Page 26 of Ghost

Triumph exploded in her chest.She could do this.She repeated the action, this time whacking the tools harder.A hammer fell, then the wrench.Two more snaps and the wrench fell off the far side of the table, hitting the cement.

She grabbed it and crawled back to the wall.Anxiety squeezed her neck as she wedged the wrench over the pipe fitting and turned it.Cold air swept over her exposed skin.Her teeth chattered.

The ring loosened and she yanked on the pipe, separating the two joined pieces.She let out a giddy laugh.Yes!She slid the chain to the gap.The metal clanked loudly enough to make her wince.Did the camera have audio?

Surely he would’ve heard her by now if that was the case.

She stood on shaky legs, the chain in her hand, and bundled the quilt around her shoulders.Her ankle was still shackled but she’d worry about that later.Her bare feet padded against the smooth, cold concrete.Reaching the open door, she held her breath as she peeked toward the cabin.

No lights were on.

Satisfaction straightened her shoulders.Holy shit, she’d done it.She scanned the rolling mounds of snow.The night was still, the stars and moon hidden behind clouds.If she took the same route as before, she’d have to climb those hills and possibly end up nowhere.

Her best bet was to head down the driveway and hope to find someone on the road before her captor woke.Summoning her courage, she ran from the shop.

Her heart pumped erratically.Her muscles were jiggly and weak.And cold.So damn cold.

The wind picked up, sending her hair blowing over her face.Her skin rippled.A glance over her shoulder showed a long, scraggly path through the snow.

Fear cinched her throat.If it didn’t snow more, he’d find those footprints.But with any luck, she’d be long gone by then.

The driveway swerved and sloped.Her feet pulsed and tingled.If she lost toes because of this asshole she’d take a baseball bat to his feet.No, scratch that because Lord help her, she was never running into this guy again.

She’d been jogging for over five minutes when the driveway met a road.Trees flanked the snow-covered surface that hadn’t been touched with a plow.Her lashes stuck together.If she didn’t get warm soon, she’d freeze to death.

Her body started shaking so badly she feared she’d collapse.She’d survived harsh elements before.When she was sixteen, she’d been left for days in the Siberian Mountains as a test of her survival skills.But all she had now was the blanket.Not even clothing or shoes.Her chest tightened with worry.She couldn’t fall into the rabbit hole of anxiety.

Keep moving.Find shelter.

The road weaved down the mountain.That was the long way, though.She’d get to the bottom more quickly by going through the vegetation.

But it’d be more difficult.

Moments later, she decided to stay off the beaten path.

If she’d made the wrong choice, she wouldn’t survive the night.

CHAPTER 9

The wind howled,rattling the windows and tossing Ghost from one fitful dream into the next.After being woken for the fifth time in a matter of hours, he finally got up to take a piss.

As he stood in the bathroom, his feet turned to ice on the cool tile beneath him.

In a flash, Anna came into his mind.Christ, he’d left her with the fans running and the door open.He’d intended to make her uncomfortable, but he didn’t want her to die, for god’s sake.

Not like that.

Maybe not at all.

He yanked on his sweats and the long-sleeved henley from earlier and hurried downstairs.Throwing on his flannel, he scooped up his flashlight and then went outside.The wind rushed into his lungs and attacked his exposed skin.

Shutting off the fans and closing the door didn’t mean he’d given in.Hell, not doing so was counterproductive.He couldn’t interrogate a corpse.

He strode across the snow-covered path he’d cleared earlier and entered the shop.His gaze went to the plastic sheeting.Empty.

His stomach dropped and he blinked.What the—

The pipe on the wall was pulled apart.The woman and the blanket were missing.“Fuck!”he bellowed.Breaking into a run, he shone the flashlight over the snow.Sure enough, footprints punctured the driveway.