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CHAPTER SEVEN

I'd drifted asleep.

Rolling slowly to my knees, I cringed at the soreness spiking along my shoulder, down through my hip. The cement floor provided no comfort or warmth. Wiping drool at the corner of my mouth, I shivered violently. The storage room door had been shut, leaving me in darkness. A frigid draft from the thin windowpane prickled my skin. Snow was still coming down, but not the big, swirling flakes of earlier; now tiny grains drilled into the window like hurled sand.

I didn't know how much time had passed, but the sky was full dark. I didn't hear Shaun pacing the den. I didn't hear Korbie's quiet sobs from the bathroom.

To keep my mind busy, and not focus on how scared I was, I mentally went over the cabin layout, what I'd seen of it anyway, and took stock of escape routes. The front door was the only exit I knew of to the outside, and it was at the opposite end of the cabin. I'd have to run down the hall and get Korbie, then backtrack through the den and down the entryway hall, all without Shaun hearing or seeing me. plus, I didn't know where Shaun had put our coats. We wouldn't last long in the storm without them. And even if we made it outside, where would we go? No one would be driving in these conditions there would be no one to help us.

I wondered if Shaun had gone outside to look for Ryder. Or maybe he'd fallen asleep. I wondered if I should take my chance and run now.

I was about to press my ear to the door and listen for Shaun, when it opened.

Shaun held a metal folding chair in one hand and a beer bottle in the other. He sank into the chair and stared at me, his face twisted into a scowl.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He pointed his finger at me, his lips twitching in anger. "Don't you talk to me."

Any chill I'd felt vanished; immediately, sweat popped out on my skin. Shaun's mouth formed a downward seam, and those slotted eyes. They were glazed with hatred. He flung the door shut, and my heart started pounding so hard I was sure we'd both hear it.

He took a slug of beer and continued to glare at me. "Ryder's not back."

I hesitated, not sure he really wanted me to speak. "How long has it been?" I asked carefully.

"Over three hours. It's after one in the morning. Did you lie to me, Jade? Did you lie about where you left your car?"

"Maybe he got lost," I quickly offered. "Maybe the gear is heavy and it's slowing him down."

"He took a sled. The gear's not the problem."

"If you had let me go with him-"

Shaun was out of his chair so fast I didn't see him coming. His hand lashed out at my throat, propelling me backward. He shoved me against the wall. I was so startled, it took a few moments for the pain to sink in. As I scratched frantically at his hand, his knuckles dug harder into the soft underside of my jaw, cutting off my airway. The room blurred at the edges.

"You lied."

He eased up enough for me to gasp air. It wheezed down my throat. I shook my head no, no, no.

"If Ryder's lost, it's because you sent him the wrong way. He's out there looking for a car that's miles away. Isn't that right, Jade? Thought you'd level the playing field? Take him out so it's you and Korbie against me? Maybe you're stupider than I thought, pulling something like that."

I wrenched at his hands, trying to tear them off my neck. I couldn't breathe. I didn't know if he'd kill me. I was terrified he might.

"You took Ryder away from me, maybe I should take Korbie away from you."

My eyes widened with alarm.

"If we're playing games, I know a few." His face was close enough that I could make out the blue stones of his eyes. Rage burned at the back of them. "That's right, Jade. You played your hand, now it's my turn, isn't that how it works?"

He loosened his grip, and I choked down a breath. As soon as I swallowed air, he pushed my neck to the wall again. "Did you send Ryder in the wrong direction? If you did, I won't like it. But if you tell the truth right now, that's something we can work with. Nod if you understand."

Light-headed, I nodded.

"You're ready to start telling the truth?"

Yes, yes, I nodded. Pain raked inside my lungs. It felt like I had a cement block sitting on my chest.

Shaun's hand eased up, and I cried out in relief.

"Another half hour, give Ryder that, please," I begged. "It's still snowing. It's deep, and it will take him time to get to the car and back, plus he's dragging the gear. He's okay, he's just moving slower than we thought."

I waited to see if Shaun would fly into a rage.

The storage room door rattled in its frame, as though the pressure in the cabin had changed suddenly. Not a moment later, a blast of arctic air shot under the door. Immediately, Shaun and I both turned in that direction. The front door closed with a heavy slam, and footsteps carried across the wood floors of the den.

