Chapter 22 #3
Julian took another step. He was maybe ten feet away now, close enough that I could see his jaw clench, see the predatory focus in his visible features.
He’d recognized me. Even with the wig, the glasses, the different clothes… somehow he just knew.
“I think he’s the one who put my name on the List,” I said, voice barely above a whisper.
Four sets of wide eyes swiveled to me.
“What?” Dylan said. “Why the hell would Julian put your name down?”
“I think he knows I’m looking into his brother,” I said, my voice cracking slightly. “This is probably his version of revenge.”
“Jesus Christ,” Jeremiah muttered.
“I knew it,” Cherry said, voice tight. “All those weeks ago. I knew this investigation was a bad idea.”
“I know. I’m sorry for dragging you into it,” I murmured.
“I’m not blaming you, Vee,” she replied, meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror. “I’m just really fucking worried about you right now.”
Julian was only five feet away now. He raised one hand, signaling for Cherry to roll down the window.
“Don't,” Dylan said sharply.
The traffic light turned green.
“Finally,” Cherry breathed.
The car in front of us didn't move.
“Come on,” Cherry muttered, her foot hovering over the gas pedal.
Julian was three feet away now.
Two.
One.
And then, finally, mercifully, the sedan in front of us lurched forward and made the turn. Cherry didn't wait another second. She gunned it, the van's tires squealing slightly as we shot through the intersection and onto the highway.
I twisted in my seat, looking back through the rear window. Julian stood on the corner, still as a statue, watching us disappear down the road.
“Holy shit,” Dylan breathed. “That was way too fucking close.”
“Did he see her?” Cherry asked. “Like, actually see her and recognize her?”
“I think so,” Jeremiah said, his voice shaking. “The way he was looking at us… god, that was crazy.”
“But how?” Dylan asked. “Cherry's disguise is great. There's no way he would’ve been able to tell. Not unless he was already right up close.”
“I don't know how he knew,” I said. “But he did.”
We drove in silence for several minutes, everyone processing what had just happened.
“At least we got away,” Ginny finally said. “And he didn't follow us. I've been watching, and no one's behind us.”
“Yeah, but now he knows we're in the theater van,” Cherry said grimly. “That narrows down their search.”
“It doesn't matter,” Jeremiah said. "By the time anyone thinks to check Dylan's ex-boyfriend's abandoned hunting cabin in the middle of Whitmore Forest, the hunt will be over.”
We kept heading northeast, leaving Blackthorne Harbor in the distance. The roads grew narrower, and trees closed in on either side, their branches forming a canopy overhead that filtered the afternoon sun into dappled shadows.
Dylan navigated from the passenger seat, occasionally telling Cherry to turn left or right onto increasingly rough roads.
“It's been a while,” he muttered, squinting at the landscape. “But I'm pretty sure... yeah, turn here.”
Cherry turned onto what could barely be called a road. More like two tire tracks with grass growing between them.
“Are you sure about this?” Cherry asked, gripping the wheel tightly as the van bumped and jostled over potholes and roots.
“Positive,” Dylan said. “It's just a little farther.”
The driveway seemed to go on forever, winding through dense forest, but finally, it opened up into a small clearing.
The cabin sat at the end of the driveway. Dylan’s description of the place as ‘rustic’ was actually quite generous.
It was a small, weathered structure that looked like it hadn't been maintained in years. The wood siding was faded and warped, the roof was covered in moss and fallen leaves, and the front porch sagged slightly to one side.
But it was completely, utterly isolated. Surrounded by dense forest on all sides, the nearest road miles away. If you didn't know it was here, you'd never find it.
“This is perfect,” I said, lips curving into a small smile. I glanced at the time on my new burner phone. “It’s almost five now. So we just need to survive the next twenty-one hours.”
“Out here, that’s easily doable,” Dylan said, returning my smile with a wide grin. “Those hunters could search for weeks and still never find you.”
Jeremiah slung an arm around my shoulder. “See? I told you we'd keep you safe,” he said. "Nothing's going to happen to you out here. And before you know it, the hunt will be over.”
I wanted to believe him. Wanted to let myself feel the safety that this isolated cabin promised.
But as I stared at the darkening forest surrounding us, I couldn't shake the image of Julian standing on that street corner.
The way he'd looked at me through his mask. The absolute certainty in his posture.
He'd definitely known it was me. Had seen straight through Cherry's careful disguise like it was nothing. And if he could do that...
I pushed the thought away and forced my smile wider. “You're right,” I said. “He can’t find us here. No one can.”
Behind me, the forest whispered in the wind, and somewhere out there, I knew Julian Valcourt was still hunting.
But for now, we were safe.
We had to be.