Page 51 of Peril in Piney Woods

He exhaled a big breath. “Okay.”

Yeah. Okay. She got out, grabbed her backpack and the bag of stuff she kept in her backup vehicle. Toiletries, a couple changes of clothes. Snacks, bottled water. Preparation was key to most all aspects of survival. Her former boss had drilled that concept into her head. Never get caught without a backup plan. Never get weighed down by extra baggage.

Her gaze settled on Griff. She surely botched that last one.

He took the extra bag from her, made a face at the weight of it. “What’ve you got in here? Ammunition?”

“Stuff we’ll need,” she said as she considered the best way to enter the house.

First, she walked around with a flashlight (a handy tool also stored in the backup vehicle) and checked for a security system. The media cable was shut off. No sign of a landline. No other wires that shouted security system. So unless there was a wireless one, they were good to go on getting in without any trouble.

The back door had a dead bolt, but it wasn’t engaged, so picking the lock was a piece of cake. The door led directly into the kitchen area. Griff shook his head at this new skill of hers as well. She didn’t see how that could lower his opinion of her any farther than it was already.

First thing, she did a walk through and scanned for wireless security products. Nothing.

“We’re good,” she said, coming back to where he waited by the back door. She locked the door and engaged the dead bolt as the last real estate agent who’d visited should have.

Griff placed the bag he’d been holding on the counter. Meg turned on the light above the kitchen sink since it was at the back of the house and less likely to be noticed. Not that she believed anyone could see the house from the street. It was well concealed.

She shifted her attention to her not completely reluctant hostage. “You want to shower first? I have a phone call I need to make.”

He shrugged. “Sure.” He tugged at his shirt. “I don’t have any other clothes, but a shower will definitely help.”

She picked through the bag on the counter and handed him shampoo and body wash, along with a towel. “That’s the only towel, so hang it up when you’re done. I’ll be using it too.”

He hesitated before going in search of the one bathroom the house had according to the real estate listing. “Who are you calling? Ernie?”

“The less Ernie knows, the safer we are. So, no, I’m not calling Ernie. I’m calling my former boss.” She hadn’t spoken to him since the day she disappeared. She wasn’t so sure that talking to him now was the right move, but it was the only one she had left under the circumstances. She hoped something else came to mind soon, but not so far.

That wasn’t entirely true. She shouldn’t lie to herself that way. There were others she could call, but she needed to give this man the benefit of the doubt. He’d taught her everything she knew. Treated her like a daughter after her own father passed away. He’d been her rock before everything fell apart.

But something was off and she couldn’t fit the pieces together. Nothing new really. She’d known there was a glitch somewhere fifteen months ago which was why she’d chosen to take herself out of the scenario rather than allowing someone else to reset her.

Now, more than a year later, it was looking like she had made the right decision.

“Can he—your former boss,” Griff asked, “help you out of this situation?”

The simple answer was yes. He could extract her. Direct her to a safe house until she could be debriefed. But there had to be trust involved to allow someone that sort of power. She’d lost trust fifteen months ago. Had she been premature in her decision back then? Maybe. But at least she was alive. That was a hell of a lot better than the alternative.

“I’m not sure.” She met his expectant gaze and decided to tell him the truth. “I always trusted him before, but something happened that shook my confidence in the whole system. It’s possible he wasn’t part of the problem. That possibility is the reason I’m going to call him.”

Griff nodded as if he got it. “You’re giving him an opportunity to prove himself.”

“I am.”

“And if he doesn’t come through?”

“Then I’ll know I made the right decision fifteen months ago, and I’ll understand that I’m on my own now.”

He held her gaze for a long moment, searching, assessing. Maybe looking for something to give him the answer he needed. Finally, he said, “I’m sorry you were let down before. I hope he doesn’t let you down this time.”

With that, he slung the one towel over his shoulder and went in search of the bathroom. It hadn’t crossed her mind that she might need two towels. She hadn’t expected to ever trust anyone again. What was it about this man that made her want to trust him? To lean into him? To be with him?

Didn’t matter. Her needs could get him killed and she couldn’t live with that.

When she heard the water running, she steeled herself and pulled out her cell. She entered the number she knew by heart, waited through three rings.

“Who is this and how did you get this number?”

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