Chapter 34 #2
"I couldn't stop them from taking you. If I'd tried, they would have known I wasn't loyal, and then I couldn't help you at all." Cheryl pressed the coat into Janice's hands. "But I can help you now. I can get you out of here."
Janice wanted to believe her. But trust had to be earned, and Cheryl had done nothing to earn it.
"Why should I believe you?" Janice asked. "For all I know, this is part of Penson's plan. Gain my trust, get me to tell you where my evidence is, then—"
"I have my own evidence." Cheryl interrupted. “What I care about is getting you out of here before Penson decides that the easiest way to handle this problem is to make you disappear permanently."
The words hung in the cold air, stifling in their honesty.
Janice knew too much, had gathered too much evidence.
Even with his political connections, even with his money and influence, a witness with documentation was dangerous.
A dead witness was much less problematic.
The air felt thin as Janice dragged the oxygen into her lungs.
She knew there was a possibility of them getting rid of her, but even throughout the kidnapping, she didn’t really think she would be killed.
Who does that outside thriller novels and movies?
Yet staring at Cheryl’s serious expression, the possibility became more real.
And more terrifying. Never seeing Cole again. Never seeing my parents or Cole again!
"What's your plan?" Janice heard herself ask, surprised the words came out in a normal tone, not shaking with anxiety.
Relief flickered across Cheryl's face. "We need to move now, while I have the chance. Most of the workers are focused on the equipment malfunction at the main site. There's a leak in one of the tanks, and everyone's scrambling to contain it before it gets worse."
"Now?" Janice's heart leaped with hope and terror in equal measure.
"Right now. This is our only window." Cheryl glanced over her shoulder nervously. "I told them I was checking to make sure you were secured. We have maybe five minutes before someone comes looking for me."
She thrust the coat at Janice. "Put this on. Fast."
Janice shoved her arms into the sleeves, her cold-numbed fingers fumbling with the zipper. The coat was too large, hanging past her hips, but it was warm, and that was all that mattered.
"Boots," Cheryl said. "These are an extra pair I grabbed from the supply building. They'll be too big but better than those sneakers.
"I figure you need all the warmth you can get. Now move. We go out the back, between the storage buildings, and into the tree line. Then we run to the creek you must have crossed the other day. If we can cross it, then it’ll keep them from following in a vehicle.
” She heaved a sigh and shook her head. “I have no idea what to do then, but we’ll figure it out.
Now, stay low, stay quiet, and for God's sake, don't look back. "
Janice's hands shook as she pulled on the boots, shoving her feet into warmth that felt like heaven after the cold that had been seeping into her bones. They were too big, but she didn’t care.
As long as her feet were warm and protected, they would work.
And if they could make it to the creek and cross, then she would be on familiar territory.
She knew a few places they could hide until help arrived. And she was sure Cole would arrive.
"Why are you doing this?" Janice asked, needing to understand even as Cheryl pulled her toward the door.
She cracked the door open, peering out. "Because what they're doing here is wrong.
I hate it. I've hated it from the beginning.
But I needed the paycheck, and I told myself I was gathering evidence, that eventually I'd find a way to stop them.
" Her voice cracked slightly. "And then they brought you here, and I realized if I didn't act now, I'd be complicit in more than just illegal mining. "
Janice's throat tightened. "Thank you."
"Thank me when we're out of here." Cheryl checked outside again. "Okay. The commotion at the tank is still going strong. Everyone's over there. This is our shot. Stay close to the buildings, move fast but quietly. Ready?"
Janice nodded even though she wasn't sure she’d ever be ready for this.
They slipped out of the hut into the cold afternoon air.
The coat helped, but Janice could still feel the temperature biting at her exposed face and could feel her breath forming clouds in front of her.
The boots were awkward, too large, but she focused on moving as quietly as possible despite them.
Cheryl led the way, pressed against the wall of the nearest outbuilding.
Janice followed, her heart hammering so hard it seemed impossible that no one could hear it.
Voices carried from the main site. Men shouted instructions about containment, about shutting down the flow, and about getting more equipment.
The voices blended into one loud cacophony, but as long as no one was shouting that they saw the two women leaving, Janice didn’t care.