Page 3 of Falling for a Killer

“You’re not afraid?”

“Afraid? Of what?”

“The wild, Joey,” she laughs. “The bears, the fucking mountain lions or pumas or whatever the fuck. Wolves.”

“The cabin has an impenetrable bunker as a cellar, remember? If worst comes to worst and a bear breaks down the door, I’ll hide in there. And it’ll just be me, so as long as I stock up, I won’t really have to go outside much, and even still... I’d rather be alone in the woods with a bear than stuck in the same city as a man actively trying to kill me.”

“We do choose the bear,” she agrees solemnly. “Alright. Use the satellite phone if you need to reach me. It’s a little crazy having a toddler and a newborn, but you know Greg and I will have your back if you need it. Anything at all, you just have to let me know.”

I’m tempted to ask her terrifying ex-military husband to go all guerilla warfare on Ryan’s ass and end this for me, but I don’t. They’ve got a beautiful life, one that doesn’t need to end when I do have another alternative. “Thanks, Vi.”

She sighs as she reaches out to stroke one of my ass-length waves. “Your hair won’t like the climate there, you know. And the bunker isn’t exactly stocked with cherry red dye.”

“I think I can handle a little frizz, and I’ll take my own dye, thanks. Not that it’ll matter much. Who am I supposed to impress? The bear? The fluffy bastard will take me as he finds me and say thank you.”

Snorting, Violet drops some cash on the bar to pay our tab, then links her arm with mine as she walks me to the door. “Come stay with us tonight. I’ll have Greg drive you home in themorning to get your car and whatever else you’re taking, just in case. He’s working the night shift tomorrow so he’ll be home.”

That’s a tempting offer. While I don’t think Ryan will come back so soon, I also didn’t think he’d pull the trigger. I was wrong about that. I don’t want to be wrong about this too.

“Deal,” I agree. “I’d like to see my niece and nephew before I run off into the woods to become a bog witch anyway.”

She looks at me like she’s shocked for a moment, seems to talk herself out of it, then squints at me. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

“Was it the Ouija board tattooed on my chest that gave it away?” I ask. “Or the fifty-seven black candles in the house?”

“Both. Well, if anyone’s gonna become a bog witch worthy of urban legend, it’s you. I look forward to hearing your lore in a few years.”

Giggling, I feel lighter than I have in a while. Yeah, I’m going on the run to escape a psychopath I almost married, but this is stillmylife. Running doesn’t mean I’m giving up, it just means I’m starting over.

I’m almost looking forward to it.

Three:

Karma

My stomach growls angrily as I pull onto the road that leads to our cabin in Windwinter. It’s over three miles long, barely visible thanks to the overgrowth, and surrounded by so many tall, entangled trees that the sunlight is almost completely blocked out. Thanks to the mountain of shit piled into the back of my white Renegade, I can’t see out the back window, either.

If the bears are coming, I’ve made myself an easy target.

I mentally flip Violet off for putting that nonsense in my head as I brace myself for all the things I’ll need to do to get the cabin up and running. Since my parents only visit once every couple of years, the furniture is covered in plastic, all the utilities are switched off, and the windows are boarded up. The bills are still being paid so it’s just a matter of flipping a few switches and doing some tear-down, but it’s been a while since I’ve helped my dad and it’s a little daunting. Considering it’s about 3:00am where he is now, I can’t call him for several hours.

That’s okay. I got this.

The house comes into view and takes my breath away as always. It’s a two-story log cabin with deep green shutters, facing away from a backdrop of snowy mountains and a cliff that seems to go on forever. When I first saw it as a little girl, I was speechless. It looked like something someone painted as a Christmas decoration, or something out of a dream.

I still get that feeling now as I park and unlock my trunk.

It takes me three trips to get everything inside the front door, and even longer to realize something is absolutely, definitely wrong here. The last bag of fresh produce falls from my hands as I look around the living room to find it clearly lived in. There’sno plastic on the furniture, the floor lamp is on, and there’s a fire burning in the fireplace.

Blankets and hoodies are strewn all over the back of the couch and there’s a dirty paper plate on the table.

Someone is here.

I never trusted Ryan enough to tell him about this place, but he’s made some shady friends. Could he have figured it out? How did he beat me here? No, that doesn’t make sense. This is probably Violet just fucking with me. She had to have taken a plane to beat me here, but that tracks. She’s sneaky, and something tells me she wouldn’t want me dealing with this alone.

“Very funny, Violet!” I yell, leaning down to put the bananas, peppers and onions back in their bag. “You can come out now.”

For a few moments, there’s only a tense silence that reaches my ears, making my heart rate pick up more with each passing second. If Vi is here... why the hell isn’t she answering me?

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