Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
I go up the driveway as fast as I can, praying she won’t follow, but I soon hear the slam of the front door. She’s behind me. I reach the path to the cottage, and I take it, because the road will be too exposed. She’ll shoot me in the back before I’ve gone a hundred yards.
It’s dark under the cover of trees, but I manage to keep running.
When I get to the cottage, I hesitate for a second before scrambling up the stairs.
I close the door behind me as softly as I can.
I turn the key until it clicks, then place it in my pocket.
I sit on the couch and pull my knees to my chin.
With any luck, she’ll think I’ve gone into the woods.
There are still no gunshots, which means Bradley is still alive.
Bradley. Shit. I’ve left him alone with his jealous wife. She knows what we did together. She was about to say it outright before Bradley came back into the room. She knows, and she wants revenge—not just on me, but on both of us.
What if he doesn’t subdue her? What if she shoots him first?
I feel a rush of adrenaline. She hasn’t found me yet, which means she’s probably gone back to the house. If I’m fast, I might be able to surprise her. She’s smaller than me, and I’m sure she’s never set foot in a gym in her life.
I have to do it. I can’t just let Bradley die.
I stand up, then immediately freeze. What was that? I hold my breath, then I hear it again.
The sound I’ve been dreading.
Footsteps on the stairs. The creak of old timber as she approaches the door.
She turns the handle once, and when it doesn’t open, she pauses. I can hear the wind in the trees. She’s not leaving. I kneel and see the shadows of her feet against the orange light outside.
And then, I hear a dull rattle, and I realize what an idiot I’ve been.
Because of course, she also has a key. And it’s already in the lock.