Page 41 of Stolen Vows

When I pull back, I can see that she has steadied some part of her resolve. It's clearly not easy for her, changing sides like this after she has been raised a certain way her whole life, but I know she is capable of it.

"I wouldn’t be asking you to do any of this if I wasn’t sure," I promise her, and she nods as she reaches for her coffee again.

"I know," she breathes back. "I think I just need to catch up with being sure of myself, too."

I press a kiss to her temple and go to make her something to eat. All things going to plan, she will be out of this cabin in the next hour, in the forest and fleeing towards the location that we plan to lure her father to. I know it’s not going to be easy, not any part of this, but if it’s enough to bring him down for good...

Then it’s worth it.

At least, that’s what I have to tell myself, as I glance at her out of the corner of my eye once more.

19

Cara

As I rush through the woods, the branches tearing at my skin and the smell of the earth hot in my nostrils, all I want in the world is to turn back and run into Max’s arms once more.

It’s a far cry from my last escape attempt, when I put so much space between us—when all I wanted was to get away from the cabin, away from him, back to my real life, no matter what it might have demanded from me. Back before I knew everything that my father has done, back before I understood the extent of the man he is, back before...

Back before my innocence was shattered and I had to face up to the fact that my family fortune is built on the back of the abuse and exploitation of Veronica and people just like her.

I stumble slightly, the adrenaline spiking in my system as I struggle to find my footing once more. I just need to make it back to the road, that’s all that matters. With my father’s men aware of my general location, I know that they will be patrolling the area around the cabin, watching for any sign of me. They came close enough before, when they nearly intercepted Veronica andMax, but this time, I am trying to lure them out of hiding, trying to make it so that they see me.

I glance back towards the cabin, but it’s long vanished into the woods now. I can feel the thread between Max and me pulled taut, close to snapping. Though he told me that he would not have let me do this if he wasn’t certain I could handle it, I am not sure I have the same sureness in myself. That is weighing heavy on me as I kick our plan into action.

I can hear the roar of engines in the distance. There's no way they can belong to anyone other than my father’s men, likely trying to parse a way through the woods that won’t end in the same bloodshed as the last time. I am surprised they’ve even given us a day to figure out a plan, but given how Veronica and Max dispatched of the last threat, perhaps they’re trying to come up with something a little less easily thwarted.

I scramble over the soft earth of the edge of the river that runs through the forest, trying not to let my feet sink into the mud. The river is just a few hundred yards from the edge of the woods; that’s what the map showed me. I couldn’t bring it with me, because it would have been too obvious that I was in on whatever they were planning if I turned up with directions. I just have to hope that I have not managed to somehow double back on myself and make a mess of this.

But then, I see a crack of sunlight tracing through the trees, and my heart leaps.I have made it.I’m nearly there, nearly back to my father.

And then, all at once, my footsteps falter as it clicks into place where I am running to. Back to him—back to my dad, the man who is responsible for all of this, the monster who was willing to sell me off just like the dozens if not hundreds of other womenhe has done this to before. Suddenly, the thought of being alone with him terrifies me. He will be able to see right through me; he will be able to tell what I am thinking. I have never been good at keeping my thoughts off my face, and even now, I can feel my skin prickling at the mere notion of looking into his eyes and having to pretend for a moment that I?—

"Fuck! It’s her!”

A voice cuts through the rush of thoughts in my mind, and I look up, realizing that I am closer to the edge of the woods than I thought. Sure enough, a man is standing in between a few of the trees, outlined against the near-blinding sunlight. I raise my hand to block the brightness piercing my eyes, but he is already racing towards me, and I can hear other footsteps traversing the forest to close the distance between us.

I know that they are here to rescue me—at least, that’s what they think—but in that instant, I feel like an animal about to be returned to the cage, a circus lion to be put on display all over again.

I inhale deeply before they reach me. I have been practicing what I am going to say since I left the house, and I will not flub my lines now. As soon as the first man reaches my side, he goes to grab my arm, and I wrench it free.

"Get off of me!” I scream, loud enough that I send a few birds fluttering from the trees around me in a panic.

"Cara, your father?—"

"I want to see my dad," I demand, as I stare up at the men around me.

"He’s waiting nearby in a hotel for you," one of them tells me, his voice laced with some irritation.

I guess that they have been out here for a long time, and the moment they set eyes on me, they thought all of this would be over—only for me to dig my heels in and make it even more difficult than it already has been. I shake my head, pressing my lips together into a pointed pout.

"I don’t know who I can trust," I shriek, feigning terror. "I’m not going anywhere with anyone other than him. You might be kidnappers too! If you really work for him, tell him to come to me himself..."

There is a muttering of conversation amongst the men as they try to figure out how to handle this. They know as well as I do that my father will not take kindly to being dragged away from his work, but I don’t give a damn. The only thing I care about right now, the only thing Icancare about, is seeing this plan through.

One of them grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet. I might not like it, but I have to play along, at least for now.

"Please, tell him to be quick," I beg them, putting as much of a quiver in my voice as I can. "Those people, the man who took me, they could come back at any time?—"

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