“You harm a hair on her head,” I threaten, “and so help me, Jayden, you’re a dead man.”
Four
Harper
The moment Jayden is upstairs on the phone, he slams the door shut, silencing my screams for help. I hurry out of the metal folding chair, grab it and carry it toward the egress window, using the chair to stand.
There aren’t any locks or security systems with an alarm blaring when I manage to open the window.
I climb out into the darkness.
I’m underdressed for the night air and shiver. It’s nearly pitch black and there’s only a sliver of moon in the sky. Not enough to offer light to find my way to the main road.
From the looks of it, I’m at a cabin, someplace in the woods.
Great.
That describes too many remote locations. I can’t even fathom what town I’m in right now.
I don’t have my phone, no car. I sneak away from the property, quiet as I hurry down the gravel road and follow it down the mountain.
My hands are freezing, and I wrap them around myself to keep warm. The short-sleeved shirt with a dip in my cleavage is not practical for outside. But I wasn’t expecting to be stuck out in the cold.
I was dressed for the bar, attempting to bring in a few extra tips. I’d taken the money Nikki had given me and bought some cute clothes for work.
I survey the area, looking for any sign of a home, aside from the place where I came from. Perhaps even a car, someone who can lend me their phone to call Luca for help.
The road is desolate down the mountainside.
The gravel is rough and worn as the switchbacks make it nearly impossible to see around the corner, not that I can see much. I keep to the edge of the road, the gravel under my shoes making it apparent that I’m following the road, as the grass is dried and dead under my feet.
If only it were summer, and at least then the sun might still be out.
I’m not overly tired, which either tells me it’s not horribly late or the adrenaline surge is keeping me awake.
Luca must know by now that I’m missing, and I’m sure he’s wracked with worry. Keeping to the edge of the road, I stumble through the dark. My arms are freezing, my fingers numb. As I finally reach the paved road at the bottom of the mountain, I’m shivering and clutching my arms to my chest to keep warm.
There’s not a car in sight.
I walk.
The road is abandoned, and I’m not quite sure what road I’m on or where I am. The area unfamiliar in the dark, there are no landmarks, no signs, nothing recognizable yet.
Minutes feel like hours, and the headlights of a car in the distance gain on me. I keep to the edge of the road, not wanting to get hit. No one will stop if they can’t see me. I wave my arms, hoping that the passerby will help.
They drive by at full speed before hitting their brakes and backing up, slowly approaching me.
The small sedan rolls down its window and I peek inside. “Harper, is that you?”
The young woman’s voice, I barely recognize. But I’ve seen her before, I swear it.
“Do I know you?” I ask and shake away the cobwebs. “Can I get it a ride?”
“Of course.” She unlocks the door, and I grab the handle, climbing into the front seat.
“Can I borrow your phone?” I ask, her face seemingly familiar as the interior lights flip on when I open the door.
But I’m not sure from where I recognize her.
