No. His flashlight had just passed over something small and white. A business card. Wedged in the door.

  Taking it, Ray held it in the light so he could read. It belonged to a Mr. Brian Shulman, an employee of the property management company from which he’d rented the cabin. Turning it over, he saw a brief note.

  Enjoy your stay and don’t forget to put the key in the lock box when you go.

  Had this Mr. Shulman gone inside?

  Probably not. Why would he?

  Still, panic poured through Ray at the possibilities. Unlocking the front door, he went straight to Madeline’s room.

  The door that he’d closed when he left was now standing open. So was the closet.

  His gut tightened as he set his flashlight on the bed and dug through the blankets. She was gone.

  Whirling, he checked the rest of the room and under the bed. Nothing. The place was empty. Where was she? Had someone taken her? No. That didn’t make sense. Mr. Shulman wouldn’t have bothered to leave his card if he’d found Madeline.

  She must’ve gotten away by herself. How the hell had she done it?

  Regardless, he couldn’t lose her. She was his. A replacement for his own daughter. It was Barker’s fault that Rose Lee had tried to pass that note to Eliza. Nothing would’ve happened if Barker hadn’t insisted on having Ray bring Rose to church every Sunday. Then she wouldn’t have passed that note and Ray wouldn’t have had to punish her with his belt. And she might not have overdosed afterward.

  “Madeline?” he called softly.

  There was no response. But she couldn’t have gotten far. He saw no rope piled on the ground, no gag. And he’d drugged her. Chances were she was stumbling around in the snow, staggering through the trees, maybe even going in circles.

  But the dead bolt on the front door had been set when he arrived. How could she have gotten out?

  A muted noise drew him across the hall. He hurried, anxious but relieved, thinking he’d found her. But it was only the soft clank of the blind stirred by the wind. The wind? The window was open, and there was a chair underneath it.

  She’d managed to get outside. Shit! A white-hot rage built inside him. He’d find her. He’d find her before anyone else could.

  And God help her when he did.

  Madeline could hardly hear above the racket her heart was making as she listened to Ray move around the cabin. He’d gone to the room where he’d left her, as she’d expected. Then he’d crossed the hall to the window she’d opened by biting the latch with her teeth and using her chin. If she was lucky, he’d rush outside, and start looking for her in the forest—because she didn’t have much of a chance if he started searching the cabin. She was only three feet from him when he came back into the hall, hiding behind the door of the third and last bedroom. She hadn’t had time to think of—or get to—a better place. It had been all she could do to open that damn window.

  “She’ll pay for this,” he muttered. Then he went out the front door, and turned off the truck’s engine.

  She’d hoped he would be in too much of a hurry to think about his truck. If he’d gone directly to the back, she might’ve been able to slip out the front and drive away, even with her hands and feet still tied. The sound of his engine had given her hope and helped cover her movements. She’d opened a window, so she could move a gear lever and manage a steering wheel well enough to drive a mile or two, someplace she could find help. That was why she’d opened the window in the back room—to draw him away from the road.

  But he was too smart, too cautious. For all she knew, he was standing on the porch waiting for her to come out the front door. What if there was snow on the ground? If it remained undisturbed beneath the window where she would’ve had to land, he’d know it was a trick.

  She’ll pay for this…

  Was he waiting for her to make a move? To reveal herself?

  God help me. She was shaking so badly she was afraid she’d collapse. She wasn’t sure what was keeping her upright. Her feet didn’t want to support her weight, but the wall helped, and she knew collapsing was not an option. If her strength gave out on her, she’d be dead—or maybe she’d just wish she was.

  A rustle outside the cabin made her wonder if he’d gone around to the back, after all. She had no idea what he’d find—something that would keep him there, or something that would bring him back here—but she had to go now. She might never have another chance.

  Sliding to the ground, she dragged herself down the hall and into the kitchen. At least she was more alert. At least the effects of the drug had mostly worn off. Full awareness brought her aches, pains and bruises to life, but it gave her hope that she could somehow outsmart him.

