Page 45 of Peril in Piney Woods

The truck was parked behind the cabin. She took a moment to listen carefully to the night sounds. The whisper of the breeze sifting through the trees, the trickle of water in the nearby creek. The chirp of crickets, faster tonight because it was cooler. Her body adjusted to the outside temperature, to the night sounds.

The bump and clomp coming from the cabin warned her that Griff was attempting to disassemble the old iron bed. Not an easy task, and the probability of breaking it was a serious zero. It was one of the older real iron beds.

More of that regret and guilt piled on. She should go before she screwed up and changed her mind.

Going was essential. It was the only way to see with any measure of certainty that he was safe. She told herself this over and over as she moved away from the cabin and deeper into the darkness.

A soft thud down the road caused her to stop. Every muscle in her body froze. Another gentle whump.

Car door.

A good distance away. Sound carried in the dark. Her breathing slowed as her instincts elevated to a higher state of alert.

Moving slowly, listening intently, she removed her weapon from the front pouch of her backpack, then hung the backpack on her shoulder. The cold steel in her hand sent her pulse into a faster rhythm and her heart into a firmer bump, bump. She closed her eyes a moment and isolated the sounds she heard. Silenced the roar of blood in her ears. Ignored the thumping in her chest. Listened beyond the breeze, the trickling creek and the crickets.

A voice, possibly male. Too distant to make out the words.

Someone was here. Near the road, she thought. At least two people. She had heard the distinct sound of two different doors closing.

If there were only two, she could take them before she vanished. She had the element of surprise that they no doubt believed they possessed.

How had they learned their location?

She swore silently. Property records, of course. Ernie Battles was a friend of Griff’s. Looking him up in the county database was easy peasy.

Damn it.

Moving soundlessly, she kept to the edge of the drive, near the tree line. Slowly, one careful step at a time. Listen...listen. The faint echo of a spoken word. Not moving closer yet.

Vague thump, then another.

Not two, four.

Her hopes sank deep into her gut, making her feel ill.

That was a risk she couldn’t take. She was more likely to be overpowered by four thugs. That would leave Griff bound and vulnerable.

Meg did an about-face and moved quickly, silently back to the cabin. As soon as she hit the clearing, she leaped into a dead run. There was no time for explanations. No time to argue. She hoped like hell she could convince him without a lot of words or actions.

At the door, she turned the knob. Damn it! She had locked it. She wrestled with the keys on the ring with his fob. Stuck first one and then another into the lock until she had the right one. She twisted the knob again, and the door opened. She stepped inside, her finger immediately going to her lips. He had managed to drag his jeans on as well as his shoes. He stared at her now but kept his mouth shut. She grabbed his shirt from the floor and passed it to him.

“They’re here,” she whispered. “We have to go.”

He tugged at the handcuff.

Oh hell.

She tucked her weapon into her waistband, opened the drawer, her heart pounding, and felt around inside. Where the hell was the key?

“Check the next one,” he murmured.

She closed the first drawer, careful to do so quietly and then dragged open the bottom drawer. She felt around, not daring to turn on any additional lights.

Her fingers moved over something cool. Metal. She picked it up. The key. Thank God. Thank God.

Fingers fumbling, she fought to get the key into the slot. They were both breathing hard by the time the cuff came loose. She lowered it to the bed to prevent the clink of metal.

She pointed to the back door. Hoped like hell the trouble hadn’t reached the cabin yet. She pressed her finger to her lips once more. They had to be quiet. So quiet. These people had the same training as her. They would be listening.

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