Rachel’s pulse hammered. “If you hurt me—”
His smile sickened her. “It’s not time yet. First, we need her. I’ve brought our story full circle.”
He stood again, the candlelight catching the faint gleam of metal at his belt. A key, ornate and gold.
Rachel froze. “What are you planning?”
He smiled faintly. “Redemption.”
Then he turned and walked away. The door shut behind him, and darkness swallowed everything except the echo of her own breathing.
The candlelight quivered with the gust in which he closed the door.
Rachel closed her eyes and whispered again the same prayer she’d repeated since waking:
“Lord, be my light in this darkness.”
???
As she stared into the iridescent faces of the two people Wax had left behind as a clue, there was something familiar about both.
Shadow continued to bark and paw at the ice-covered wall.
Caleb stepped closer. “Oh, geez.”
Ava shifted his way. “What is it? Do you recognize them?”
The horror on his face scared her. Time stood still while she waited for his answer.
“The woman, she looks like the lady in the lake...and you,” he said finally.
“Who is she? Who ishe? Get ERT up here right away.” Ava turned away from the terror she saw on their faces and focused on her partner. Shadow was trying to tell her something.
Ava hurried over to the animal who continued to paw at the wall. “Show me.”
Shadow’s soulful eyes met hers briefly before he continued his actions as if trying to gain access through the wall of ice.
Caleb joined her. Together, they felt around for a secret panel without any luck.
“Agent Blake, we have a problem.”
Ava pulled her attention away from Shadow’s unusual behavior to zero in on Agent Novak.
He stood at the door they’d just entered. It was now closed.
“There’s no door handle. I can’t open it.”
The chilling truth settled over her. They were trapped.
Ava rushed over to the door. Where the door handle should have been there was nothing. Wax had deliberately lured them inside here for a reason.
She banged on it hoping to grab the attention of her colleagues.
“It’s hopeless,” Caleb told her after several attempts.
“What do we do now?” Novak asked.
Ava glanced around at the worried faces of Larabee and Shackleford, Harper and Jace and didn’t have an answer.
