Page 19 of Wolf Forgotten

I slowed to a walk and gripped my hammer tighter. Every step I took crunched leaves and snapped twigs that echoed in the forest and sent a chill down my spine. Would the two wolves find me? Would Cole find me?

I came to another road that was narrower than the one I had crossed and looked down it. There was a house, and I nearly squealed with excitement.

I ran, tiny rocks and twigs digging into my feet, but I didn't care. I needed to get to a phone, so I could call the cops and this would all be over.

Chapter Nine

Ivy

The house at the end of the narrow road was a typical family house compared to the mansion I assumed was Cole's. It was in the same style—log cabin with stone—and had a big front porch that had a swing and a few chairs.

I ran up the three steps to the door and rang the doorbell repeatedly. My heart was beating in my ears, and I looked over my shoulder to make sure no one was following me.

A woman who appeared to be around my age opened the door. She pushed her glasses up on her head and her mouth opened at the sight of me. I didn't even want to know what was going through her mind, I probably looked like something the cat dragged in.

"I need help." I looked back over my shoulder again, breathing a sigh of relief. "They locked me in a basement, and I need to call the police."

I might have been imagining it, but I swear a look of amusement crossed her face as she backed up and gestured for me to come inside. I hesitated because she was way too quick to just let me in.

"Are you going to come in?" Her dark brown eyes examined me again. "It might be better if you were out of sight."

She was right, and I was being ridiculous. I really watched too many movies and television shows. She was on the more petite side for only being a few inches shorter than me.

I could take her, especially with my hammer.

Nodding, I walked in and she shut and locked the door. The front door opened right into the main living space. The furniture looked well-worn and comfortable, and the entire back wall was windows looking out onto a back deck and backyard surrounded by forest.

"I'm Sara." She walked ahead of me into the living room and picked her cellphone up from the couch as she flopped down. "Have a seat. You look exhausted."

I sat on the edge of an oversized chair as she lifted her phone to her ear, pushing her long, dark brown hair behind her ear. She seemed nice enough, but sometimes the nice ones were the ones you had to fear the most.

I held the hammer in my lap, unwilling to let go, even though Sara's eyes kept dropping to it. I didn't know if I'd be able to bash a skull in if it came down to it, but I could buy myself some time.

"Hi. I have a woman here who was locked in a basement." Hearing someone else say it out loud made it sound unbelievable.

Now that I was starting to relax, my entire body felt heavy, and I felt like bursting into tears. I was going to be okay. The police would come, and I'd be cuddling into my pillows soon.

She hung up the phone. "Can I get you anything to eat or drink?"

"You didn't give them the address." I stood and held the hammer in front of me. "Why didn't you give them the address?"

My heart fluttered in my chest and the hammer shook in my hand. I was panicking. Maybe stopping at the first house hadn't been such a good idea. It seemed far enough away that I thought it would be safe.

"Don't get your panties in a knot. They know the address from the number I called from." She pushed up off the couch and slid the phone in her back pocket. "We're pretty far out here, so it might take them some time to get here. I have some leftover stew in the fridge and some bomb ass sourdough bread if you're hungry."

Would someone that was out to hurt me want to feed me? Of course they would. Cole left me a sandwich in the basement. But this chick didn't know I was going to run to her house, so the stew couldn't have been poisoned unless she was a psychic.

I was about to decline as my mind raced when my stomach made the loudest grumble I'd ever heard from it. "That would be great. Some water would be nice too."

I had a nagging thought that something was wrong, but I brushed it aside. She wouldn’t hurt me, and if she tried, she'd regret it. I had a hammer, and I wasn't afraid to channel my inner Thor.

I followed her to the kitchen, so I could watch her make my food. There was an island between it and the living room, and I sat on a barstool. I put my hammer in front of me as she pulled a glass container from the refrigerator.

"Our tap water is filtered on the way in from a well." She filled up a glass and handed it to me. "Nice hammer. Are you planning on bashing in some brains?"

I snorted and took a long drink. I hadn't realized how thirsty I was. "I grabbed the first thing I saw that I could use as a weapon. I should have taken the chainsaw."

She laughed, put the glass container in the microwave, and turned it on. "How did you escape?"

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