  When she reached the front door, she didn’t have to open it. He’d left it agape. She could see the gleam of his bumper but not much else.

  “Madeline, you’ll freeze to death out here. You know that, don’t you? Tell me where you are and I’ll help you back to the house.”

  His voice came from the forest, sounding deceptively normal. Like the Ray she’d known her whole life. But he wasn’t the man she thought he was. He was evil—a creature with no soul, no concern for anyone but himself.

  She just had to make it out the front door and over to someplace safe to hide, she told herself. But her coat wasn’t very heavy—she didn’t know how long she’d last on such a cold night. And where was safe? Ray seemed to be the only other person on the mountain. He certainly wasn’t worried about being overheard.

  Anyplace was preferable to being trapped in the cabin. But when she got to the porch, she saw a glimmer of moonlight shifting through the tall trees overhead and glistening off—her heart sank—snow. There were footsteps going every which way, but if she tried to drag herself through it, she’d be frozen before she got ten yards, and Ray would easily be able to follow her oddlooking trail.

  “You’d better tell me where you are.” He was shouting, his voice ricocheting through the trees. “If you don’t, you’ll be sorry. I can promise you that.”

  Using her shoulder and hip, she moved toward the steps. Shoulder, hip. Shoulder, hip. She knew that trying to cross the small clearing was insane, suicide, but she couldn’t stay in the cabin. She’d rather die outside.

  Then she bumped into it. The woodpile. And standing right beside it was an ax.

  “Maddy, you’re being stubborn for nothing,” Ray said. “Where you gonna go? There’s no one else around, not for miles. And it’s less than thirty degrees out here. I think it’s about to storm.”

  The wind blew snow from the branches of the trees, showering him occasionally, but the darkness bothered him most. He could see only what fell inside the narrow beam of his flashlight, which made him feel as if she was constantly evading him. He’d found one pair of footprints near the open window. He’d assumed they were hers, but they hadn’t gone more than ten feet into the forest.

  She would’ve set off, tried to put as much distance between them as possible. So which tracks were hers? And how had she gotten loose? He’d knotted those ropes damn tight.

  He wouldn’t underestimate her again. He’d chain her up, give her a bucket for a toilet and never let her go. But that would have to happen somewhere else. Once he found her, he was hitting the road again. They couldn’t stay here. Not with that Brian Shulman snooping around.

  “Maddy?” he called.

  And then he paused, fairly certain he’d heard a thud in front of the cabin.

  The wind had blown the door shut. The resulting bang had nearly made her cry out. Panting from fear and exertion, Madeline was trying to saw the rope off her hands by pressing it against the blade of the ax. But she was too jittery, too panicked. Ray had stopped calling out to her, and the silence was far more unnerving than hearing his voice, because now she couldn’t trace him.

  She wanted to hide, to hole up and pray for the best. But she knew that was foolish. He’d find her, and it would all be over. Weak, exhausted and frightened though she was, she had to use her mind and her nerve, push herself to the limits.

  Keep going. She rubbed harder against the blade—back and forth, back and forth—but cutting through the rope wasn’t as easy as she’d expected when she first saw the ax. The tough, scratchy fibers bit deeply into her wrists, and the blade seemed far too dull.

  The adrenaline pumping through her, and the cold, were the only things in her favor. They took the edge off her pain and kept her focused, so the fuzziness in her brain didn’t cloud her abilities or judgment. She had to get free, regardless of the cost. Otherwise, she had no chance.

  I can do it. I can do it. She struggled to swallow with the gag in her mouth, but her throat was so dry, even that hurt. And that damn collar…

  I’ll get free. She wouldn’t let Ray win. She’d fight back. Because he wasn’t her master. Fear wasn’t her master, either.

  But where is he? And what’s he doing?

  As if in answer, she heard movement. Then the beam of a flashlight suddenly appeared.

