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Squaring her shoulders, she walked to the door and turned the lock. Then she found her purse, still holding her gun, and slung it over her arm.
* * *
Knowing Sergei and Yuri were waiting in the Chevy, Jerry struggled to smile naturally at the woman behind the desk. “I need a place with two bedrooms,” he said, shoving his trembling hands into his pockets. “The mother-in-law will be with us,” he said, with what he hoped was a smile and not a grimace. “Somewhere isolated. We all like the nature. I mean, the natural sounds. We like to hear them.”
The woman studied his face. Nodded. “Fine. I think I have something that will work for you.” She pulled down a book and flipped the pages until she found the one she was looking for. “This cabin is up in the mountains,” she said. “Very isolated, but it has all the amenities.” She smiled at him. “It has several bird feeders outside the windows. Our nature-loving guests see a lot of different bird species.”
“And not a lot of other cabins around it?” Jerry asked.
“No, the closest cabin is at least three miles away.”
“Great. I’ll take it.” He pulled a credit card out of his wallet and shoved it across the desk. “For a week.”
“Very good,” she said. “Let me run your card through, and then I’ll give you the keys and the directions.”
Five minutes later, Jerry clutched the house instructions, the directions and the keys in his hand as he made his way back to the Chevy. After he’d tried to run, the Russians had caught up with him easily, riding his bumper all the way into Helena. He’d given up and gone back to the motel. If he’d tried to keep going, they’d just wait for a deserted stretch of road and area and start shooting at him.
He didn’t like the way Sergei and Yuri studied him when they reached the motel -- like they were starving to death and had just discovered a juicy steak. He’d explained that he’d tried to get the big SUV to follow him, so the Russians could keep following the other two cars. He wasn’t sure they’d bought it.
And instead of staying the night, Sergei had ordered him to pack his things. They needed to find another place to stay. The people in those Suburbans might have called the sheriff, and Sergei didn’t want deputies snooping around the motel, looking for them.
Jerry had planned to take off late tonight, after Sergei and Yuri fell into their drunken stupor. Impossible now. He doubted they’d be drinking their vodka tonight. Not when they’d been so pissed off that he’d tried to run.
Sergei had made him ride in the Chevy, leaving his car at the motel. Easier to manage one car at a cabin, he’d said.
Jerry was pretty sure the asshole was trying to keep him close. Trying to make sure he couldn’t run.
But he’d stay awake tonight. Pay attention. Maybe he could grab the key to the Chevy while Sergei and Yuri were sleeping.
When he got back into the car, he gripped the directions in his hand. “You want me to read them to you, or should I give them to Yuri?”
“You tell me where to go,” Sergei said.
I’ll tell you where to go. Jerry cleared his throat. “Take a left out of the parking lot.”
Thirty minutes later, long after the sky had darkened, they pulled up in front of a ramshackle-looking cabin. All three of them got out of the car and stared at it. It looked like a shithole, but Jerry kept his mouth shut.
They grabbed their bags and Jerry unlocked the door. It was bare bones, but hopefully they wouldn’t be here long. Sergei had said he had a plan for getting the money.
Once they were all inside, Sergei nodded at Yuri. He opened a bag and pulled out a blue tarp. Spread it over the floor.
Jerry spun around and dashed to the door. Reached for the handle. He’d seen enough movies to know what a blue tarp meant.
Yuri grabbed him before he made it to the door. “Come,” he said. “Sit down. We have a plan.”
Gripping Jerry’s arm, Yuri dragged him to the chair Sergei had put on the tarp. It only took a moment for the two of them to tie Jerry to the chair with flex cuffs.
Sergei stepped back and studied their handiwork. Smiled. “Now we will get that money from you.”
“I don’t have that money. It’s all on Alex! She has to die before I collect that insurance money,” he said, his voice a high squeak.
“We’ll get to your wife, Trotter. Right now, we’re focusing on the money you stole from us.”
“I don’t have that, either,” Jerry screamed. “She stole it out of my safe.”
Sergei studied him, his eyes dead. Expression cold. “We shall see if you are telling the truth, Mr. Trotter.”
He nodded at Yuri, who slid a knife out of his pocket. Unsheathed it. The silver blade gleamed in the light.
