Page 42 of Peril in Piney Woods

Chapter Ten

Deep Woods Trail

9:00 p.m.

It was dark.

Time to move.

Meg—she’d focused so hard on calling herself Meg for the past fifteen months that she couldn’t even think of herself as Elle now that she’d been outed—had made a decision on her next step. For the plan to work, she had to find a way to keep Griff out of sight for a while.

She glanced at him. He’d insisted on heating up a can of soup and then that they both ate said soup. The crackers he’d found were a little stale but not so bad. She wasn’t complaining. The ability to perform critical thinking and to physically outmaneuver the enemy required two things: sleep and sustenance.

The one thing she understood with absolute certainty after spending the past few hours shut up in this small cabin with him was that he was determined to help her survive this situation. This was exactly why she should never have allowed herself to get so close to the folks in Piney Woods. People like Jodie and Dottie, and certainly Griff, cared about her and wanted to help with whatever she needed.

But they didn’t adequately comprehend the situation. This was not about picking up an extra shift or taking home a few dogs to foster. This was about facing people who killed for a living. People who enjoyed killing. People with no conscience. Unfortunately, there was no simple solution to her dilemma.

The one thing she needed right now was to be alone—to be abandoned by those who cared about her. It was the only way to ensure their protection, and even then she worried that might not be enough.

But if she got away clean and Griff laid low for a few days while she laid out a new trail for her pursuers to follow, he might just survive the coming storm.

She glanced at his back as he put away the bowls they had used and he’d washed and dried. She should have helped, but she’d been staring out the window in deep thought and hadn’t known what he was doing until he was done. Since it was dark, it was time to put her plan into action.

“Do you think Ernie has any flashlights around here?” She strolled toward the kitchen area. “If the generator runs out of fuel, we’ll need flashlights.”

He glanced around. “I’m sure there are some around here somewhere.”

“Mind if I poke around?”

“Be my guest.” He tossed the towel onto the counter. “I’ll help.”

Meg started with the side tables in the living room area. She found poker cards and game chips. A lighter. Pens, pads of paper. Scissors. A couple of cans of beer. She laughed, held up a can. “Someone was hiding his stash.”

Griff grinned. “That would be Joey Hurt. He used to be a deputy here. He joined us a couple of times. That was his favorite brand. No one else liked it, so he always brought his own supply.”

Meg placed the beer back in the drawer. She stood, stretched then moved on to the bedside table. She dropped to her knees and pulled open the first drawer. Right on top was a pair of binoculars. “These could be handy.” She placed them on the table.

“We like watching the deer come to the creek for water.”

“Birds too?” She glanced at him. She imagined there were lots of bird species and wildlife.

“Sometimes.” He shrugged. “Mostly the four-legged animals.”

“Aha.” Meg lifted a pair of metal handcuffs from the drawer. “Did you use these in your poker games?”

Griff laughed as he closed the last of the cabinet doors. “I can’t answer that question. You’ll have to ask Ernie. He’s the only one who ever comes here with a romantic interest.”

“A romantic interest.” She nodded. “Did you ever bring a romantic interest here?” None of her business, but she couldn’t help herself.

“Not me.” Griff opened a drawer next to the sink. “I prefer...” He stopped talking as if he’d realized he was about to say something too personal.

She shrugged and placed the handcuffs on the table. These could definitely come in handy. The fact that he hadn’t used them on someone like Rhianna the casserole queen was all the better. Funny how she had absolutely no right to feel anything remotely resembling jealousy, and still she did. Just one more indication of how far over the line she had allowed herself to go. Doing a mental eye roll, she shifted her attention back to going through the drawers.

“I’ve been thinking.” Griff walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

She erased the immediate reaction from her face. The last thing she needed was for him to pick up on any impatience or regret at the idea that he wanted to help. She needed him to believe his help and advice were welcome. She also didn’t want him picking up on her possessiveness toward him.

“About?” she asked innocently.

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