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“With all the wilderness around us, I don’t doubt it.” Then it sinks in. He’s had me conducting research for the sole purpose of keeping me preoccupied and unaware of the route we are taking and any specific landmarks. Panic shoots down my spine, but I remind myself that this is just another challenge that I can handle easily.
May’s call starts to come in, but then goes out before I can answer it. “Shoot. She’s probably checking up on me.” It sucks that I can’t get calls, but I have some internet signals coming through here and there. Even then, it’s been slow and I’ve had to refresh the page several times.
“You’re safe with me.” I’m totally not safe at all.
“She’s my best friend and, well, that’s what besties do. Besides, accidents happen.”
“So true,” he says, sounding a little too damn ominous for my liking.
“Maybe when we stop, I’ll get a better signal.”
“More than likely. So what were you able to dig up?”
“Well, he’s here this weekend, as well as the congresswoman from Denver.” We start going into a normal work conversation that almost calms me down, but I haven’t forgotten the violent mood he’s been in.
“Perfect.”
“Exactly.” This scandal would be pretty good if I was getting it on my own and not having to worry about Captain Crazy next to me.
“We’re getting very close. It shouldn’t be too long before we reach the cabin.”
“Have you been to this place before?” He doesn’t have his GPS running.
“Not to this specific one, but I’ve been to the Ozarks plenty of times since I was a kid.” Interesting. A well-placed sense of fear fills the pit of my stomach.
I have to sneak away. It’s all I can think about as we make our way to the cabin. The closer we get, the more my heart races. I let down my hair so he can’t see the rapid beating of my pulse.
Finally, we pull up to the cabin, and the sky darkens. Rain begins coming down in sheets when it was just fucking dry as a bone and sunny as hell a little while ago. Shit, could it be any creepier? A knife might not be enough, and I can’t just attack him for no reason. What if he doesn’t even do anything and I’m just imagining he’s nuts?
We unload the suitcases, and all the while, he’s on edge. The cabin is small, a little too small for the two of us, and definitely too low class for the likes of my boss. It doesn’t make sense how he’d accept staying here instead of a Hilton or something like that. I don’t say anything because he gets on his phone immediately, pacing around the main room.
He’s been on the phone for the past five minutes with someone named Nick, and it doesn’t sound good. He’s hush-hush around me, but I can see that he’s anxious about whatever it is.
Something is going on, and it has to do with my landlord. I’m sure of it. There’s no doubt in my mind because he went from his normal douchebag behavior to this erratic, manic paranoid pacing. The wide-eyed staring and psycho look is starting to really freak me out.
My suitcase is too heavy to leave with, so I’ll have to carry just my large purse. Grabbing both of them, I move toward the bedroom.
“What are you doing?” he asks when he turns and sees me leaving the room.
I turned around and put on the best performance of my life. With a scrunched-up face, I bring up the collar of my tee shirt and wipe my neck. “I’m going to take a quick shower. It was a long drive and I feel kind of gross.”
He half smiles and then says, “Oh. Don’t use all the hot water.”
“I’ll be fast.” I take my things into the bedroom and then lock the door. There’s a large window that leads into the woods. Fuck, it’s not quite safe, but I do myself a favor and take a screenshot of the Google map of the area. Once I start running, I’ll lose signal. Needing the area around the cabin, I take extra shots just in case I get really lost.
I pack my large purse with some essentials, including another pair of socks and shoes. Then I send my bestie a message just in case something happens to me.
In serious trouble. My boss has lost his mind. Don’t call, but I’m going off running in the woods. If I can’t be found, look there.
I tuck my phone away and then turn on the shower. While it’s running, I open the window and slide out, but I barely get ten feet when a hand comes over my mouth, muffling my scream. “Where are you going?”
Chapter Three
Enrico
After we dealt with Johnson, I stewed in rage all night, unable to sleep. All thoughts were on January. I searched her information, gathered everything from the files the men had put together, and read every drop of ink printed up on my woman.
