Mountain Hideaway. Christy Barritt

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СКАЧАТЬ of fear wasn’t living at all. It was surviving.

      Just as she closed her eyes, on the verge of praying for mercy, she heard a bang. She clutched her chest. As she peered around the corner, the back door flung open.

      The wind! Tessa realized.

      The door had never latched easily. In her haste to get out of the house, she must not have pulled hard enough.

      Now there was no hiding the fact that she was nearby. It was a matter of evading the intruder more than it was about hiding.

      Despair bit deep. Maybe it would just be easier to give up.

      No, Tessa reminded herself. No matter how tempting the thought might be at times, she knew she couldn’t surrender. Leo didn’t deserve to win, and she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

      Leo McAllister, her ex-fiancé, had already turned her life upside down when she’d caught him in the middle of smuggling blueprints for dangerous weapons to terrorists overseas. She’d tried to gather evidence to nail him, but she’d failed. That was when she’d known she had no choice but to run.

      He’d sent men after her and they’d soon found her at the first place she’d sought refuge—an old house she’d rented with cash and a fake name. She’d discovered the cottage off a lonely country road in the rolling hills of Virginia and had thought she’d found the perfect hideaway. She’d been wrong. While coming home from buying groceries, she’d seen the men inside her temporary home and had fled.

      Tessa had barely gotten away. She wouldn’t have escaped if it hadn’t been for a drawbridge that she’d crossed just in time.

      Now Tessa waited, holding her breath, to see what would happen next. In theory, she’d been living like this ever since that life-changing day when she’d discovered Leo’s true colors.

      The light appeared again.

      The intruder was inside her cabin now, she was certain.

      A voice drifted out, but she couldn’t make out the words.

      As the wind brushed her again, her nose tingled. It wouldn’t be too long before her ears, her cheeks and her fingers all went numb. So many things could go wrong right now.

      She squinted as someone stepped out the back door. The flashlight nearly caught her, but she tucked herself back behind the shed in time. As she saw the beam fade to the other side of the property, she stole another glance.

      The man on her deck was tall and broad. He wore a black coat—leather, maybe—and low-slung jeans. He didn’t look familiar but, then again, it was dark. Besides, the McAllisters had enough money to hire people to do their dirty work. Leo would never do this kind of job himself.

      The man stepped off the deck and walked around the side of the house. Her heart pounded in her ears as she waited for what seemed like hours. He circled the house twice. Shone his light into her car. Surveyed the area around the cabin.

      Then he started toward the woods near the shed.

      Tessa held her breath. No! Not back here.

      His footsteps stopped.

      Slowly, the sound faded, almost as if he was...retreating?

      She counted to ten before peering around the corner again. In the distance, she saw the light disappear into the woods. He was leaving.

      He was leaving!

      But why? Maybe he wasn’t one of the men after her. Maybe he was just a passerby whose car had broken down or a hunter checking out the area. Maybe he’d gotten lost on the winding road and had come looking for directions.

      None of those things sounded quite true, even in her own mind, but she couldn’t think too long.

      Once the light disappeared well out of sight, she hurried to the house.

      She’d forgotten her car keys. She had to grab them and get out of here. There was no time to waste.

      She shuddered as she scrambled over the crispy leaves across her backyard. She sprinted up the steps, mentally reviewing where she’d left them. She couldn’t risk turning the lights on. Relying on her memory, she rushed toward the kitchen table. Her purse was there.

      Had the man seen it? Had he looked inside and seen her license?

      Her hands trembled now. She snatched the bag, her gaze frantically searching the countertop for the keys. Thankfully they were right beside the coffeepot where she’d left them.

      She lunged toward them and felt the metal against her fingers.

      Now she just had to get out of here.

      Just as she turned, she sensed someone behind her. Before she could scream, a hand covered her mouth.

      And, for the first time in years, she prayed.

      * * *

      Trent McCabe hated to scare the woman—to scare any woman. But if he didn’t grab her now, she’d run. Then he’d never have any answers to the heavy questions hanging over his head.

      He couldn’t let her get away. There were too many reasons why it would be a bad idea.

      He kept one hand firmly over her mouth and his other arm locked her elbows against her body. He lifted her off her feet, and she kicked, flailing. But she wasn’t going anywhere. Trent would give her a few minutes and, once she was worn out from struggling, he’d try to talk to her. She’d left him with very few options.

      She fought against him, each jerk full of fight. He had to admire her for that. But he’d fought enough battles and had enough muscles and brawn to easily overtake her. She would wear out much sooner than he would. He just had to be patient.

      She paused and her chest heaved as if she was gulping in breaths. His heart lurched as he realized just how terrified the woman was. He’d never meant for things to play out like this. He’d just been so desperate to find her.

      “I’m not going to hurt you. I just have a few questions,” he murmured in his most calming, apologetic voice. “Quiet down.”

      His words had the opposite effect and seemed to propel her back into action. She began thrashing again, trying desperately to get out of his grip. This woman wasn’t going to give up, was she? She had more fight than he’d guessed.

      Trent stood there, waiting patiently. But he gave her credit for her efforts. She was giving it all she had.

      “Listen, your mom sent me,” he finally said.

      She slowed for a moment. Without even seeing her face, he knew the wheels in her brain were turning, were processing the information. That was a good sign.

      “I’m going to move my hand from your mouth so we can talk. Okay?” he soothed as a tremble began shaking her muscles.

      She remained where she was, her breathing too shallow for her own good.

      “Okay?” he repeated.

      Finally, СКАЧАТЬ