Chapter 18 Maddy
MADDY
Maddy sat in the back seat of the rental car, her hand clasped tightly in Trinity’s.
They’d been driving for about twenty minutes now, leaving St. Augustine behind and heading into areas that got progressively darker and more isolated.
Her father hadn’t tied their hands or anything dramatic like that, but he’d warned them not to try anything stupid when he’d shoved them into the car at the storage facility where he’d taken them after hitting Jane on the beach.
Trinity kept squeezing her hand in a pattern.
Three quick squeezes, pause, three more.
Maddy squeezed back the same way. It was something they’d seen in a movie once, a way to say “I’m here” and “we’ll be okay” without words.
Both of them were scared, but they were trying so hard to be brave for each other.
The car finally slowed and turned onto a dirt road that was barely more than two tracks through the trees. Branches scraped against the sides of the vehicle, and Maddy could see a small cabin appearing through the darkness ahead.
Dark. Isolated. No other houses visible anywhere.
Her stomach clenched with fear, but she pushed it down. Mom always said she was strong. Time to prove it.
Todd pulled up in front of the cabin and killed the engine. He got out and opened the back door, his face hard in the dim interior light. “Get out. And don’t try running. There’s nowhere to go out here. Just woods for miles and animals that will probably eat you.”
Maddy climbed out first, and as her feet hit the ground, she looked at the man who was supposed to be her father. The man whose DNA she carried but who’d never been anything to her except a source of pain for her mother.
She felt nothing but contempt.
“You know what?” Maddy said, her voice steadier than she felt. “I’m glad you left us. I’m grateful I never had to grow up with you.”
Todd’s hand shot out and grabbed her arm roughly. “Watch your mouth, kid.”
Maddy jerked away from him with more force than she knew she had. “Don’t touch me. You have no right to touch me. You’re not my father. You’re just the man who abandoned my mom when she needed you most.”
“Yeah,” Trinity added, stepping up beside Maddy in solidarity. “And you picked on the wrong girls. You have no idea who Uncle Christopher is or who my father is.”
Todd actually laughed, the sound harsh and mocking. “Boy Scouts? I’m supposed to be scared of some guy who helps your mom cook?” He shook his head. “Please. Give me a break.”
“Oh, they’re not Boy Scouts,” Maddy assured him, and she let something dangerous creep into her twelve-year-old voice. Something she’d learned from watching her mother face down difficult customers and impossible situations with nothing but determination and courage.
Trinity opened her mouth, clearly about to explain exactly who Gabe Bennett and Christopher White were, but Maddy caught her eye and shook her head slightly.
“Let him find out the hard way,” Maddy said quietly.
Understanding dawned in Trinity’s expression, and she nodded. It would be better if Todd underestimated Christopher and Trinity’s father. Made it easier for them to mount a rescue. And Maddy had absolutely no doubt that they were coming.
“Just shut up and get inside,” Todd snapped, shoving them both toward the cabin door.
He fumbled with the keys, unlocked it, and pushed the door open.
The interior was small and dusty, clearly a rental that hadn’t been used in a while.
One main room with a tiny kitchenette along one wall.
A door that probably led to a bedroom. Another door that was likely a bathroom.
Todd threw a plastic bag at them, and it landed on a small table with a thud. “Here. Food.”
Maddy looked in the bag and felt fresh disgust rise in her throat. Candy bars. Bags of chips. Cans of soda. She looked at Todd with all the contempt a twelve-year-old could muster, which turned out to be quite a lot.
“Aren’t you supposed to be a chef?” She slammed the bag back on the table. “This isn’t food. It’s diabetes in a bag.”
Todd’s face flushed red with anger. “Shut up. Be grateful I got you anything to eat or drink at all.” He was pacing now, checking his phone constantly. Clearly nervous about something.
“You know what I’m grateful for?” Maddy said, and her voice came out cold. Like her mother’s voice when she was truly angry. “That I didn’t have to grow up with you as my father. You’re a disgrace and a loser.”
She could see the words hit him like physical blows. His face went from red to nearly purple.
“Just go sit on the sofa and stay out of my way,” Todd said, his voice nasty and mean. “I’m glad I didn’t have to listen to your smart mouth for the past twelve years.”
“Yeah,” Trinity chimed in, high-fiving Maddy. “Maddy’s intelligence would have fried what little brains you have a long time ago.”
