Dom
Jo entered the codethat Dr.Foster had given her for the cabin while I watched the area around us, making sure we were truly alone.When Dr.Foster said she didn’t have any neighbors, she hadn’t been lying.The cabin was secluded at the top of the mountain, and the weather had made it nearly impossible to reach it safely.
Once the door opened, I walked in behind Jo, keeping my hand on her lower back as I closed and locked the door behind us.She turned on some lights and walked through the kitchen, admiring a fancy coffee maker while I quickly cleared the rest of the cabin and made sure everything was secure.
“I’m going to go grab our stuff from the truck,” I said, reaching for the doorknob.“Please stay inside.I’ll get a fire started as soon as I get back.”
“Dr.Foster said we should be fine to use the heater, even if the power goes out.I’ll get it turned on now so it can start heating the cabin before we have to start a fire.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
I walked outside and pulled the door closed behind me.I grabbed what I could and made as few trips as possible, thankful once everything was inside so I could get out of the frigid cold.Jo had gotten the heater started and was in the bedroom while I worked on putting the food away.I wasn’t sure how long we would be staying there, but my gut said more than a few days.
We had some fresh food in the fridge that I had brought and put away.It would last us maybe a week, if that, but it was better than nothing.The worst-case scenario was that I could go back into town to get whatever we needed while I kept Jo hidden in the cabin.I knew she would hate that idea, but I was determined to do whatever was necessary to keep her safe.
“Need any help?”she asked as she walked into the kitchen and smiled at me.
“I’m all done, but if you’re hungry, I can make something for dinner.”
She scrunched her face and shook her head.
“I know I should eat, but I don’t really have much of an appetite right now.Maybe later.But if you’re hungry, you should make yourself some food.Don’t wait on me.”
“I’m fine.Just let me know if you change your mind.”
She nodded and looked around, taking the cabin in.
“I expected it to be old and dingy,” Jo said with a laugh.“I should have known better, given her family has always been well off.Her dad left the cabin to her when he died a few years ago, but she hasn’t been up much since then.I think most of this was his stuff.It all looks brand new.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t look like he spent a lot of time here either,” I mused, knowing that if I had a place like this, I would never want to leave.“Or he just took really good care of his things.”
“Possibly.The bed in the master bedroom still had plastic covering the mattress, so I don’t think he used it.I did find some linens in the closet and started a load of laundry, so they should be ready by the time we’re ready for bed.”
“Sounds good.Thank you for getting that started.”
She smiled, but I could feel the energy shift between us as the reality of what happened weighed on us.
“Do you want to watch TV?”I offered.
“Sure.”Her lip trembled as if she struggled to say what she really wanted to say.
I followed behind her, nearly knocking her over when she stopped suddenly and turned to face me.She held a gun between her hands, aimed directly at my forehead as she narrowed her eyes at me.I lifted my hands, unsure of what was happening or why she was acting like that.
“Did you tell Tray where we are?”
My heart sank as a breath rushed out of me.
“No.I didn’t tell anyone where we were.Aside from Dr.Foster, Keith, and Axel, no one knows.”
“Unlock your phone and give it to me.”
I slowly reached into my pocket and pulled it out, unlocking it before handing it to her.
She kept the gun aimed at me with one hand while she swiped her finger over the screen as she looked through it.I didn’t bother talking because I knew nothing I said would help.Jo needed to confirm for herself that she was safe, even if she questioned it with me.
I waited patiently, not making any movements while she continued looking through my phone.
“Sit down,” she demanded, nodding to the leather recliner.
