The distance between them felt insurmountable. Even if one of them got free, they’d still be separated by the entire length of the room. George had positioned them perfectly to prevent any coordinated escape attempt, with them bound on three of the four walls.
The fourth wall held Kelsey’s backpack. Reaching it was their only hope of getting the upper hand over George, but Gina couldn’t see any possibility of that happening.
“Kelsey,” Gina said quietly, “you don’t have to do this. It’s not too late to make the right choice.”
Kelsey looked at her with desperate eyes. “It is too late. Don’t you understand? I’m in too deep. If I don’t do what he says, I’lllose everything anyway. My career, my reputation, maybe even my life.”
“But we’re your friends—”
“Friends who will never forgive me for what I’ve done. Friends who will look at me and only see the person who betrayed them.” Kelsey’s voice was bitter. “There’s no going back from this.”
George laughed. “Listen to that. She gets it. She understands that some choices can’t be undone. She understands that it’s her or you.”
“Not true,” Gina persisted. “We’ve been there for each other. We’ve encouraged each other when things were rough. You brought me chicken soup when I was sick over the winter. We’ve even faced down a grizzly bear together.” She held Kelsey’s gaze, trying to convey meaning.
Instead, her friend shook her head. “I can’t risk it.”
So that was it then. Kelsey made her choice. She was willing to sacrifice the rest of them for a minuscule possibility George would spare her.
The wind gusted harder, making the old building shudder. Snow slipped through gaps in the boards, forming drifts along the windowsills. The temperature inside was falling fast, and Gina realized they were fighting more than just George now. The cold would be a factor.
Before, they’d huddled together inside the tent and the fort-like shelter they’d built, their heavier coats helping hold the warmth. Now they were scattered, their jackets stripped away.
Gina wore only her running clothes, though at least she’d chosen tights and a wool T-shirt for the run. Brooke had started in shorts on the trail, then pulled on sweats and a hoodie at the hotel. Joe had on light running pants and a T-shirt. Nick wore similar bottoms with a flannel shirt. Hypothermia would be a real concern before long.
“How long are you planning to keep us here?” Joe asked.
“Until the storm passes enough for me to finish this cleanly,” George replied. “Could be hours. Could be all night.”
Despair pressed in, as sharp and inescapable as the chill. Hours tied up in this freezing building, waiting for George to decide it was time to kill them. She looked at Nick again and saw him still working at his bonds, refusing to give up even though the situation seemed hopeless.
She’d been wrong about him. Wrong to push him away. If they lived through this, she’d tell him so.
But first, they had to survive.
Chapter 14
Nick
The rope around Nick’s wrists was cutting off circulation, but he kept working at the knots anyway. George had positioned him perfectly—far enough from the others that he couldn’t coordinate an escape, and tied to a chair that made any movement awkward and noisy.
Gina sat across the room, back to back with Brooke, her face pale in the flickering light. Too far to reach. Too far for her to see that he’d never stopped trying to be the man she could trust.
Every protective instinct he had was screaming at him to get to her, to put himself between her and George, but he was trapped in a chair like a helpless spectator.
“You know what I find interesting?” George said, pacing near the windows. “How quickly people turn on each other when things get desperate. You five have been a tight little group, but look at you now. Nobody trusts anybody.”
“We trust each other,” Gina said, but Nick could hear the strain in her voice.
“Do you? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve all written each other off.” George’s gaze flicked to Nick, then back to Gina. “Finding out the truth about Kelsey’s got you doubting everyone and everything. Especially you and the drifter over there. I saw it plain as day. One minute you were all in, the next you were done. Shame, really. A woman like you probably doesn’t let men get too close. Always ready with an excuse to walk away before anything real can start.”
Nick stared at him, the anger sharp and cold. “Leave Gina alone.”
“Ah, the mighty protector.” George’s smile was cruel. “Too bad you’re powerless here. Besides, Gina’s made it plain she doesn’t trust you and wants nothing to do with you. Can’t say I blame her. Who wants a man unable to keep her safe when it counts?”
“Stop talking,” Brooke said, her voice sharp with anger.
“Why? Because it’s true? Because your cousin is exactly what he appears to be—a guy with nothing to offer, who brings trouble wherever he goes?”
