Chapter 40 #2
He shook his head. “I’ll patrol outside. I want you to lock the door when I leave and don’t open it until I tell you to.”
Anxiety knotted my stomach. “It’s so dark out there,” I whispered, unsure.
Jude grinned at me like the question didn’t bother him at all.
“I’ll be fine,” he said. “I’m well trained. I’m going to keep you safe.”
I studied him for a second before nodding. “I know.”
Jude gave me one last nod before stepping back outside, and I locked the door behind him.
For a moment, I stood there listening to the silence, trying to fight the nervous energy.
I walked over and sat down on the couch, my hand tightening around the heavy metal flashlight.
The cabin was completely quiet. There was no hum of electronics, no ambient sounds at all. It was as if the forest swallowed them all.
I fidgeted with the buttons of my coat. I didn’t even have my phone to distract me.
Roman had insisted I leave it behind with him.
I hadn’t loved that idea, but he’d explained that it was safer this way.
If the Shadow Stalker somehow had a way to track my phone, it could ruin everything.
The serial killer had gotten a hold of my number somehow to send me those texts while I was at the safe house, and Roman hadn’t wanted to take any chances.
So I sat there and waited, staring at the ceiling of the cabin.
Time crawled along, and I chided myself for not at least bringing a book or anything to distract my mind.
I had no idea how much time passed while I sat alone. Without a clock or a phone, it was impossible to tell. Minutes could have been stretching into hours for all I knew. The longer I sat there without hearing anything, the more my dread spiked.
Surely, I wouldn’t be stuck here all night.
They had expected the Shadow Stalker to attack before the fundraiser ended, and that didn’t last all night. Not that much time could have passed, but it felt it.
I tried to stay calm, but the silence pressed in on me.
The cabin smelled musty, like no one had been inside for a long time. Dust coated most of the surfaces, and everything was faintly grimy in the beam of the flashlight.
I shifted on the couch, my nerves ratcheting higher when—
BANG. BANG. BANG.
The knocks on the door were earsplitting. My entire body locked up.
Adrenaline surged as my heart pumped violently. The pounding continued—a frantic, panicked rhythm.
I jumped up from the couch and rushed toward the door. My hand was already on the knob before I forced myself to stop.
Jude’s voice echoed in my head: Don’t open the door unless I tell you to.
I froze, my hand hovering inches from the lock as the pounding continued.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
I flinched, my pulse racing.
“Palmer!”
I stifled a gasp, recognizing the voice, but not able to fully place it. It wasn’t Jude.
There was a small window beside the door, and I pushed back the curtain just enough to glimpse outside.
The pounding came again.
“Palmer! Open up!” the voice shouted. “Something happened!”
My entire body went cold.
I leaned closer to the glass, squinting through the darkness until I could make out the figure standing on the porch.
It was the man I’d met the day Hearthstone burned. It was Nolan, Roman’s brother-in-law.
Why the hell would Nolan be here?
I stepped back to the door but didn’t open it right away. There was a chain lock still secured across the frame. I left it in place and cracked the door open enough to peek out.
Nolan’s eyes were wide with panic. The second he saw me, he leaned forward, bracing his hands against the sides of the door.
“Thank God you’re in there, Palmer,” he said, panting, as if he’d run here. “Something happened to Roman.”
Terror exploded through me. “What do you mean?” I demanded.
“He sent me to get you,” Nolan said, his tone urgent. “You need to hurry. Let’s go.”
He reached for me, but the chain stopped the door from opening wider.
My hand moved toward the chain, but I hesitated, trying to keep a sound mind amid the frantic thoughts.
I glanced out into the darkness beyond the porch. I thought there was a faint glint of a vehicle somewhere in the trees, but it was too dark to make out clearly.
“Where’s Jude?” I asked.
“He already left,” Nolan said without hesitation. “He went to help Roman and the others.”
Panic clawed up my throat at the thought of Roman being hurt, but I forced myself to remain as calm as I could.
“I didn’t know you were part of this,” I said slowly.
Nolan blinked at me like I’d said something ridiculous.
“Of course I am,” he said. “I’m Roman’s brother, too. He kept me up to date on what was going on in case they needed me to help.”
I stared at him, my brain racing and wishing that I had my phone.
Nolan was agitated, like I was wasting precious time. “Palmer, come on. We don’t have time for this.” He shook his head. “How else would I know where you were?”
He had a point.
No one else should know where I was.
“What happened to Roman?” I repeated.
“We don’t have time,” Nolan snapped. “I’ll explain on the way. He’s at the hospital.”
The words hit me like a punch to the chest.
The hospital.
Without thinking anymore, I unhooked the chain and opened the door.
Nolan grabbed my hand immediately and pulled me down the porch steps.
We hurried toward a vehicle parked near the trees—a vehicle that definitely wasn’t the sedan Jude and I had arrived in.
But then I noticed something else.
The closer we got, the clearer it became.
The car Jude and I had come in was still there. It was parked exactly where we’d left it.
I slowed, and Nolan tugged on my hand, forcing me forward.
“What’s wrong?” He glanced back at me.
I was staring straight at the sedan, my stomach dropping.
“If Jude left…” I began, swallowing back a wave of nausea. “Why is his car still here?”
Nolan’s hand clutched mine so hard it hurt.
The panic vanished from his face, draining away completely and leaving something cold in its wake.
His gaze sharpened. “I don’t want you to fight me.” His tone dropped into a threat.
The words flipped a switch in my brain.
I immediately tried to jerk away from him, but he was too strong.
A hot, frantic panic rushed through me as I tried to pull free.
I opened my mouth to scream—
But he was suddenly on me.
His hand clamped over my mouth before a sound could escape. My mind rang with horror.
I tried to scream.
I tried to fight.
Nothing came out except a muffled, strangled sound beneath his palm.
I thrashed in Nolan’s arms, but his hold was unrelenting.
No. No. No.
I opened my mouth as wide as I could, and I bit down hard on any sliver of flesh.
The sharp, metallic taste of blood tickled over my tongue as Nolan yelled and jerked his hand away.
“You little—!” he snarled, cursing under his breath
The second his hand left my mouth, I twisted violently and kicked backward, aiming for his knee.
My heel connected, but not hard enough.
He grunted, stumbling, but he didn’t let go.
I struggled harder, twisting and wrenching. My arms flailed uselessly as fear surged hotter and hotter through my veins.
“Calm the fuck down!” Nolan barked.
I wouldn’t.
I couldn’t.
All I could think about was Roman.
I needed to get back to him.
Nolan slid his arm around my neck from behind. I clawed at it, trying desperately to pull it away, but his jacket was thick beneath my fingers. My nails scraped uselessly across the fabric, catching on nothing. I was useless, weak to my bones, and I hated it.
Black spots started to flicker at the edges of my vision as he squeezed.
My movements grew weaker, as my body struggled against the tightening pressure around my throat. Then there was a prick of pain, like something stung the side of my neck.
No.
My fingers slipped. My arms grew heavy as the world started to tilt.
The darkness closed in, and everything went black.