Page 66 of Auctioned to the Devil

“Where?”

“Old logging operation.”

The words knock the air out of me.

Deep in the mountains.

Miles from town.

Miles from Caleb.

They shove me into the back seat.

I twist around. “My Jeep.”

“What about it?”

“People will find it.”

The man smiles. “That’s the idea.”

The other gets behind the wheel.

“Looks like the city teacher went hiking alone and got herself lost.”

My heart stops.

They planned this.

The messages.

Daniel.

The ranger station.

Everything.

The truck starts moving.

I stare through the rear window as my Jeep disappears behind us.

Caleb’s voice fills my head.

Being capable doesn’t make you bulletproof.

I close my eyes.

For days I’ve fought him on everything.

The locks.

The boots.

The gun.

The warnings.

The constant insistence that I stop pretending determination makes me invincible.