Page 56 of Dark Terror
He hadn’t said a word since tossing her in the car, which made her nervous and more afraid than she already was. Although if he started talking, she might jump right out of her skin. Did Gabe know she was missing yet? She knew he would do everything in his power to find her, but did he even have a clue who had taken her? Even if he managed to find that out, he wouldn’t know where the man was taking her.
They’d left Dark Falls, heading east. Although she hurt and afraid, the longer they were in the car, the more time Gabe had to find her. Thoughts of what the man might do to her kept creeping into her head. To keep her mind occupied, she paid attention to the roads on which they were traveling. If she got a chance to call Gabe, she wanted to know where she was.
It wasn’t much longer that she realized they were heading into the mountains. Was he going to kill her and dump her body someplace no one would ever find her? If that was his plan, she wasn’t going to make it easy on him.
His phone rang, and after glancing at the screen, he smirked. “Dear old Daddy. Don’t think I need to be talking to him right now.”
“Why? You don’t think he’d approve of what you’re doing?” He didn’t answer her.
After some thirty or forty minutes of driving up the mountain, he turned onto a one-lane graveled road. They drove for another two miles before turning onto a winding driveway. Her heart beat so hard in her chest that she wondered if he could hear it pounding. She was going to die out here in the middle of nowhere.
Tears burned her eyes. She’d never see Gabe again, would never have the chance to tell him she thought she was falling for him. Her fear of being in love with a cop now seemed ridiculous. She was the one who was going to die, not him. Would he miss her? Would his heart be broken? Would he cry? All questions she’d never know the answer to.
“Home sweet home,” he said, speaking for the first time when he stopped in front of a beautiful log home.
She felt her first ray of hope since he’d tossed her into the car. He wasn’t dumping her in the woods where no one would ever find her body, and if he planned to keep her in that house, she would maybe have a chance of escaping.
He came around the other side, and after opening the door, he pulled out a knife, one similar to what he’d used to kill Sheri Carstad. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from the evil looking thing, and when he thrust it toward her, she screamed and tried to melt into the seat.
“Be still,” he commanded. “I’m going to cut the ties so you can walk.”
“How was I supposed to know that? You come at me with a knife like that and I’m going to think the worst.” She wasn’t sure why she was mouthing off to him other than she was getting angry. He’d just scared ten years off her life… if she lived that long. If she was going to die, she wasn’t going to be nice about it.
“Inside,” he said after freeing her legs.
Out of the car, she eyed the nearby woods, wanting to run into them.
“Don’t even try,” he said, reading her mind.
“Whose house is this?” she said as she waited for him to unlock the door. His gun was tucked into the waistband of his pants, and she wished her hands were free so she could grab it.
“My father’s. Now shut up and get inside.”
Although they’d passed several mailboxes as they drove up the mountain, none of the houses were visible from here. If she could only get away, she’d run to one of them. Of course they were probably vacation homes and empty. If she was going to get out of this, she needed to use her head. Maybe if she could get him to talk, it would delay whatever his plans for her were.
“Does Daddy know you’ve brought me here?”
“No, but he will when they arrest him for your murder.”
She edged away from him. “Your father’s going to kill me?” What kind of sick family had she stumbled into?
“No, I’m going to kill you, but the cops are going to think my father did.”
“You’re crazy.”
His eyes slitted and his lips thinned. “Think what you like, but the truth is, I’m a clever son of a bitch. Once my father is arrested and charged with killing you, everything will be mine. In the long run your nosiness did me a favor.” He waved the knife toward a chair near the fireplace. “Sit there.”
“Can you cut my hands loose? I’m losing feeling in my fingers.” She turned her back to him and lifted her arms. “Please.”
“Is that your last wish?” He chuckled as if he’d told a funny one.
No, her last wish was to be alive to see him in handcuffs. She tensed when she felt the knife slide between her hands, but he only cut the plastic tie.
“See what a nice guy I am?”
“Yeah, you’re just peachy. I have to use the bathroom.”
He pointed to a hallway with the knife. “That way.”
