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My heart ached as I pictured Amerie down in the cellar, huddled under the blanket and trembling with terror. She’d already endured so much fear and sorrow over the last few weeks, none of which she deserved. She didn’t deserve any more, either, but if I had to sacrifice myself to keep her alive, then I was willing to do it. I would always choose her over myself, no questions asked.
There was a sudden thumping at the front door. I clenched my hands at my sides and strode down the hall, heading for the small entryway that stood on the far right side of the living area.
As the knock sounded again. I muttered a silent prayer for Amerie and twisted the door handle. It came as no surprise when I found myself face to face with Zara and Ali on the porch. Zara held a pistol in her right hand.
I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked. “Fancy seeing you two here. Can I offer either of you a drink?”
Zara narrowed her eyes. “Shut the fuck up, Jensen. We don’t have time for your bullshit,” she hissed. As she spoke, she smashed the barrel of the gun against the side of my face, sending a sharp, searing pain through my jaw. “Tell us where the girls are hiding.”
With a grimace, I rubbed my lower lip. Blood was already beading on it. “You just told me to shut the fuck up,” I said. “So which is it? Do you want answers, or do you want me to stay quiet?”
“Smartass prick.” Zara hit me on the jaw again, harder this time.
Several of my molars started gushing blood, filling my mouth with a nasty metallic taste. I spat it all out on the floorboards by the threshold and wiped my mouth with my jacket sleeve. “That wasn’t very nice, Mrs. Prescott,” I said, shaking my head. “Very un-neighborly.”
Ali’s nostrils flared. “Stop playing these stupid games with us, Jensen. Tell the girls to come out from wherever they’re hiding. Now.”
I lifted one shoulder in a noncommittal shrug. “They aren’t hiding anywhere.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean they aren’t here. They left a while ago.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“They took the other car and left,” I said slowly, like I was talking to a child. “Ergo, they are no longer here. I don’t know how much clearer I can make it for you.”
“We know that’s not true,” Zara said in a scathing tone. “Piper texted her friend Hillary forty-five minutes ago. We tracked the phone to this exact location, so we know she’s here. We know she’s with Amerie, too.”
I rolled my eyes and gestured beyond the open door. “Have you noticed that we’re out in the middle of fucking nowhere?” I said. “The cell service here is really shitty. Piper sent that message over two hours ago. It must’ve taken an hour to finally go through. But she left with Amerie right after she hit send, so…”
I trailed off with another shrug.
Zara stared at me, eyes flashing with malice. “You three wouldn’t split up. Not after what you did together. It wouldn’t make any sense.”
I raised a brow. “Actually, it makes perfect sense for us to split up.”
“Oh, really?” She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Please, enlighten me on how it’s a good idea.”
I took a step back and made a sweeping gesture around the entryway. “The plan was for me to stay here and take care of all the media stuff while simultaneously luring you Rosmerta freaks here with the burner phone. I mean, we obviously knew you would track it after Piper sent that message.” I paused for a beat and cocked my head. “As soon as it was sent, Piper and Amerie got in the other car and started heading north. They’re getting farther and farther away by the minute. Probably halfway to the Canadian border by now. Meanwhile, you two are right here. So I’d say our plan has worked perfectly.”
“You stupid asshole.” Zara slowly shook her head. “You can’t honestly expect us to believe you.”
“I don’t care if you believe me. It’s the truth, whether you want to accept it or not.” My bleeding lips twisted into another smirk. “Good luck finding the girls, by the way. They’re in a white car, and I’m pretty sure every second car on the road is white. So you’re in for a hell of a search.”
“I know you’re lying,” she gritted out. An angry red flush was sweeping up her chest and neck. “Piper and Amerie are here with you.”
I gestured around the entryway again. “You’re welcome to come in and search every room and cupboard. But you won’t find the girls, because they’re not here.”
Zara scowled and pushed past me. “Ali, go and look outside,” she commanded. “There’s probably a shed out there.”
Ali nodded and turned on his heel. I trudged into the living room and pointed to the couch. “Don’t forget to check under those cushions,” I said in an acid tone as Zara opened a large cabinet on the far side. “I guess they could be under the coffee table, too.”
She looked over at me, expression twisted with vitriol. “You better shut your mouth, you traitorous bastard,” she spat, waving the pistol in the air. “Unless you want me to think about using this properly.”
“You can think about it all you want. But I’m the only one who knows where the girls are, so it’s probably not a good idea,” I said. “If you ever want to catch them, that is.”
I didn’t wait for her reply. I exited the living room and strode into the main hall, stopping right on top of the hatch. Then I clicked a finger and motioned toward the doors on either side of me. “You might want to check these rooms,” I said. “There’s closets and beds to hide in or under.”
