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Now there’s no doubt in my mind. “This must be Beverly. She must have been hiding out here.”
“And she left this behind to make sure somebody would know.” Our gazes meet and there’s no need to ask what he’s thinking. Natalie would have found this if she ended up here the way we have. I hate to think what seeing it might have done to her.
“I think we can tell Mason about this,” I decide. “And he deserves to know.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Griffin pulls out his phone and sends a text while I do one more sweep of the house. Once I’m confident we haven’t missed anything, we retreat to the truck. One location down, many more to go.
I don’t know about Griffin, but I have no intention of giving up until we find our target.
No matter how long it takes.
3
GRIFFIN
One thought keeps running through my head every time I lift my foot to take another treacherous step: she better fucking be here.
Recent satellite footage shows smoke coming from the chimney of this cabin, yet another one of the locations from that little notebook. The damn notebook. We’ve been on a wild fucking goose chase for days, and it’s a miracle Dallas and I haven’t killed each other yet. I’m not sure how much longer that will be the case, either.
But this is the worst. This tops them all. We parked a half mile from the location, knowing Natalie would be watching for trespassers, and started out on foot when there was nothing worse than a thin, cold mist falling from the sky and clinging to our jackets, shoes, our hair, and the surrounding trees. It couldn’t have been more than five minutes before the mist turned to a steady, icy rain. The sort of rain that works its way into your bones and threatens to freeze your muscles and joints. The wind is fierce, blowing almost straight in our faces. At least Dallas’s constant insistence that he take the lead works in my favor this time around. He’s sort of a windbreak, making itpossible for me to hike without it feeling like my face is turning to ice.
No way could she make it out here for long. There’s no electricity, not a hint of a cell signal. This could only ever be a temporary resting point.
When Dallas comes to a sudden stop, I slam into his back. “The fuck?” I bark over the wind, but there’s no need for him to answer. Not once I look up ahead and identify a faint glow in the darkness. That glow gives me strength, makes it easier to move my feet and push against the unforgiving wind. The cabin is just ahead, and there’s a light inside. Someone is here. Hope blooms in my chest that we’ve finally found her, and it will mean getting out of this godforsaken rain.
There’s a small porch, and even the roof over our heads is a welcome change once we stumble up the steps. I peer through a grimy window beside the front door, and what I find inside melts the ice that’s built up around my heart as day after day of searching has left us with nothing but frustration. Natalie is crouched in front of the fireplace wearing oversized sweats, poking at the logs inside without much success. They don’t seem to want to catch. Maybe the wood is wet.
But she’s here. She’s shivering and cursing, but she’s here.
And when Dallas opens the door with no warning, she pivots, grabbing for the gun on the mantle and aiming for him before recognition takes hold. She goes from glaring murderously to sighing once I enter and close the door against the weather.
I don’t know what I imagined would be the first thing out of her mouth after all this time. Did I think she’d recoil in surprise? Break down in tears? I should’ve known better.
“Took you long enough.” She doesn’t replace the gun right away, I notice, but eventually returns it to its spot on the mantlebefore folding her arms and pretending not to be as cold as she clearly is.
I can’t get over it. In the glow from the lantern on the coffee table, she could be ten years younger. I’ve gotten so used to the polished façade she wears in her daily life—hair and makeup always done perfectly, designer clothes at all times of the day. Now, her long hair hangs loose and her bare face makes her look more like a kid than the woman I know. Someone in need of protection.
She notices me staring, and when our eyes meet, she arches an eyebrow in a silent challenge. I wish it didn’t stir something in me, something hot and familiar and potentially dangerous. This isn’t the time to remember how easy it is for her to turn me on.
“Looks like you’re having trouble with that fire.” Dallas strips off his wet jacket and hangs it from the doorknob before assisting without being asked. Natalie steps aside—obviously, pride doesn’t mean much when you’re half-frozen and the temperature is only getting colder all the time.
“Which one of you found the notebook?” Her gaze swings back and forth between us. Dallas only grunts, throwing me a look over his shoulder. Even now, the competitive prick wishes he could be the one to take credit. And I’m the one who’s a child? It’s baffling.
“I found it,” I tell her proudly. “Nice hiding place.”
“Thanks.” She snickers and looks away, watching as flames leap to life. It doesn’t take long for the cabin to warm up and loosen my muscles, while the light from the fire gives me a better idea of what we’re dealing with here. For a remote cabin, it’s fairly well appointed, with stuffed bookshelves lining the wall on either side of the fireplace. At the far end of the large room is the kitchen, and a round wooden table with four chairs serves to separate the two spaces.
From what I can see where I’m standing, the bathroom features a deep clawfoot tub, and the bedroom beside it holds a queen size bed, at least. The cheerful quilt spread across it is a nice touch. It’s almost homey.
“Do you guys need anything to eat? There’s a bunch of soup in the cabinets.” She nods in that direction. Is this happening? Are we ignoring the elephant in the room and discussing such unimportant things as soup?
“Maybe later,” Dallas decides in a firm voice. For once, he’s got the right idea. For once, I can appreciate his directness. “You realize we’re not here to stay, right? We’ll stick around for the night since the weather is shit, and it’s so late, anyway. But endgame? We’re taking you back to the hotel.”
She doesn’t look thrilled by this announcement, but she doesn’t look surprised, either. I wouldn’t dream of insulting her intelligence by imagining she hasn’t already gone through every possible scenario in her head from the moment we walked through the door. “And I get no say in this?”
“Do you have anything to say?” Dallas turns to her, running a hand over his head, shaking what’s left of the rain out of his hair. “I know I would love to hear it.”
“That makes two of us,” I mutter, leaning my back against the door. Not that I think she would make a run for it in these conditions, but she needs to be reminded it won’t be so easy to get away this time around.
