Chapter 27
MARI
The forest is darker than I thought possible.
Every sound is right on top of me, like the trees are closing in.
My lungs burn as I run. My wrists are still sore from being bound behind my back.
At least I managed to cut the zip tie. I can’t imagine how awful it would be trying to navigate this dark path with my hands trapped.
Branches tear at my clothes and skin. I taste blood where I bit my tongue during the crash.
The air is cold and sharp, alive with the smell of dirt and pine.
I don’t stop. I can’t. If I stop, Marcus will catch me. I know he survived the crash. I’m not lucky enough to believe he’s still dead in the car. But I bought myself some time, and if I can hold on until morning without him finding me, I can find help when the sun comes up.
The crash keeps replaying as I run. I remember the screech of metal, the violent jolt, the glass exploding around me. Cole screamed, Marcus cursed, and then everything went silent.
I saw a branch punch through the windshield, but I didn’t stick around to examine it.
If Cole isn’t dead, he won’t survive without serious medical intervention.
My legs are sore from bracing against the back of his seat, and I cut my wrist when I snapped the zip tie against a jagged edge of the guardrail. Otherwise, I’m okay.
I think so, anyway. I’m running on adrenaline and instinct.
I’m deep enough into the forest that I can’t see the road anymore. There’s no sound of cars, no sign of lights. Just my breathing and the scrape of twigs against my shoes. My heart feels like it’s trying to tear out of my chest.
It’s so cold here, and I realize that will probably be what kills me if Marcus doesn’t. All I have for warmth is my thin work jacket, and it isn’t much help. I’m just glad I decided not to wear heels today. There’s no way I would have made it this far if I had.
Somewhere behind me, a voice carries. It’s Marcus. He’s yelling my name, his tone deadly and pissed. The sound hits me like a physical blow. I bite back a sob and keep running. I don’t know where I’m going, only that every step has to take me farther from him.
My stomach twists. I’ve been fighting waves of nausea all day. It’s worse now that I’m moving this fast. I press my hands against my stomach and keep going. I can’t let myself fall apart now. Not when I’ve come this far.
A root catches my foot and I go down hard, my shoulder slamming into the ground.
Pain shoots up my arm. I roll onto my side and push myself up.
My head is spinning. I blink until the trees stop swaying, then get to my feet.
I have to keep moving. There isn’t another choice.
My eyes are only barely adjusted to the darkness ahead of me, and I can’t see the forest floor at all.
My feet keep catching on roots and other unseen things on the ground. As long as I can stay upright, I’m okay. Even if I fall, I have to pick myself right back up and keep moving.
A stream appears ahead, its surface reflecting faint light through the trees.
I kneel beside it and dunk my hands into the freezing water.
The shock clears my head. I let the water run over the small cuts on my arms, washing away the blood.
I scrub until my fingers go numb. Then I cup my hands and take long, luxurious sips. I’m so damn thirsty.
The water tastes muddy, and I’m sure I’ll get some kind of bacterial infection, but that doesn’t matter. My body needs hydration to survive.
I stand again, soaking wet, and look around. Everything looks the same. The trees, the rocks, the shadows all blur together. I pick a direction and start moving. My legs ache. My throat feels raw. My clothes are torn and damp. My feet throb, but I can’t focus on that.
All I can think about is staying one step ahead of Marcus.
He’s close. I can hear his voice sometimes, faint but distinct. He’s calling for me, or babbling to himself. With any luck, he’s got a concussion and has no idea where he is.
A light flashes in the distance for a second.
Then it’s gone. My heart jumps. It’s a flashlight, maybe.
A high-powered one at that. He’s sweeping the forest, looking for me.
I crouch low, pressing my body into the damp earth.
Every part of me screams at me to move, but I know any sound will give me away.
I wait. Ten seconds. Twenty. The light flashes again, closer this time.
I crawl toward a thicker cluster of trees, careful not to let the branches snap beneath me. The forest feels alive, and it isn’t necessarily friendly. Wind picks up leaves. Animals snap twigs. Every sound could be a predator. Worse, any sound could be Marcus.
I don’t know how long I keep going before I see the light again, far to my right. He’s circling. He’s hunting me.
I start running again, forcing my body forward. I don’t have a plan. I just need to stay ahead of him. I’ll figure out what comes next later.
My breath comes in short gasps. The air tastes like rust and dirt. My vision is blurring, but I can’t stop. I stumble over a fallen log and almost go down again. My knees buckle. I catch myself against a tree and push forward.
Somewhere behind me, there’s a sharp crack. A twig breaking. He’s so close. My body screams at me, reminding me that I have another life to protect, that I haven’t gotten this far just to give in to fear.
I dart left, deeper into the trees. My arms ache. I’d give anything to find a place to hide and stay there all night. I wish I knew how to climb a tree, not that it would be easy in this outfit, but at least I’d be able to get up and away from him.
