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“Back off.” His massive arm swings out and catches me in the middle. I can’t let on I’m now more worried about my child growing in there. Who knows what he’ll do if he discovers my pregnancy.
“I can do this. We’re hungry. I’m assuming we’ll be eating?” It’s difficult not to try to piss him off, so I might as well talk normally. I have no clue where he has his shotgun, but I need to find a way to either get it from him or keep him from reaching for it.
“Fine.” Standing, he points a trembling finger in my face. “Don’t fuck it up.”
“I won’t.” I don’t move until he’s back at the camper to get food. I’m not sure where it’s stored. “Come help me.” Grabbing Teague’s hand, we walk close by the camper to find some dry wood. In my lowest voice, I instruct him on what to grab. “Find some wet wood that looks dry. They’ll cause smoke, and that might help us.”
He gives a quick nod.
Once we have enough gathered, Teague helps me start a fire, and as it gets bigger, we begin to add all the wet wood we could find onto it. I have another reason to get a fire as smoky as I can. Now that we are dumping only wet wood on top of the raging fire, it’ll take a while to get the smoke under control.
“What the fuck?” Grant storms over, his feet thundering on the wet ground. “Build a fucking fire, not a smoker!”
Now is the time to pull out my single semester of high school drama.
“I’m sorry.” I pretend to fake my panic. “I-I’ll get water.”
“No!” He grabs me, produces a knife, but there’s no fear for my life as he brings it closer to cut my hands free. “Find some dry dirt to put on it,” he snarls, face twitching, eyes completely unfocused.
What the hell?
“There is none. It’s m-muddy.” I continue my act.
“Then pick up the fucking mud!” he screams, grabbing hold and shaking me as if I’m the one who can’t see sense.
“Fine.” Now that my hands are freed, I back away and begin to look for good enough mud to pick up. Looking up atTeague, I plead with him using my eyes to back up toward the timberline with a jerk of my chin. I can’t exactly see in the dark or know where the road is at, but Teague’s enhanced vision can guide us.
Awareness lights up his blue eyes, and he begins to take small steps back.
Grant’s focus is on the fire, and I know there’s a high likelihood this won’t work, but I have to try something. What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t at least try to save my children from the hell this monster plans to likely inflict on us?
Distracted, he sets the knife down and walks away.
Now’s my chance. I make my move.
Carefully, I grab the knife and slide it into the waistband of my shorts, scoop up some mud, and time it so I can throw it at him just as he turns to yell at me. I know that’s exactly what he’s going to do. The giant glob I’m able to lift fills his entire face and mouth, knocking his ass back into the smoky flames and effectively messing with all of his senses.
The mud sucks my socks clean off my feet as I take off. I don’t stop as I reach out for Teague and pull him into the woods with me. “Help guide me, sweetie. I can’t see as well as you can,” I whisper.
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe.” He takes the lead, guiding us around tree after tree. I don’t stop even when my lungs scream at me. The more distance we can put between us and Grant before he gets himself cleaned off, the better.
Even the blood-curdling shout thrown into the night doesn’t stop us.
“Come on, Teague.” I plead with him not to give up.
We run into a clearing and are nearly across it when it feels like something shoots through me at the same time as a gunshot rings into the night.
And we’re grabbed.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Miles
“It’s been too long.”
I don’t think I’ve ever been this stressed out in my life. When we arrived in Idaho, a state trooper was waiting at the border to guide us. Apparently, the officer who reported seeing Grant’s truck managed to get on his tail and has been following him for some time now. The trooper was taking us to where his colleague is camped out watching.
