Page 119 of Trapper Road

Willa must hear me because she whips her head toward me. There’s a flash of shock as she realizes that I’m alive. In the next moment, her expression shifts. She’s back to the innocent, terrified waif. Her chin trembles, her eyes wide and glistening with tears.

It’s startling how complete the transformation is. How perfectly convincing.

“Connor,” she breathes. She winces in pain and whimpers. “You’re alive. Oh thank God. I was so worried. You have to help me before she comes back. I told you, Mandy’s a maniac. You saw for yourself!”

She must think me a moron. Or she assumes I didn’t just witness the last several minutes. The thing is, if I hadn’t, I’d believe her. She plays the part beautifully, and I fell for it without hesitation.

“Don’t bother,” I tell her.

Her eyes go wide as though I’ve wounded her. “Connor? What do you mean?”

Watching her, I know I shouldn’t blame myself for falling for her act. She’s clearly had a lot of practice and I was an easy mark, because I wanted to believe.

I wince as I draw in a ragged breath. Something’s weird about the side of my face. I brush my fingers against it, and they come back red with blood. I blink, having a difficult time processing this fact. I try to find the source of the wound and almost gag when my fingers find the raw edge of my scalp.

I was shot in the head. And somehow I’m still alive. For now at least. I need to get to Vee. I need to get us out of here. I need to get to a hospital.

Willa coos my name again, and I don’t want to hear it.

“I saw it all,” I tell her flatly. “I heard you two fighting. I know the truth.”

I can see her thoughts churning as she tries to figure out what approach to take — how she can turn the moment to her advantage. How she can keep me under her thrall.

“That was a joke,” she says. “We were kidding.” It’s a lame explanation, and we both know it. I don’t even bother acknowledging it.

I think about trying to stand, but my body rebels. Instead I haul myself across the floor toward Vee on my hands and knees. “Vee,” I call out to her. “I’m here. I’m coming.”

The puddle of blood beneath her head has grown, and there’s a widening ring of red on her shirt above her abdomen as well. “Vee,” I say again when I finally reach her. I press a hand to her shoulder and pull her onto her back.

“Come on,” I tell her, leaning close as I check her breathing and feel for a pulse. “You have to hold on.”

She lets out a whimper, and I nearly collapse with relief. Her eyelids flutter and her mouth tries to move, but there’s no sound. She’s alive at least. But she’s seriously hurt. Worse than I am.

“Your phone,” I shout at Willa. “Where is it?”

I realize when I turn my head I can’t see her. It’s like the entire left side of my vision doesn’t exist. I wave a hand out to my side and nothing. That can’t be a good sign. I have to physically turn my entire body to be able to look at her. “Seriously, where is it?”

She shakes her head. “Mandy took it when she kidnapped me.” She’s still sticking to the same ridiculous story.

Fuck that. I use the wall to push myself standing. I wobble over to her on unsteady feet. It’s easy to search her pockets since she’s tied up. But she was telling the truth. No phone.

Fine. I’ll find another way to get help. I don’t have a choice.

I stumble toward the door and reach for the handle. It’s stuck. I rattle it harder, yanking even though the motion causes the room to spin and whirl around me. It won’t budge.

“The hell?” I brace myself, closing my eyes against the drumbeat of pain in my head, the growing dampness around the collar of my shirt. I muster enough energy to shove my shoulder against the door. It doesn’t move. I try again, harder, almost throwing up from the effort. “We’re locked in.”

“Seriously?” Willa asks from across the room. “That bitch.” At least she’s finally dropped the act.

I let my head fall against the door, trying to figure out what to do. On the floor Vee’s eyes pop open. She winces and throws an arm over her face. “Fuck,” she groans, twisting to her side.

I’m nearly dizzy with relief as I drop to my knees and crawl over to her. “Vee! Vee, can you hear me?”

She bats my hand away from her forehead. “What the unholy hell—” she grits her teeth as a wave of pain overcomes her. She’s hurt bad. But at least she’s now conscious. Sort of.

There’s an odd sound, I realize. One that’s been building in the background, easy to discount. I can’t place it at first. It sounds familiar, though. I strain to listen. My body figures it out before my brain, because my entire system floods with fear.

I smell the smoke next, and I know. So does Willa because she suddenly goes rigid, her eyes wide. “That bitch set the house on fire.”

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