Page 66 of Traces of Her
“Motherfucker,” I growl.
Ryder gasps, reminding me that he’s even here. “He was anticipating this and he has us right where he wants us,” he says in a rush with wide eyes. “What the fuck do we do now?”
“Give me a minute to fucking think!” I bark. I already knew this. “And tie his ass up before he comes back around,” I add. “He’s not that smart. Fucked up, yeah. But he’s been sloppy.”
Surveying our surroundings, I look for any clues. We’re the ones who weren’t anticipating this. We had a plan and it was completely out the window at this point. There was no plan B. Just one simple plan: find where he has been hiding, let him lead us there, and then end this, once and for all. But it didn’t go down that way.
“Griffin,” Ryder demands, getting my attention. “What the hell do we do?”
Staring back at him with my eyes dark and cold, I roughly run my hands through my hair and start to pace. This is the only answer he’s going to get because I have no idea and we’re quickly running out of time.
“He’s obviously had her locked away in here for quite some time and somehow, he knew we’d come, so he moved her.” I pause, glancing around. “But where?” I walk out the front door and onto the porch and am greeted with pitch black. The day had turned to night, and with the darkness of the woods, it was almost impossible to see anything outside.
Staring out into the blackness, I silently wish for a sign from her, anything at all, because I’m so close and so fucking lost. I’m lost, in the dark, in the woods by this cabin.
It clicks. I know where I am and everything I’m feeling, I’ve felt before.
A rustling noise and voices sound from inside the cabin, capturing my attention.
Jared’s awake.
Opening the door, I see Jared lying on the ground as Ryder repeatedly kicks him. I can’t have him dead yet, not until I know where Rowena is for sure.
“Ryder!” I raise my voice causing him to turn toward me. “Enough,” I warn him and walk over behind him. “I think I know where she is,” I whisper.
Jared breaks into a coughing fit on the ground, ending it with a groan. He spits out a mouthful of blood. “Little brother,” he coughs again. “The genius of the family. You should be smart enough to figure this one out.”
Staring down at him, I drag a chair into the room from the dining room table and sit down on it backward in front of him. Resting my arms on the back of the chair, I continue to stare at Jared, slowly narrowing my eyes at him as my thoughts fall in place.
“When we were little, we used to play this game. Well, Jared used to play a game,” I say, looking around the cabin. “I remember now. This place. Robert brought us here a few times with our mom. Somewhere in the woods, there’s a huge rock formation with caves throughout it. Jared used to lead me in there and leave me to find my way out.”
Jared watches me eagerly. “Go on, little brother.”
“One day, Jared didn’t leave me, not right away. We walked deep through the caves until we found a chamber. It was an empty space, but it was closed off with bars and a door. He locked me in there. I spent hours in there until he finally told our parents where I was.” I glance at Ryder, the connection slaps me in the face. “That’s where she is, isn’t it?” I ask Jared.
“See, I knew you weren’t stupid. I just didn’t think it would take you this long. You make me proud, though.” He smiles. “Run along now, go get your girl.”
It’s not that easy… it never is. “Where’s the key?” I demand.
Jared lets out a harsh laugh. “Oh, yes! Who could forget about the key?”
In a rush, I stand up from the chair and crouch down by Jared’s head. “Listen, you sick motherfucker. Tell me where the key is or I will rip you apart, limb by limb.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Jared laughs again. “We’re cut from the same cloth. It’s about time you start to show it.”
Grabbing a fistful of Jared’s hair, I lift his head from the floor and slam it back onto the ground. “Tell me where the fucking key is.”
Jared chuckles to himself, choking on the blood pooling in his mouth and I slam his head onto the floor again.
“Use your brain, little brother. If you were a key, where would big brother Jared hide you?”
That’s it. “There is no key.” I quickly stand, turning to Ryder. “There is no key.”
“What do you mean there’s no key?” he asks, full of confusion.
“When they found me, Jared had already hidden the key. They broke the lock on the door. There is no key because there isn’t a lock anymore.” Rushing toward the door, I grab a flashlight from the counter. “I have to go find her. He’s all yours,” I say as I slip outside into the darkness.
Using the flashlight and my spotty memory, I sprint through the woods, dodging tree roots and hanging branches until I reach the large rock formation. Walking around the side, I find an opening into the caves and make my way inside, through the winding tunnels to the dead end. The light from my flashlight bounces off of the bars as I inch closer to the caged-in area. When I reach the door, I find her sitting on the floor, staring up at me as if she saw a ghost. Wiggling the broken lock, I rip it off, throwing it to the ground and pull open the door as she rises to her feet.