Chapter 13
Gina
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” George announced when none of the others spoke. “We’re going to make sure everyone stays put while I figure out the best way to handle this situation.” He stood and pulled a length of thin rope from his fanny pack.
Gina took a step back. “You’re going to tie us up?”
“Just a precaution. Can’t have anyone getting heroic ideas.” George tossed the rope to Kelsey, who made no move to take it. It hit the old wooden floor with a clunk. “Make yourself useful.”
Kelsey stared at the rope as if it were a snake. “I can’t. I won’t.”
“You will, or I’ll assume you’ve decided to switch sides.” George’s hand moved to his gun. “And that would be very unfortunate for everyone.”
The wind outside had picked up again, howling around the old building with renewed fury. Whatever brief lull they’d experienced was over. The storm was back with a vengeance, rattling the boarded windows and finding every gap in the structure.
“The storm’s getting worse,” Joe said, his voice tight with fear.
“Perfect,” George replied. “Better cover for what needs to happen here.”
Gina watched Kelsey’s face crumble as she realized what George meant. Even after all she’d done, Gina believed her friend had been holding onto the hope that maybe, somehow, this could end without violence. But George made it clear that hope was gone.
“I can’t tie up my friends,” Kelsey said, her voice breaking.
“They aren’t your friends anymore,” George said coldly. “Friends don’t put each other in danger. You did that the moment you started stealing files.”
“I didn’t have a choice— ”
“You always have a choice. You chose money over loyalty. You chose your career over their safety. Own it.”
Gina saw Nick shift slightly, positioning himself where he could move quickly if needed. But George noticed too.
“You.” George pointed at Nick. “Over there. Away from the others.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re the wild card. Military training, construction work, and you probably know how to fight. You’re the one most likely to try something stupid.”
“I don’t have military training,” Nick clarified.
“Maybe not, but you move like someone who knows how to handle himself. And I’ve seen how the others look at you. They trust you to protect them.” George smiled. “Can’t have that.”
Nick glanced at Gina, and she saw the conflict in his eyes. He wanted to refuse, wanted to stay close enough to help if things went bad. But George was holding a gun, and defiance would only make things worse.
“Move,” George ordered. “To the other side of the room.”
Nick walked slowly to where George indicated, near the far wall. The distance between them felt like a chasm. Gina realized that whatever happened next, Nick was too far away to form a united front. Whatever she needed to do, she’d be on her own.
She looked toward Kelsey’s backpack, where the bear spray was visible. Could she reach it? Could she deploy it before George could respond with the gun? Even if she did use the spray, would it be enough to keep him from shooting wildly? Somehow, she doubted it.
“Better,” George said. “Now, Kelsey, pick up the rope.”
Kelsey looked at the rope, then at Nick, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t.”
“You can and you will. Unless you want me to start making this situation even worse.”
The threat was clear. Kelsey’s shoulders dropped as she shook her head. She took a step toward the rope, bending over to retrieve it. “Sorry,” she whispered to no one in particular. “I never meant for this to happen.”
“Good girl,” George said, his voice condescending. “Now walk over here.”
She swallowed and obeyed. When she got close, he slipped a hand into his pocket. Gina held her breath. A flash of metal caught the light, and Kelsey yelped as he pressed a button and a blade snapped free.
“Relax.” George chuckled. “What’d you think? I’d make you chew through the rope?”
He handed her the knife. “Careful, it’s sharp. Don’t want you cutting yourself, now do we?”
She took the knife with shaking hands, avoiding George’s gaze. Kelsey moved toward Nick, her feet dragging along the floor.
As she approached Nick, George said, “Jackets off. All four of you.”
“What? No.” Gina shook her head.
The muzzle of the gun shot in her direction. “Don’t mess with me, young lady. Take off your coat. Now.”
She looked at Nick, who gave the slightest nod. The message was clear: do what he says for now, but don’t give up.
Nick squared his shoulders and removed his coat. Gina and the others followed suit.
“I’m sorry,” Kelsey said to Nick as she began wrapping the rope around his wrists.
“I know you didn’t expect this,” Nick said quietly, though Gina could hear the strain in his voice. “It’s not your fault.”
But it was Kelsey’s fault, at least partially. Her choices had led them here. Her decision to steal files, to use their running group as cover, to play games with dangerous people. Every step had brought them closer to this moment.
“Tighter,” George ordered. “I want those knots secure.”
Kelsey frowned as she pulled the rope tighter. Nick didn’t make a sound, but Gina could see the pain in his face.
“That’s good. Joe? Grab a chair. Bring it over. I want Nick tied to the chair.”
Joe shook his head but grabbed one of the old wooden chairs they’d been using as clothes hangers. As he moved it next to Nick, he said, “Sorry about this, buddy.”
“Have a seat, Nick,” George said conversationally. “Make yourself comfortable.” He gestured toward Kelsey. “Tie his ankles to the chair.”
Gina’s lips went tight. If Nick managed to get his hands free, he’d still have his feet to deal with, making the time to freedom even longer.
“Excellent. Now the women. Together, over there.” George pointed to the opposite corner of the room.
Gina was herded with Brooke toward the far wall. Each step widened the gap between her and Nick, and she knew that was George’s plan. Divide and conquer. Keep them apart so they couldn’t work together.