  He was here. And she wasn’t ready.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Ray’s light swept within inches of Madeline’s foot. She was sure he’d seen her, but she held perfectly still. She opened her eyes as wide as she could and yet she couldn’t even make out his shape. It was too dark. There was only that beam from his flashlight. And his footsteps, creaking on the wooden porch, coming closer.

  Closing her eyes, she instinctively turned her face away in preparation for the worst. But his light didn’t land on her. He opened the door, hesitated at the threshold, then went inside.

  She had a few more seconds.

  Drawing on her last reserves of strength, Madeline continued to saw at the ropes around her wrists. She might as well be trying to chew them with her teeth, for all the good that dull blade seemed to do her. But then she felt a slight give. Or was it her imagination?

  Ray was still inside. She had no idea what he was doing, but she could hear him moving around and knew she didn’t have much time. She worked more frantically, pulling and twisting her hands until her wrists throbbed so badly she nearly passed out from the pain. But her efforts finally paid off. Somehow she’d managed to cut the rope enough that she could, with much pain, slip one hand out. Then she merely had to shake her other hand, and she was free. Pulling the gag down, she hurried to untie her feet.

  Unfortunately, the cold was no longer her ally. She was trembling violently. And her fingers were so swollen and stiff she could hardly use them. She fumbled with the knot but couldn’t untie it.

  Should she try to slide away from the cabin door? Around to the side, where she wouldn’t feel quite so vulnerable? She longed to—but didn’t dare. She was afraid the noise of her movements would draw Ray back. She was better off staying where she was and getting out of the ropes so she could sneak away more quietly. At least if he caught her at that point, she’d be able to run, kick, fight. And she’d have the ax.

  A creak alerted her to the fact that Ray was at the threshold. But he wasn’t using his flashlight, and he seemed to be moving stealthily. Why? Was he about to spring at her? Or did he feel that the light made his whereabouts too obvious?

  Either way, his lack of light worked in her favor. Now he couldn’t see anything, either. She just had to be careful not to stumble into him once she was capable of running.

  She thought she heard him move again, but she couldn’t tell in which direction. He was close, she knew that. He was probably standing two feet from her, listening, waiting.

  After stretching her sore hands, she worked at the knot some more.

  Calm down. Ignore him. Make no sound but feel the rope. Start in the right place. That’s it.

  Another creak sent chills down her spine. Judging by the proximity of that noise, she could reach out and touch him. He even knocked a piece of wood off the pile above her—most likely a mistake on his part—but it nearly hit her as it tumbled to the ground.

  She covered her head with her arms and remained exactly where she was. She wanted to take the ax that was behind her and swing it at him. But she had so little strength. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to strike much of a blow. He’d wrest it away far too easily. And her feet were still tied.

  She’d be stupid to act so soon. She could blow her only opportunity.

  Patience. Swallowing hard, she opened and closed her burning hands, hoping to get the blood flowing again, and persevered with the knot. She couldn’t wiggle her feet back and forth to help loosen the bands, couldn’t risk any noise, which made her task harder. Ray seemed to sense that she was there. He hovered on the porch, within a few feet of her.

  The tension in the ropes around her feet began to ease. Madeline was almost free. She’d slip carefully away, figure out how to find civilization and pray she didn’t freeze to death first. But she must’ve made some sound as she started to rise because Ray’s flashlight suddenly snapped on, so bright it temporarily blinded her.

  She screamed as he lunged at her, then fell back, scraping herself on the wood. “No!” Her voice was unrecognizable to her own ears, but she had the presence of mind to bring her legs up and kick him as hard as she could. She knew she’d hit him in a good spot when he dropped the flashlight and sank to his knees.

  Scrambling, Madeline tried to run, but she couldn’t feel her feet. She fell and whacked her knee on the porch, got up and fell again.

  “I’ll kill you for this,” he rasped.

