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“I’m calling them now.” Roman’s voice sounds farther behind me than before. He hollers louder. “Keep going, Penni, and your boyfriend’s dead.”
Those words make me stop. Cannon’s dead?
In the shadows, I make out the outline of Roman’s hand in the air, holding his phone. He’s several feet from me. His chest rises and falls rapidly. The birds and insects around us have gone quiet, as if they’re interested in the outcome of this encounter as much as I am.
“Is he alive?” I ask, my voice shaking.
“For now.” Roman waggles the phone. “You’re in charge of his destiny. Keep running, and I’ll make the call.”
“Won’t it be hard to make it look like a suicide if you kill him?”
“Do you have his gun?” His question is smooth, but he looks me over. He doesn’t know. Then how does he know the other guys have Cannon?
“He doesn’t have to die,” Roman says like he’s negotiating in the boardroom.
He’s lying, but I don’t see a way out of this. Roman wants the money he’ll get from my death, but he can’t be the one responsible for it. If he can’t make our deaths look like a murder-suicide, then he’ll think of something else. I don’t know what. I obviously don’t have the same demented thoughts as him.
My surroundings fade as I take a tentative step forward. Roman starts closing the distance. He’s eerily calm. He’s not a man who gets flustered, but something about him feels off.
Wait. Why is he coming toward me? I edge backward. I’ve stopped running. If he wants to bring me back to the cabin, and he’s using Cannon’s fate to do it, all he needs is for me to follow him.
Without the trees blocking out the dwindling sunlight, I can make out Roman’s intent features. When he’s two steps away from me, I don’t miss the way his gaze strays to the drop-off.
And I know, I know, what he’s planning.
He must’ve seen the realization flash across my face. He lunges for me, but I waltz backward just like I would on a dance floor when I’m trying to help my partner steer away from another couple. My steps are close but quick. It throws his footing off, and he stumbles. The flat bottom of his shoes scrape against the rock and try to stick a landing, but he can’t. There are too many loose rocks. He throws an arm out to hit me, but I angle backward like my partner’s dipping me and I have to shoot a nice smile to the judges. The near miss trashes what balance he regained and he spins, overcorrecting.
I slam my back against the cliff wall to stay out of his way. His left foot lands closer to the edge where it sharply drops off. His shoes have no grip. He throws his arms into the air, frantically trying to preserve some sort of balance. But he teeters backward. Roman’s expression changes from shock to panic.
Harsh edges of the rock face cut into my back as I press myself farther away. All I can hear is the pounding of my heart as I watch. Before he topples backward, his eyes meet mine. There’s nothing but hatred in his dark irises.
Then he’s gone. There’s a short yell, then a muffled thump, and another. I squeeze my eyes shut, wishing I didn’t hear his body tumble against the rocks.
Silence descends. A gasp comes out with every breath. Several moments tick by before I’m aware of hot tears streaking down my cheeks.
His yell seems to echo through the night. I’m terrified to look over the edge. I doubt I’ll see anything, but I have to. I can’t go back to the cabin afraid of what’s behind me.
Carefully, I push away from the wall of the cliff. I take a tentative step. And another. I peer down. I’d see better if I was closer, but I’m not moving beyond this point.
My hand is pressed to my racing heart as I search the shadows below. I make out scraggly bushes, jagged rocks, and the line where trees start as the land begins a gentler slope. It’s there I spot a battered lump darker than its surroundings.
I cry out and slam myself back against the cliff wall. Is he dead?
This isn’t the movies. He’s not going to recover from a fall like that and continue to chase me.
Do I just…leave him? What if he’s alive?
I’m not equipped to save him, and I have no way to call for help.
I edge along the trail until I reach a safer section. Then I start a slow jog toward the road. There are only two things I’m concerned about: calling for help and whether Cannon is still alive.
Cannon
Where is she?
The headlights aren’t lighting up enough of the road. I’ve gone from caring only that she got away to desperately hoping I can find her.
I can’t open the window and yell. Roman might have her, or she might be hiding from him. Up ahead, there’s a person jogging on the road. The slender figure veers down into the ditch and disappears into the trees.
