Page 22 of Mountain Captive

“Best guess is they blocked the door from closing all the way while you and Rand were upstairs. He came down, and they ambushed him at his car, then went in the door and locked it behind them to delay anyone’s ability to get to them.”

“And to slow me down if I managed to run from them,” she said.

“We had to break open the outer door to get to you,” Gage said. “I was going to wait for Jasmine to bring us the key, but Rand insisted. I guess it’s a good thing he did.”

She said nothing, feeling Gage’s eyes on her. She wondered what he thought of the tattoos and dyed hair. Of her strange past with a cult that seemed kooky to most people. “Have they threatened you before?” he asked. “Since you left?”

“Mom and I were approached a couple of times by members who recognized us.” She shivered, remembering. “No direct threats. I think they’re too clever for that. But if you had lived with them the way we did, you’d know how things that sound innocent can come across as really menacing.”

“Give me an example.”

She shifted in her seat, then blew out a breath. Why was this so hard to talk about? “If someone approached you and said, ‘The Exalted is worried it will be really bad for you if you don’t fulfill your destiny,’ that sounds innocent enough, right? A little out there, but harmless. But when I hear that, I’m not thinking they’re concerned about my karma or my mental health or even the threat of eternal damnation—I’m hearing code for ‘If you don’t do what we want, you could end up dead.’”

“Did that happen to other people who disobeyed the Exalted?” Gage asked.

“Oh yeah. No one ever used the wordmurder. They got sick. They had an accident. One young woman drowned.”

“Were any of these deaths investigated by law enforcement?”

She shook her head. “They weren’t even reported, as far as I know. The victims were buried in the woods, wherever we were staying. That was the way we did things. Everyone said, ‘We take care of our own,’ and it was considered a good thing. We didn’t need outsiders interfering.”

Gage closed his notebook. “I’ll probably have more questions later. Do you have some place you can stay? Or I can find you a bed at a women’s shelter.”

“I’ll find a place.” She could always go to her mother’s, though the idea left a sour taste in her mouth. Hadn’t she said she was tired of running away? And what about bringing the danger with her?

At a tapping on the glass, she turned and saw Rand outside the SUV. Gage rolled down the window. “You can’t stay here,” Rand said. “Come back to my place. No one from the Vine knows where I live.”

“Rand, you’re hurt,” she said. “You should have someone look at your head. You might need an X-ray or stitches.”

“I’m fine. I have a headache, but no dizziness. The bleeding has stopped. I know enough to go to the hospital if any concerning symptoms pop up. In the meantime, these people don’t know where I live, and I have a good security system. You’ll be safe there.”

“I told her I could find her a bed in a women’s shelter,” Gage said. “The local animal shelter would look after your dog for you.”

She didn’t want to go to a shelter, and she wasn’t going to leave Harley. “Can Harley come to your place?” she asked Rand.

“Of course.” He opened the door. The dog was standing next to him. “He’s ready to go.”

Chapter Eight

Gage fetched a list of items Chris needed from her apartment, and Rand loaded them into his SUV before they headed out. No one said much. He didn’t try to reassure her that everything would be all right or offer advice for how she should act or feel. She was grateful for that. She laid her head back and closed her eyes, the dark silence and the rhythm of the vehicle’s tires on the road almost lulling her to sleep.

But not quite. The fear was still there, coiled inside her, waiting to spring to life. That fear made her open her eyes again and repeatedly check the side mirror, looking out for headlights coming up behind them.

“No one is following us,” Rand said. “I’ve been watching.”

“I’m sorry I pulled you into this,” she said. This was why she didn’t get close to people. She didn’t want anyone to see the mess of her life. It was like having an acquaintance rifle through the contents of your kitchen garbage can or your dirty-clothes hamper.

“I want to help.” He glanced at her, then back at the road. “Just to be clear, this invitation to stay with me comes with no strings attached.”

Was he thinking of that kiss? The memory pulled at her, here in the dark, so close to him. Yet everything that happened afterward was a barrier between them now. “Thanks,” she said. “I like you. I guess that’s pretty clear from that kiss. But... I have a lot to process right now. And I’m not used to trusting other people.”

“Fair enough. Just know you can trust me.”

She wanted to believe that, but she had had so little practice in depending on other people. She thought of all the rescue calls she had been on, when strangers trusted her and her fellow volunteers to save them. Those people, injured or stranded in the wilderness, didn’t have much choice in the matter. Maybe she didn’t have much choice either. She wasn’t strong enough to fight the Vine on her own. She believed Rand was strong, and she believed he really did want to help her. That was more than anyone else had given her, which made it a good place to start.

RAND’SHOMEHADonce been a summer camp. He had purchased the long-abandoned property, torn down the dilapidated camper cabins and turned the log structure that had served as a lodge into a home. The remote location—the only property at the end of a long gravel road—had added to the hassle of the remodel, but now he appreciated the privacy and the safety it would offer Chris.

“The guest room and bath are upstairs,” he told her as she and Harley followed him into the great room that made up most of the ground floor. “The primary suite is down here, so you’ll have plenty of privacy.” He led the way up the stairs to the guest room. “I use the room across the hall as my home office. Kitchen and laundry are downstairs, and there’s a detached garage in back. There’s an alarm system and a sensor on the driveway that will alert me if anyone tries to drive in.”

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