirmation of my worst fears.
I know what awaits me in that cage. They’re in there together, and the thought ignites a war of fury in my chest, twisting me into a buzzing, fizzing, searing fit of panic and hysteria. My vision blurs, and my knees quake uncontrollably.
I won’t forgive Kody for this.
If I’m too late, I won’t forgive myself.
My hands shake too violently to hold the bulky weight of the shotgun. Carefully, I set it down, peel off my gloves, and switch to the pistol, the lead pipe tucked securely under my arm.
Deep breath.
Heart heavy, I follow the glow of flickering candles to the cage.
The padlock remains in place, preventing escape. Leo must’ve given Kody the combination.
Denver meets me at the door, his satisfied smile stretching between the bars. Fully clothed. Still wearing his coat. But behind him…
Behind him…
Amid the candlelight, Kody stands with his back to me, vulnerably exposed in nothing but wool socks.
“Why?” I explode with rage and heartache, violently striking the bars with the pipe. “How could you?”
“Put that down, little girl.” Unbothered, Denver watches me with chilling satisfaction. “Violence isn’t my thing.”
“Get out of there, Kody.” I shake the lock frantically, my breath fogging. “Now!”
“Return to the cabin.” Kody’s voice flattens, icy and distant, his back stiff and eyes directed at the wall. “Do what I say.”