“You can’t hide forever, Mari!” Marcus screams, and the sound is far too close for comfort.
I swallow hard and keep moving until I reach another stream. It’s narrower than the first one, but swifter. I step into it, letting the water reach my calves. I walk upstream, hoping the current hides my tracks. My toes ache from the cold.
Minutes pass, or maybe hours. Time doesn’t feel real anymore. The world has narrowed to the sound of water and the pounding of my heart. I keep my eyes on the bank, waiting for any sign of light.
When I finally climb out, I can barely feel my legs. I find a large tree with a hollow near the roots and crouch inside it, catching my breath. My whole body shakes. My wrists are bleeding. My head is pounding.
I press my back to the rough bark and focus on breathing quietly. My stomach jolts hard, and I’m sure I’ll throw up. The pain brings tears to my eyes.
“Please,” I whisper. “Just hold on. We’re going to make it.”
The night presses in around me. I don’t know how far I’ve come, but I can still hear distant movement. Marcus is still out there.
I wait until the sound fades before I crawl out of the hollow and start moving again. The trees thin, giving way to open patches of moss and stone. Moonlight filters through the clouds, just enough for me to see my own breath.
I step carefully, trying not to make a sound. But fatigue makes me clumsy. Every step feels heavier. I catch my foot on another root and go down again, hard enough to knock the wind out of me. I lie there, staring up at the faint sliver of sky through the canopy.
I could stop. Just close my eyes. Let it all end.
No. I can’t. I push myself up, biting back a cry. My ribs ache. My knees are scraped raw.
I pick a direction and move. My legs feel like they don’t belong to me anymore. I can’t tell if the warmth running down my leg is blood or sweat. Maybe both.
Then I hear the crunch of leaves behind me. It’s closer than before. I freeze. Another step. The beam of a flashlight cuts through the dark, slicing across the trees.
I take off again. My lungs scream. My legs barely keep up. I don’t care. I just run.
The ground tilts downward, and I’m half-running, half-falling. I catch glimpses of light flashing behind me. He’s right there. I can hear his breathing now, rough and angry.
My foot hits a rock. I fall again, roll down a short slope. Pain explodes across my shoulder. I scramble up, but before I can take another step, something hard slams into the side of my face.
I hit the ground again. My ears ring.
When my vision clears, Marcus is standing over me. His flashlight beam cuts across my face. The gun in his hand glints in the dim light.
“You just don’t quit, do you?” he snarls, his voice rough with anger.
He grabs my arm and hauls me up. I stumble, my legs barely holding me. He slaps me across the face so hard my teeth cut the inside of my lip. The metallic taste floods my mouth.
“You made me chase you through half the goddamn forest,” he snaps. “Did you really think you could run from me all night?”
I spit blood onto the ground.
“You expected me to make this easy for you?” I ask, my voice shaking. “Once Lev catches you, you’re dead.”
He laughs. “Lev is too busy with his head up his ass. Maybe, if he cooperates, I’ll send your remains back to him.”
“You’re delusional,” I spit. “And you’re a dead man walking.”
“Am I?” he taunts. “Once I’ve got my money, he’ll never find me. And you’ll just be a sad memory, a cautionary tale of what happens when uppity little accountants stick their noses where they don’t belong.”
I don’t answer. My throat feels too tight.
“Walk,” he orders, pressing the barrel of the gun into my back.
I start walking. My knees shake with every step. The ground is uneven, littered with rocks and fallen branches. I trip more than once, but he doesn’t let me stop.
“You don’t have to do this,” I say shakily. Maybe begging for my life will help. Probably not, but every option is worth trying now.
“Yes, I do, Mari,” he sneers. “You’ve been a thorn in my side since the first day you figured out my scheme.”
“You stole from him,” I say. “You lied to everyone. He trusted you.”
He shoves me forward. “And you put him on me,” he growls. “You and your little spreadsheets. You signed your own death certificate. Don’t forget that.”
“I was just doing my job,” I argue. “The job I was hired to do. The one you recommended me for.”
He strikes me again, this time across the shoulder. Pain radiates down my arm. I bite back a cry.
“Keep talking, and I’ll shoot you,” he warns.
The words sting more than any physical blow. My stomach twists. I glance down, fighting to keep the tears from spilling. I can’t let him see me break.
We keep walking. The forest opens into a small clearing, moonlight pooling across wet leaves. My legs can’t take much more. I stumble again, and this time I don’t try to move. What’s the point?
“Get up,” he commands coldly.
I don’t move. I’m too tired. My whole body is shaking.
He presses the gun under my chin and forces me to look at him.
“Get up, Mari,” he says again, quieter this time.
But I don’t. It’s my last act of defiance.
Honestly, I don’t think my body could move even if I tried.
He presses his gun against the back of my head.
I’m so tired. I just want this to be over.
I’m not going to help him. I’m not going to betray Lev like that.
So I stare straight ahead, refusing to cooperate.