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“Yes,” she chanted, fist bumping the air. One cart sat parked against the back wall.
She hurried over and shoved herself behind the wheel, the waxy, stiff coat not making it easy. A surge of relief washed over her as she saw the key in the ignition. She switched it to “On” and released the brake.
She took the back path to the gravel alley beside the Sun House. From there she could cut across the driveway loop out of sight of the front gate. Thank God all the guests had shown up with no stragglers to see her. She didn’t expect anyone to leave early. Nobody ever did.
As she drove into the dark rain, she thought about Montgomery and why he’d shown up. If she could get him to listen to Jackal, it meant she could extricate herself from the secret agreement she had made.
Turning right at the gravel alley, she hit a pothole. It bounced her head up against the roof and made her bite her tongue. After that, she kept her eyes and thoughts on the road.
* * *
Nita breathed easierwhen she got onto the paved road that led to the compound. The storm raged around her, intensifying with each passing moment into what felt like a small hurricane.
She rounded the last curve out of the trees and the cluster of two-unit, single-floor condos came into view. They nestled in the middle of nowhere, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a cozy 1950s neighborhood.
There were four buildings totaling eight units. They housed new consultants and staff for the week-long orientation to Cavendish, but those days seem long ago now. All the units in the compound were deserted now.
She pulled her cart into the first driveway, a small motion light flicking on. It startled her, and she wrestled herself out of the cart in case the light was connected to one of Ryder’s cameras. She scurried to the dark side of the building, slowing as she tried to find the footpath that lead through the grassy field toward the fence.
She pulled out her phone, dimming its light just so she could make sure she wouldn’t fall into a hole or trip on a branch.
With each step, the rain battered against her, sucking at her rubber boots when she hit muddy bits. In the steady sound of the rain, a sound leapt out. She stopped.
“Montgomery?” she called out, her timid voice carried away by the wind. “Jackal?” she called again. This wasn’t the time to be a pussy.
A notification on her phone broke the silence.
Are you there yet?Jackal asked.
Nita replied,Almost.Where are you?
She plodded forward at a quicker pace, glad when she got to the band of trees. It lessened the rain and gave her more solid ground to walk on.
“Montgomery!” she called, her voice stronger. There was less sound of rain, but the cluster of trees muffled her voice, not letting it travel far. “Jackal!”
She moved through the darkness, a few protruding roots tripping her up despite her phone’s feeble light. She cursed Hartley for not letting Montgomery have a Cavendish phone. She could have just called him.
Suddenly, it occurred to her she was outside in a remote part of the estate. Nobody but Jackal knew she was there.
Her rubber boots plodded to a stop and she turned off her light.
She stood and listened as the rain hit the canopy of evergreens above her, a few drops finding a path through the branches to patter heavily on her oversized hood. She made a half turn when she thought she heard a twig snap, then turned the other way when branches creaked behind her.
Have I just made the stupidest mistake a woman in a horror movie could make?she wondered and turned to face the way she came. Except, was it the way? Everything around her looked identical.
She crouched, turning on her phone’s flashlight as low as it would go, searching the pine-needle-covered ground for a trail of her footprints. She saw nothing.
That way, she thought, and blindly struck out. She was in a fenced estate, so the worst thing that could happen is she stumbled her way to the front gate and had to make an awkward explanation or she found the fence or she ended up back at the compound.
She trudged on, and after the second root tripped her up, her phone rang, wrenching a screech out of her.
Looking down, she saw Ryder's name on the screen. Trembling with both fear and relief, she answered the call.
“Oh my God, am I glad to hear from you,” she blabbed despite meaning to sound cool.
“Where the fuck are you? I turned the villa upside down looking for you!” he roared, so loud she held the phone a little away from her ear.
“Jesus, I’m fine. I’m just trying to find Montgomery. Jackal said—”