“Please,” Brooke said as Kelsey approached with more rope. “We’re friends. We’ve been friends since you moved to Irma.”
“I know,” Kelsey said, fresh tears falling. “I know, and I’m so sorry. For all of this. For everything.”
She tied Brooke’s hands behind her back first, then Gina’s.
The rope was rough against Gina’s wrists, already chafing her skin, then Kelsey added a string of rope connecting the women with their backs to each other.
Gina was helpless. She was a nurse, trained to help people, to take action in emergencies.
Being tied up and unable to move went against every instinct she had.
As Kelsey leaned in to tighten the rope, Gina knew she needed to take a chance—take a chance that Kelsey really did feel bad about what was happening. A chance that Kelsey knew George wouldn’t let her get out of there alive either. “Your bear spray,” Gina whispered.
Kelsey stopped moving for a fraction of a beat but said nothing. Did she hear? Did she understand the message? Gina had no way of knowing for sure as Kelsey moved away, the job of securing Gina and Brooke completed.
“You too,” George said to Joe. “Against that wall.”
Joe didn’t argue. He walked to where George indicated and let Kelsey tie his hands behind his back. His face was pale, but he seemed more resigned than terrified, like he’d already accepted that this wasn’t going to end well.
George surveyed his handiwork with satisfaction. “Much better. Now, everyone stays put while I think through the logistics.”
“Logistics of what?” Gina asked, though she was afraid she knew.
“Of cleaning up this mess. It’s a lot, but it’s not impossible. Especially with a convenient natural disaster to explain what happened.”
The storm was still raging outside, and Gina realized George was right.
Bodies found after a blizzard, in an abandoned building miles from civilization .
. . it would look like a tragic accident.
Like hikers who got caught in bad weather and couldn’t survive the cold.
Even if there was evidence of foul play, chances were good they’d end up in the cold case files.
“You’re insane,” she said.
“I’m practical. There’s a difference.” George walked to the windows and peered through one of the cracks in the boards. “The storm should provide good cover. It might even help with disposal.”
The casual way he discussed their murders made Gina’s stomach turn. But it also clarified something for her. This wasn’t about the flash drive anymore. This was about George’s survival. He couldn’t risk them identifying him or talking about what they’d witnessed.
Which meant he was going to kill them all. She glanced at Kelsey. She was still free, holding the remainder of the rope in one hand and the knife in the other. Gina kept her eyes on her friend, willing her to look in her direction, but Kelsey’s gaze was firmly on the wooden floor.
Gina tested the ropes around her wrists, trying to find any give in the knots. But Kelsey had done a thorough job, probably out of fear of what George would do if the bindings weren’t secure enough.
Across the room, Nick was doing the same thing. She could see him covertly working at his restraints, trying to find a weakness.
The distance between them felt insurmountable. Even if one of them got free, they’d still be separated by the entire length of the room. George had positioned them perfectly to prevent any coordinated escape attempt, with them bound on three of the four walls.
The fourth wall held Kelsey’s backpack. Reaching it was their only hope of getting the upper hand over George, but Gina couldn’t see any possibility of that happening.
“Kelsey,” Gina said quietly, “you don’t have to do this. It’s not too late to make the right choice.”
Kelsey looked at her with desperate eyes. “It is too late. Don’t you understand? I’m in too deep. If I don’t do what he says, I’ll lose everything anyway. My career, my reputation, maybe even my life.”
“But we’re your friends— ”
“Friends who will never forgive me for what I’ve done. Friends who will look at me and only see the person who betrayed them.” Kelsey’s voice was bitter. “There’s no going back from this.”
George laughed. “Listen to that. She gets it. She understands that some choices can’t be undone. She understands that it’s her or you.”
“Not true,” Gina persisted. “We’ve been there for each other. We’ve encouraged each other when things were rough. You brought me chicken soup when I was sick over the winter. We’ve even faced down a grizzly bear together.” She held Kelsey’s gaze, trying to convey meaning.
Instead, her friend shook her head. “I can’t risk it.”
So that was it then. Kelsey made her choice. She was willing to sacrifice the rest of them for a minuscule possibility George would spare her.
The wind gusted harder, making the old building shudder. Snow slipped through gaps in the boards, forming drifts along the windowsills. The temperature inside was falling fast, and Gina realized they were fighting more than just George now. The cold would be a factor.
Before, they’d huddled together inside the tent and the fort-like shelter they’d built, their heavier coats helping hold the warmth. Now they were scattered, their jackets stripped away.
Gina wore only her running clothes, though at least she’d chosen tights and a wool T-shirt for the run.
Brooke had started in shorts on the trail, then pulled on sweats and a hoodie at the hotel.
Joe had on light running pants and a T-shirt.
Nick wore similar bottoms with a flannel shirt.
Hypothermia would be a real concern before long.
“How long are you planning to keep us here?” Joe asked.
“Until the storm passes enough for me to finish this cleanly,” George replied. “Could be hours. Could be all night.”
Despair pressed in, as sharp and inescapable as the chill. Hours tied up in this freezing building, waiting for George to decide it was time to kill them. She looked at Nick again and saw him still working at his bonds, refusing to give up even though the situation seemed hopeless.
She’d been wrong about him. Wrong to push him away. If they lived through this, she’d tell him so.
But first, they had to survive.