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A twig snapped.
Cole stiffened. His gaze scanned the woods. An animal? Or the stalker?
Silence stretched out. Then a deer stepped out from the shelter of a nearby bush. Cole let go of the breath he was holding. “Let’s keep going.”
“It’s not far.”
Cole tried to walk on his own, but the world still swam in front of his eyes. He had a concussion. Olivia once again resumed her place as his crutch. Her slender form was strong, her steps sure. Frustration at his lack of capabilities dug into him like claws, but the emotion was useless given the circumstances. Olivia wouldn’t leave without him. She was stubborn enough—and brave enough—to risk her life to save his. It was a shame she couldn’t shoot. Willie had tried to teach her many times, but Olivia said she’d never felt comfortable with a gun.
A small house appeared ahead with a dirt driveway leading up to the main road. The lake was on their left, a dark black blob against the backdrop of pine trees. Olivia and Cole circled the building, stopping at the front stoop. He was panting. Despite the cold nighttime air, and the drizzle, sweat gathered at the base of his spine.
“Wait a second.” Olivia unhooked Cole’s arm from around her shoulders and began digging in the flowerbed. She flipped over a rock and then rose, a triumphant look on her face. “Keys.”
He kept watch while she opened the front door. The house was warmer than the outdoors and smelled musty. Cole locked the door with a trembling hand and gave his eyes a moment to adjust to the dark interior. A couch hulked in the corner opposite a modestly sized television. A kitchen was on their left. A hallway, probably leading to the bedrooms, was on their right.
“Come on.” Olivia grabbed his arm. Her hand was chilled. “We have to get dry, and I need to take a closer look at that wound. Then I’ll hunt around for a way to call Eli. Susan mentioned her husband keeps a satellite phone here for emergencies.”
Cole’s teeth chattered as he lowered himself to the bathroom floor. Olivia dried off his hair and then helped him remove his jacket. She winced at the blood coating his shirt. It had dripped all the way down the front and along the sleeve, but her makeshift bandage at the car had slowed some of the blood loss. He grabbed her hand before she could examine him further.
“I’m fine. Dry yourself off and get the satellite phone.” Olivia looked like she wanted to argue, but he kissed her palm. “Please. Contacting Eli is the most important thing. The sooner we have backup here, the better.”
Cole didn’t mention that his head was spinning. He couldn’t protect her like this if the stalker found them. He needed backup. His grip on the gun was weak. With his blurry vision and injured shoulder, he was practically useless.
Olivia’s expression softened. She covered him in dry towels. “I’ll be right back.”
She slipped from the bathroom. Cole's trembling increased. He’d held it together in front of Olivia, but the blood loss coupled with the concussion had sapped most of his strength. Leaning his head against the bathtub, Cole closed his eyes. He needed to rest. Just for a moment.
Darkness claimed him.
TWENTY-FIVE
She couldn’t find the satellite phone.
Olivia used a penlight she’d unearthed from a kitchen drawer to search the primary bedroom. Turning on any lights was too risky, since she had no way of knowing if the stalker was searching for them. The small flashlight was better than nothing, but the lack of illumination slowed her search.
The top of the dresser was free of clutter, each of the drawers cleaned out and ready for a guest to use. Susan and her husband, Mitch, rented the house for additional income, so it was pretty sparsely decorated. She searched through the nightstands and then moved to the closet. A few pieces of clothing hung in a far corner. Several shoeboxes were tucked underneath. Items Susan and Mitch had left for when they stayed in the cabin.
Olivia opened one, surprised to find lottery tickets tucked inside with a pair of women’s sneakers. The next box was the same, except it contained a pair of hiking boots along with the lottery tickets. She knew Susan played, but not to this extent. There had to be hundreds of dollars in tickets here. Most of them were old though. Why keep them? Especially in the cabin that Susan didn’t use often. It was strange but didn’t help Olivia in the hunt for the satellite phone. She tossed the shoeboxes aside and scanned the space for a secret hiding place.
Nothing. Frustration bubbled. The only place left to look for the phone was in the bathroom. Grabbing the blanket off the bed, Olivia headed down the hall. It’d only been ten minutes since she left Cole, but worry plagued her. He was seriously injured. If they didn’t find the phone soon, she’d have to leave him in the house and head back to the scene of the accident to get help.
Was the stalker still out there? She feared he was. Rain beat against the roof as another band of thunderstorms crossed their path. Any normal person would seek shelter from the harsh weather, but the man hunting them wasn’t logical. He was on a mission. The cold and the rain wouldn’t deter him.
Olivia slipped into the bathroom. Her heart skittered as panic shot through her like a bolt of lightning. “No, no, no.”
Cole was slumped against the bathtub, his eyes closed. His complexion was ghostly pale in the weak beam of her penlight. Olivia couldn’t tell if he was breathing. She dropped to her knees at his side and fumbled to feel for a pulse along the column of his throat. Tears blurred her vision.
An irregular and thready heartbeat thumped against her fingers. Olivia sucked in a breath. “Thank you, God.”
Cole was alive, but the situation was more grave than ever. He needed help. Now.
She covered him with the blanket to help his body stay warm and then frantically searched the bathroom for the satellite phone. There was nothing in the cabinets but towels, washcloths, and small toiletries. The linen closet was locked though. Olivia fished the house keys out of her pocket, relieved to see a smaller key on the chain. She tried it in the lock and the door swung open.
Cleaning supplies neatly lined the shelves next to a few canned food items and extra water in case of an emergency. The satellite phone was plugged into an electrical outlet nestled in the back wall of the closet. Olivia snatched it up. Urgency ran through her as she dialed Eli’s number. Praise sweet baby Jesus that she’d memorized his contact information, along with Cole’s, when they took over the investigation.
Eli answered on the first ring. “Goodwin.”
“It’s Olivia. We crashed, and the stalker came after us. Cole and I escaped on foot and we’re hiding at Susan’s lake house.” She quickly provided him the address before dropping to her knees and checking Cole’s pulse. Still thready. “Cole’s been shot. We need an ambulance ASAP. He’s unconscious and has lost a lot of blood.”