  She’d never heard such deadly intent. Grabbing the flashlight that had now rolled closer to her than him, and the ax, she hobbled around the house—and somehow managed to keep her balance.

  She could hear him trying to limp after her, still wheezing and cursing from the pain, and turned off the flashlight. He’d have to track her by sound. She wasn’t going to give him a beacon to follow.

  The forest stood dark and silent all around her. It was too dark to move very fast. She could turn her ankle or fall into a creek or gully. Forced to slow, she glanced behind her but couldn’t see or hear anything. She longed to put some space between them, then hide and wait for morning. But she knew that wasn’t a reasonable plan. Morning could be hours away—she was disoriented in her perception of time—and it was far too cold to stay outside. She didn’t have boots or warm clothes, wouldn’t survive even three hours. And because she didn’t know the area, she had no idea which direction to take. She ran the risk of returning to the cabin without even knowing it, wandering around indefinitely, or falling off a cliff.

  No, she couldn’t hope to avoid Ray until she found help. She had to get inside, get warm, acquire some kind of transportation. He stood between her and all of that. Which meant her best option was to do something about it—and the sooner the better. The longer she waited, the weaker and colder she was going to get.

  I can’t go back into the cabin. After the pills she’d ingested, she still wasn’t herself. She was so tired she could barely lift the ax. She was tempted to give up, to sit down and cry. None of this was fair; she’d done nothing to deserve it.

  But if she wanted to live, she had to get him before he got her.

  Ray leaned against the cabin until he was sufficiently recovered, wondering what he should do now. He couldn’t go after her. He had another flashlight in his glove box, but if he used it, she’d know where he was at all times. If he didn’t use it, there was no telling what he might walk into. He could chase her around the forest all night, but that would be stupid.

  He had to lure her back to the cabin. And the only way he knew to do that was to make her believe he was giving up.

  Climbing into his truck, he started the engine, backed up and headed toward the road. When he’d gone about a hundred yards, he parked, more enraged than ever. She had to come out of hiding eventually; she’d freeze to death if she didn’t.

  When Madeline heard Ray’s truck, she couldn’t believe it. He was leaving? Had she injured him more badly than she’d thought? She doubted it. Maybe she’d gotten lucky enough to hit him where it hurt, but she lacked the strength to do much damage.

  Was he afraid she’d find help and bring the authorities down on him? That wasn’t likely, either—or not in the immediate future, anyway. He knew she didn’t have a clue about where she was. He’d brought her bound and gagged beneath a tarp. A person didn’t get much more disoriented than that.

  So what? She wasn’t sure what he was doing. But she needed warmth and shelter and knew of only one place to get it. That meant he’d find her if he returned.

  She needed a plan. And she needed it fast.

  Dragging the ax behind her, she hurried for the cabin.

  Ray waited long enough that he felt safe using the flashlight to make his way back, but he didn’t need it once he started down the narrow, winding drive. Even from twenty yards, he could see that Madeline had a fire going. The flicker in the front window looked like a beacon, an invitation welcoming him home. She’d gone back inside and was hoping to get warm, poor thing.

  He smiled grimly. He’d show her warm. He’d put her hand in the fire and hold it there until it was reduced to ashes. She’d probably pass out, but it’d be a nice reminder of who was boss when she woke up.

  He couldn’t imagine she’d fight him after that.

  Stepping very quietly onto the porch, he peered through the window. Sure enough, she was sleeping in front of the fire. He could see her all bundled up in the blankets he’d used to bury her in the closet.

  This would be easy.

  He put his hand on the door. It was locked. But that just made him smile even wider. Because he had the key.

  Madeline was finally warm. And the feeling had come back to her hands and feet, although they were still swollen. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed since Ray drove off, but she hadn’t heard a sound since. Now she was almost too comfortable. Exhaustion weighed so heavily upon her that she could hardly keep her eyes open. She’d been battling sleep for what seemed like an eternity.