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He stared at the stew, stirring rhythmically. Finally said, “To… to protect you.”
“Protect me from what, Ethan?” She worked to keep her voice even. Quiet.
“Whoever tried to keep us apart,” he shot back.
“That was my father. Doing what fathers are supposed to do. Keeping their daughters safe. And you took him away from me, just like you took my bracelet. Those were mean things to do, Ethan.”
“I didn’t mean to take him away from you, Zoe.” He swallowed. “It was an accident. The gun wasn’t supposed to go off.”
He shoved one hand into his pocket. Finally looked at her. “I don’t want to be mean to you, Zoe,” he said quietly. “I love you. I want to be with you always.”
“That’s very sweet, Ethan,” she said. “But my life is in Seattle. Yours is here in this lovely cabin in the woods.”
“We’ll figure it out, Zoe,” he said eventually. “We’ll make it work.”
Zoe bit the inside of her lip to keep from lashing out at him. Back when he’d taken her bracelet, he’d had no intention of ever returning it. Confronting him wouldn’t solve anything. It would only put Ethan on the defensive. Make him angry and upset. Finally, when she was sure she could speak calmly, she said, “Do you still have the rest of my bracelet?”
“I do,” he said, shoving his hand into the pocket of his jeans. He pulled out the bracelet, which had only one charm remaining on it. The Ferris Wheel.
“May I have that?” She held out her hand. “I saved all the charms. I can put them back on the bracelet.”
Ethan stared at the bracelet for so long that she was sure he was going to refuse. Instead, he walked over and dropped it into her hand. “Of course you can have it,” he said. “It’s yours, after all. And I don’t need it now.” He beamed a smile at her. “I have you instead.”
* * *
Spence had been walking for roughly ten minutes when he followed a curve in the road. As it bent to the left, he spotted a glimmer of light ahead. Had to be the cabin.
He stopped and studied it. It was small. One story. Curtained windows, so it would be hard to see what was going on inside. But also hard for Davies to see what was going on outside.
Moving more slowly, he watched where he put his feet so he didn’t disturb any rocks. Step on any branches that could snap and warn Davies of his approach. The last thing he needed was Davies hearing sounds outside before Spence was ready to deal with him.
When he finally reached the cabin, he heard voices inside. Zoe and Davies. Spence couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Zoe sounded… normal. He didn’t hear fear, anger or pain in her voice, which meant that Davies hadn’t hurt her. But Spence wasn’t confident that would continue. Sooner or later, Davies would want something Zoe wasn’t willing to give. That’s when the scene inside the cabin would turn ugly.
He intended to have Zoe out of there before that happened.
Spence glanced toward the road. No lights yet, so no backup had arrived.
He moved around the corner of the cabin and saw the two windows on the side were also curtained. But one of them wasn’t pulled together as tightly as the other. He’d be able to get a glimpse inside the cabin.
He’d have to time it so that Davies was looking at Zoe and wouldn’t notice a face at the window. So he waited until he heard Zoe’s voice and chanced a look. Moved back immediately.
The windowpanes weren’t set solidly into the wood. It looked as if the putty that held them in place had disintegrated over the years, making it easier to hear Davies and Zoe.
Davies was standing at the stove, stirring something in a saucepan. Zoe was sitting at the kitchen table, maybe six feet away from him. Her hands were on the table, playing with something small. No zip ties there. He couldn’t see her feet, but he assumed that Davies had cut off those zip ties, as well.
He wasn’t going to underestimate his opponent. Davies had driven across the country to Seattle and was smart enough to snatch Zoe from the conference, practically under his nose. He’d planned ahead and rented this remote cabin.
Stepping farther away from the cabin, Spence continued to move around the house. When he spotted the door in the back wall, he reached out and slowly turned the handle. Locked. He hadn’t expected it to be open, but you never knew.
By the time he’d circled back to the front door, he heard Zoe talking to Davies again. Her voice was calm. Even. But as Davies answered her, his voice rose. He sounded… puzzled. Then angry. Then enraged.
What had Zoe said to him?
“I’m not going to let you leave this cabin,” Davies shouted suddenly. “You’re mine. You’ve always been mine. And now that I have you, I’m going to keep you.”
“That’s not your decision,” Zoe said, her voice calm but firm. “I get to choose who I’m with. I get to pick who I live with. Who I love. I care about you, Ethan. But I don’t have romantic feelings for you.”
“You will,” Davies said, and Spence heard the desperation in his voice. The determination. “You just have to get to know me.”