Both girls were using defiance to cover their fear, and it was working. Sort of. At least it made them feel braver than they actually were.
“Seriously,” Todd seethed, taking a step toward them. “You two smart mouths get out of my sight before you see just who I really am.” His voice took on a dangerous edge that made both girls decide maybe they’d pushed him far enough for now.
“I think it’s too late for that,” Maddy said quietly. “We already know exactly who you are.”
She pulled Trinity toward the living room area, away from Todd and his barely contained anger. They sat on an old sofa that smelled like mildew, and Trinity immediately leaned close to whisper.
“We need to get out of here.”
Maddy nodded.
Trinity’s eyes scanned the room with a kind of tactical awareness. “There are three windows that I can see. None of them looks bolted. Just old latches.”
“How did you notice that so fast?” Maddy asked, impressed.
Trinity shrugged. “Military parents and uncle. They taught me to always look for exits. To assess every room I walk into.” She paused. “We could probably get one open if we had a chance.”
Before they could formulate a more detailed plan, Trinity suddenly froze. Her hand shot out and grabbed Maddy’s arm, her eyes fixed on one of the windows.
“Don’t look now,” Trinity whispered, “but I think there’s a bear outside.”
Maddy’s heart jumped into her throat, but she turned slowly to look where Trinity was pointing. A large shadow had fallen across the window, backlit by moonlight.
Not a bear.
Christopher.
His face was pressed to the glass, peering inside carefully. He spotted them immediately, and relief flooded his expression for just a second before his face went hard and tactical again. He put his finger to his lips, signaling them to be silent. Then he gestured for them to hide.
Both girls nodded in understanding.
Maddy’s mind raced. They needed to get away from Todd and to a safe place while Christopher did whatever he planned. The bathroom. It had a lock on the door.
“Hey, Mister,” Maddy called to Todd, who was still pacing in the kitchen area, his phone pressed to his ear as he tried to call someone. “We need the bathroom.”
“I think it’s down the hall,” Todd called back without even looking at them. He was too focused on whatever call he was trying to make, too distracted to care what they were doing.
Perfect.
Maddy and Trinity moved quickly down the short hallway, their footsteps quiet on the old wooden floor. They found the bathroom: small, outdated, but functional. A bathtub, toilet, and sink. Maddy pushed Trinity inside first and followed, locking the door behind them with a soft click.
Trinity immediately understood what Maddy had in mind. She made them both climb into the bathtub, where they sat with their backs against the cold porcelain, holding hands again.
“He’s going to save us,” Maddy whispered.
“I know,” Trinity whispered back. “Uncle Christopher is a hero.”
And sitting in that bathtub in an old cabin in the woods, with a man who’d kidnapped them just down the hall, both girls felt confident for the first time since Todd had grabbed them on the beach.
Because Christopher had found them.
And everything was going to be okay.
CHRISTOPHER
Christopher and Logan had parked the truck a quarter mile from the cabin, approaching on foot through the dense woods, in the kind of silence that came from years of tactical training.
The night was cool, and Christopher could hear every sound around them.
An owl hooting somewhere overhead. The rustle of small animals in the underbrush.
His own controlled breathing and Logan’s beside him.
Through the trees ahead, he could see the cabin, a single light glowing in one of the windows. His phone showed the tracker dot was now stationary, right where the cabin should be. Todd had stopped moving. This was it.
Christopher signaled Logan to circle around to the back of the cabin. They needed to confirm the girls were inside before making their move, and they needed to approach from two directions to cut off any escape routes.
Logan nodded and disappeared into the trees, moving with the practiced stealth of his old Army Ranger training.
Christopher crept up to the front window, his movements careful and deliberate. He pressed himself against the side of the cabin and peered in through the dusty glass.
Relief flooded through him so powerfully that it nearly made him dizzy.
Maddy and Trinity were sitting on a sofa in what looked like the main room. Alive. They appeared unharmed from what he could see, though both looked scared. Todd was pacing in a small kitchen area, his phone pressed to his ear.
The girls spotted Christopher at almost the same moment he saw them. To their credit, they didn’t react obviously. No gasps, no pointing, nothing to alert Todd. They just made eye contact with him, and Christopher saw the relief flood their young faces.
Good girls. Smart girls.