"Ace?" Shaun called out. "That you, buddy?"

The storage room door opened. Shaun's hand dropped innocently to his side, and I recoiled, pressing my back into the corner, wishing I could disappear through the wall.

Ryder patted the wall inside the door until he found the light switch.

"What's going on?"he asked, his gaze shifting between us. His face was ruddy from cold, beads of melted snow glistening on his hair and eyebrows. The shoulders and arms of his coat bore a thick dusting of snow.

"Just having a chat," Shaun said in the most ordinary voice. "Isn't that the case, Jade?"

I didn't answer. My breath came in choppy spurts. The air seemed to scrape my throat as I drew it in. Gingerly, I fingered my neck, my eyes filming at the bruises that burned under my skin.

I looked at Shaun, and a disturbing smile inched across his face. I nearly threw up. I felt the lingering steel of his hand vising my neck. When I shut my eyes, it only made his hate-filled eyes glow that much more vividly.

"You got the gear?" Shaun asked Ryder, his voice incongruously mild.

Panicky, irrational thoughts bombarded my mind. I had to get out. I had to run. Maybe I wouldn't freeze in the forest; maybe I'd survive. I'd risk it, to get away from Shaun. I would run and run, until I was safe.

"The gear looks decent? It'll work?" Shaun prompted Ryder.

Ryder didn't answer right away. I felt his gaze continue to press down on me. I wanted to burrow through the wall and run into the forest. The first chance I got, I had to take it, because I might not get a second one.

"What happened to her neck?" Ryder asked.

"I caught her tying her scarf around it like a noose," Shaun said with a chuckle, motioning at my red scarf on the ground. I'd taken it off before falling asleep. I'd rolled it into a ball and cuddled it against my chest for something comforting to hold. "Would you believe it? Another couple minutes alone, and she'd have killed herself. Gonna have to put this one on suicide watch."

I flinched when his cold hand patted my cheek. "No more tricky stuff, Jade. You might know these mountains better, but your friend is turning out to be the better house guest. Maybe I'll change my mind about you."

"Can I talk to Korbie?" My voice was a thin, hoarse whisper.

"What kind of question is that?"Shaun said irritably. "What do you think I'm going to say?"

"I want to make sure she's okay."

"She's okay."

"Can I please see her? I won't try anything, I promise." I had to tell her we were going to run. First chance we got. There was no saying what Shaun would do as the hours wore on.

"I don't know that," Shaun said. "You already tried to kill yourself. The only thing I know is that I can't trust you."

Ryder hadn't spoken in a long time, and I looked over to find him turning my scarf in his hands. His sharp brown eyes fixed on the fabric. Maybe I was imagining it, but his body seemed to draw taut and the set of his jaw appeared to harden. Did he believe Shaun? I wasn't sure. If the rift between him and Shaun widened, it might help Korbie and me. Maybe we could turn Ryder to our side. Maybe he'd help us escape.

Once again, I tried to untangle Shaun and Ryder's mystifying relationship. Shaun had lied to Ryder to cover up his own actions. It seemed like another clue. More proof that Shaun didn't hold all the power. Did he fear Ryder would retaliate if he hurt me? I knew nothing about him, definitely not enough to trust him, but I did know that I was less frightened of him than of Shaun. Whatever happened, I had to stay close to Ryder. If I was right about him, he wouldn't let Shaun hurt me again.

"We should inventory the gear," Ryder finally told Shaun. "Figure out what we need and what we can leave behind."

"You shouldn't have brought any gear we don't need," Shaun criticized.

"I was freezing and grabbed everything in a hurry," Ryder snapped. "Have you looked out the window? The snow is coming down hard. It took me twice as long to get there and back because of it. We can sort through the gear now."

Shaun grunted his compliance. "Fine. We've got time. We're not taking off until the snow stops."

As Mason followed Shaun out, he glanced over his shoulder, as if he'd had an afterthought. His eyes met mine briefly. "By the way, I found Korbie's insulin. It wasn't frozen. Looks like I got to it just in time."

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Hmmm… this chapter feels kinda short.

Should I post the next chapter?

Read and review and let me know!

-HeedragonGillian

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