Page 65 of Mountain Shadow

Sarah opened her eyes, breathing a giant sigh of relief when she saw Kat was sitting only a couple of feet away from her. Her hands were bound in front of her with some kind of thick rope.

Sarah looked down at her own, tied hands. She tugged against the rope, but there was no give. All she managed to do was tear the skin off her wrists. A look at Kat’s own, bleeding wrists told her the pilot had tried this already as well.

Ignoring the pain in her head, Sarah pulled herself up to a sitting position; her bound hands clawed at the cold stone floor for purchase. They were in a small, bare room. The walls were made of rough, unfinished stone, as was the floor.

“Shh … relax, Sarah. Take it easy,” Kat said, reaching out to steady her.

“Are you okay?” Sarah asked. Her tongue was thick in her mouth. She remembered being knocked out by her stalker’s giant fist, but wondered if he’d also drugged her afterwards.

“I have a headache,” Kat replied calmly. “And I’m angry that I let him get the drop on me.”

“What happened?” Sarah asked, not at all sure she wanted to know.

“A call came to the station, some tourist panicked about a dog limping by the side of the road. The rest of the team was in a training exercise. Since I’ve been placed on the no-flight list until after the babies come, I volunteered to check it out. So stupid.”

“There was no tourist.”

“No. Just your stalker. He looked so normal … but when I turned my back on him, he knocked me unconscious.”

So normal.

Sarah felt bile rise to her mouth, remembering the man’s smooth face and vacuous blue stare.

“When I woke up,” Kat continued, “I was tied up in his car. It didn’t take me long to realize we were going to Jens’s place. I tried to warn you.”

“I heard. But I couldn’t let him hurt you.” Despite the debilitating fear, she didn’t regret opening the door—wouldn’t regret it, no matter what happened from here on.

“Thank you,” Kat said softly, her hands going to her hard belly. With that unconscious movement, Sarah understood just how much worry and fear the pilot was hiding behind her calm facade.

“Do you know where we are?”

Kat shook her head. “I was unconscious as well, and he must have taken our phones. But it’s still light outside. We can’t be more than an hour away.”

An hour away is a large radius to cover in a search.

Kat must have seen something in her face. “The team will turn over heaven and hell to find us,” she said, a savage expression on her face.

Sarah nodded. Jens wouldn’t stop looking.

But will he find us in time?

She wanted to be brave, like the pilot, but her fear was a live, vile thing.

A noise by the door had Sarah scrambling back against the wall. She pressed her shoulder against Kat’s arm in an attempt to steady herself.

The heavy wooden door opened with a groan. Her stalker walked inside. He was a big man. Thick everywhere. His blue gaze zeroed in on her.

“Ah, you’re awake,” he said. She hadn’t made up that Cockney accent. “I’m sorry I had to hit you.”

He made it sound like he’d bumped into her on the street, not slammed his fist into her cheek.

He’s crazy.

The thought almost made her laugh.

Of course he’s crazy.

He’s been threating you for weeks.