Page 56 of Crossroads of Redemption

Minutes ticked by and the hill steepened. The engine revved as the climb continued. A break in the trees to her right caught her attention. She squinted through the thickening rain and the outstretched branches blocking her view. She sucked in a sharp breath. They were passing the pond behind her cabin. Surely, he wasn’t taking her back to her apartment. If so, she just might stand a chance against him.

A swift turn to the left told her she wasn’t so lucky. Minutes ticked by, the wheels of the four-wheeler slowing in the slick mud of the path. The distinct smell of a campfire reached her nose and tightened her already rigid muscles. The familiar scent from when Eddy had pressed her against him in the kennel the day before assaulted her senses.

“Almost there,” he whispered in her ear, his hot breath making her cringe. “Then the real fun can begin.”

She searched through the thicket for the fire. Why had he left a fire burning when he’d planned to be in town working all day? And how was it still going in the rain?

The thick branches thinned, the trees clearing. Wisps of smoke spiraled into the sky. A circular patch of grass surrounded a giant oak tree. Stones encased a fire, a long patch of material stretched over top it, hanging from a nearby maple with thick, black rope.

Behind the fire was a what looked like an old wooden fort. Crudely cut out windows on either side of a door were covered from the inside with dirty cloth. The flat roof was no taller than six feet high, the width of the space about the size of her modest bedroom.

Eddy parked the four-wheeler beside the fire and stepped off, grabbing her arm and forcing her down to meet him.

She glanced behind her, searching for another glimpse of her home. But only upturned roots and the blossoms of spring surrounded her.

But the cabin was just beyond. Just out of sight. Just out of reach.

How many times had Eddy sat in this creepy hideout and stared through the forest, knowing she and Chet were right on the other side?

A shiver ripped up her spine.

“Sit by the fire,” Eddy said, forcing her under the tarp. He kept a firm grip on her arm. “It’ll warm you up.”

Rain dripped down her face and she dragged her feet as she did what he demanded. As much as she wanted to be obstinate, being numb with cold wouldn’t help her. With her hand on her purse, she knelt next to the fire.

Eddy settled beside her, the gun back in his hands and pointed at her ribs.

“What do you want with me?” She asked, a tremor of fear shaking her vocal cords. The not-too-long ride here had made it impossible to do anything but keep her mouth shut and her eyes open.

He smirked. “You’re the final blade that will take Chet down.”

His words shocked her, and she gave a little shake of her head as if it’d help her understand. “Chet? I thought you were friends?”

“Friends?” Eddy snorted. “I was always just the annoying pest who got in the way. Never allowed to get too close. Never allowed to get what I wanted. He got the girl, got Bobby, got everything that should have been mine.”

Her mind struggled to keep up. Each sentence more confusing than the last. The sounds of rain hitting the tarp overhead assaulted her ears. “How could Chet take anything from you?”

A flash of anger contorted Eddy’s face. “Laurie was the only one who was kind to me, but she fell for his oafish charm. Married him instead. Uncle Bobby always wanted a son, and when I figured out how to have him for myself—to take Shelly out of the picture, he broke. Pushed me aside, only to be a father again when Chet needed him. Looking past me and my needs just like everyone always has.”

Her stomach rebelled. Was Eddy saying he’d started this entire descent into death and destruction to win over the affections of others? Like a child falling on the floor and throwing a tantrum to get a toy from a frazzled adult.

But Eddy had resorted to much worse than a temper tantrum. He’d murdered innocent women. Took the life of a child. And if she understood him correctly, killed his young cousin for the love an uncle.

She couldn’t help but wonder why. And if she could get him talking, she could buy herself some time. “Why did you need Bobby’s attention? What about your own father?”

“My father never wanted a damn thing to do with me.” He picked up a long metal poker from the ground and stuck the end in the fire. The circular tip burned red, making the intricate swoops of a design she’d seen before glow.

Oh my God. The brand.

The contents of her stomach shot to the back of her throat. She scrambled onto her knees and retched into the high grass that stood outside the door of the little fort.

Eddy laughed, loud and cruel, and yanked hard on her hair, lifting her chin to the fat raindrops. “Don’t go too far. I have plans for you.”

She didn’t want to know what was to come, but if she had a clue as to what she was up against, she could figure out how to fight back. “What? You’re going to burn that mark into my skin then kill me and bury me in a shallow grave like all the other women? How original.”

Keeping his grip on her long strands, he crouched low, pressing his mouth close to her cheek. “Don’t worry. That’s not all I’ll do.”

She shifted her gaze to the ground. He’d tossed the poker to grab her hair. If she could reach the end of it, she stood a chance of hitting him with it and running away. All she had to do was slam it against him hard enough to shock him for a second.

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