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Chapter 28
It was fully dark by the time Davies signaled and exited the interstate. The dark peaks of the Cascades rose in the distance as Spence followed the white Subaru off the expressway. He slowed as he reached the top of the ramp, giving Davies plenty of time to get ahead of him. He’d have to be more careful now. There were no cars between Davies and Spence’s car, so Spence would have to hang back to keep Davies from spotting him. Keep his lights off.
Davies drove for another twenty minutes down winding, twisting roads, and Spence had to be careful to keep close enough to spot him if he turned off, but far enough away that Davies wouldn’t notice his car.
Finally, Davies slowed and made a left turn. When Spence saw his signal flash ahead of him, he sped up a little so he could be sure he knew exactly which road Davies had taken. By the time he got to the road, only the distant flickering of the Subaru’s red taillights told him this was the right road.
Unpaved and covered with gravel, the road meandered between fir and pine trees standing on either side of it. Spence had no idea how far down the road Davies’ cabin was, but as he expanded the map with his fingers, he could see that the road ended in a mile or so. Tall peaks surrounded the end of the road. “Big mistake, Davies,” Spence murmured. “You didn’t leave yourself an exit.”
Unless there was another road that wasn’t on the map. But as Spence studied it, he saw no signs of any other exit from the property.
Was Davies’ delusion so strong that he thought Zoe would welcome him? That she wouldn’t try to escape and run away?
Didn’t he realize someone would follow him to rescue Zoe?
All Spence’s instincts screamed at him to charge down that gravel road and tear Zoe away from Davies. Make sure she was safe. But he needed to keep a level head. Think things through. One step at a time.
Call the police. That was the first step.
So Spence called 911. When a dispatcher answered, he said, “My name is Spencer Flynn and I’m a Blackhawk Security agent, acting as a bodyguard for Zoe Melbourne because she has a stalker. Ms. Melbourne has been kidnapped by her stalker and he’s driven down Overlook drive. I’m on Mountain Road at the intersection of Overlook Drive. I assume there’s a cabin at the end of the drive.”
Spence could hear the clacking of computer keys over the phone as the dispatcher typed. “Yes, there’s a cabin at the end of that road,” she finally said. “Stay where you are. I’m sending a patrol car.”
“How far down the road is the cabin?” he asked.
“It’s at least a mile. Maybe a little more. A patrol car will be there soon,” the dispatcher said.
“I’m not staying here until the patrol car arrives. My principal is in danger, and I’m going to check out the situation. See what I can do.”
“Mr. Flynn,” the dispatcher began, but Spence ended the call. Turned off the sound, leaving it in vibration mode, and slid the phone into his pocket.
His phone vibrated urgently against his leg, but Spence ignored it. He switched off his headlights and turned onto the gravel. Gave his eyes a couple of minutes to adjust to the intense darkness, then he began bumping down the road.
He watched the odometer, and when he’d driven a half-mile, he stopped. Parked the car crosswise over the road so it butted up against the trees on either side. If Davies tried to take Zoe and run, he wouldn’t be able to get past Spence’s car.
He slid out of the car and continued down the road on foot.
* * *
After Ethan pulled up in front of a small cabin, he turned off the car and got out. Opened the back door and unbuckled the seatbelt, then used his hunting knife to cut the zip ties off her ankles. “I’m going to hold onto your arm,” he said. “For your own safety. The scenery is beautiful here. I think you’ll like it, and that’s one of the reasons I chose this cabin. But I don’t want you to fall off a cliff in the darkness. I’m going to lead you into the cabin. Our first place together.”
Zoe’s stomach clenched with fear and revulsion, but she merely nodded. Her hands were numb. Her shoulders ached. She couldn’t try to escape until Ethan had freed her hands.
He held her elbow, his fingers digging in a little more tightly than necessary. She ignored the pain as she searched her surroundings, looking for a way to escape from Ethan.
She saw trees. Mountains surrounding her. All shadowed by intense darkness. Nowhere to go right now, and until her hands were free, she’d have to make Ethan think she wasn’t going to run.
Spence was out there. She knew he was. He’d have followed Ethan’s car from Seatle. Even if the app didn’t work, he would have made sure he had eyes on Ethan’s car the whole way here.
As Ethan dragged her toward the rustic-looking log cabin, she didn’t let herself look over her shoulder. Didn’t want to alert Ethan to the possibility of Spence following them down the rough road.
Forcing herself to focus on the cabin, she noted that curtains covered all the windows she could see, as well as the window in the door. The cabin was dark and still. No lights welcomed Ethan home.
She shivered, and Ethan glanced at her. “Are you cold? I’ll get a fire started in the wood-burning stove.”
“Yes,” she said, letting her teeth chatter. “I’m cold.” With any luck, she’d be able to run out of the cabin while he was making the fire.
Ethan stopped at the door and dug a key out of his pocket. It had a rubber float attached to the keyring -- to make sure the key wasn’t lost in a lake? He unlocked the door, reached inside and flicked a switch, and light filled the small cabin. There was a second door, she noticed, on the opposite side of the cabin.
