Page 16 of Until Death Parts Us

“Nothing good, it seems,” I say.

Kas gets a devious glint in his eyes when he looks at me.

“We have to be prepared, Kaspian,” I tell him in a quiet but stern voice. “We don’t know what he has access to in that cabin.”

“If we get inside with him, we also have access to the same things.”

“No.”

“Come on. It’ll be fun. There’s two of us.”

The creaking of the cabin door gets my attention, and we watch as he brings a rifle out and puts it into his truck.

“Kaspian. We need to go back to the cabin. We have guns in our RV. We have tape and rope, too. We have that axe. We have things that can help us.”

“You go. I’ll stay and watch to make sure he doesn’t leave.”

I stare at him, knowing he’s impulsive. “Why don’t you go get the stuff, and I’ll stay?” I offer.

He gives me a look. “I’ll stay here. I just want to watch.”

“Kaspian.”

He faces me. “I’m not gonna do anything until you get back.”

“You better not. I’ll be quick.”

His lopsided grin is the last thing I see before I turn and hurry back down the path.

CHAPTER SEVEN

KASPIAN

I meantwhat I told Quin. I had fully intended on staying put and waiting for him. I like watching people. I wanted to study what this man was doing, but I didn’t anticipate he had a partner. And I didn’t see him coming from behind as I watched the scene in front of me.

And now Quin will come back and think I acted on impulse.

But that’s not what happened, and I have to hope he figures it out and finds me before it’s too late.

CHAPTER EIGHT

QUIN

I’m notsure how long it takes me to make it back to the cabin, but I move as quickly as I can without risking injury.

I grab the bag that holds most of the things we might need, but I can’t find the ammo for the guns. I search through the RV and through Kaspian’s bag, but I don’t know where he put it.

“Fuck it,” I say aloud, grabbing the bag and hoisting it over my shoulder as I rush back into the cold.

I try to avoid roots and sharp rocks, tripping a few times along the way. When I spot the flames of the fire, I slow down to quiet my steps.

When I get closer, I don’t see Kaspian in the same spot I left him in. At first, I think maybe he’s just moved to a place with a better vantage point, but as I approach the tree he was behind, I notice the snow has been disturbed quite a bit, mud flicked onto the top of the pure white color. Multiple footprints leave the area and lead to the cabin.

Air leaves my lungs in a whoosh. Something has happened to Kaspian. He didn’t just impulsively walk to the cabin. There was clearly a scuffle. Someone took him. Someone took the person who means the entire world to me, and when I find them, they’regoing to regret, with every fiber of their being, believing they had the right to do so.

I quickly scan the area, but there’s no one in sight. They must be inside.

I only waste enough time to remove my jacket, unzip the bag, and grab what I need before hooking it back over my shoulder and stepping out from the cover of the trees.

---