Page 69 of Auctioned to the Devil

“Good girl.”

The words come out rough.

I follow.

She made it thirty yards.

Broken branches.

Deep impressions where someone went down.

Drag marks back toward the road.

Zip-tie packaging in the snow.

Rage slams through me.

I bury it.

Later. There will be time for rage later.

Tire tracks leave the ranger station heading north.

Heavy truck. Aggressive tread. One tire slightly underinflated.

I know where they’re going.

There’s nothing north except mountain and an abandoned logging operation Sloan tried to buy two years ago.

I call the sheriff.

Then Archer.

“Need your truck.”

“Where?”

“North logging road.”

“I’m coming.”

“No.”

“Caleb.”

“If they see multiple vehicles, they move her.”

Silence.

Then, “Bring her home safe.”

I look at Emily’s blood on my hand.

“I will.”

I leave my truck two miles out.

The logging road is iced over, but the snow beside it gives me everything I need.