Page 132 of Girl Betrayed

Unspoken emotion swelled within him as he thought of all they’d endured—the pain, loss, heartache—it somehow all felt worth it in this moment. Grinning back at her, he picked up where she’d left off on his belt, but a flash of light stopped him.

Dana paused too, both of them staring at each other in confusion as the light grew brighter, until the source bore into the room with blinding ferocity—headlights.

“Who knows we’re here?” Dana asked, sitting up and covering herself with the sheets.

“No one,” Jake said, quickly climbing out of bed, Dana right behind him.

They both dressed quickly to the sound of car doors closing outside the cabin.

“Get your gun,” Jake said, grabbing his own from the nightstand. “Wake Claire.”

117

Dana triedto remain calm as she moved down the hall, but she was distracted by the sound of Jake’s booted footsteps moving in the opposite direction. The cabin was small enough that she could see straight through to the kitchen, where Jake now stood. In the darkness, Dana could just make out his silhouette as he used the nose of his gun to move the curtains and peer out the small window toward the front porch.

Her heart pounded.What’s going on? Who’s here?

The loud knock on the front door forced Dana to refocus. Feeling the weight of her gun in her hands, she took a deep breath and pushed open the door to Claire’s room without knocking.

A burst of cold air and an empty bed greeted her. Dana stood in the doorway, staring at the open window, curtains fluttering inward. Claire was gone.

Dana ran to the window. Peering out she saw the black and white squad car. The sight made her heart drop.

Cops appearing at your door in the middle of the night … it was the modern equivalent of the Grim Reaper.

Male voices drifted down the hall, pulling Dana back to reality. She darted out of the room, racing toward Jake. “She’s gone!” she shouted. “Claire’s gone!”

Jake turned toward her, revealing their unexpected guest. Hartwell stood in the doorway; his face hardened. “We need to go, now!”

“What?” Dana blinked in shock. Had he not heard her? “Claire isn’t in her room. We need to find her.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Hartwell growled. “Claire is dangerous. I need to get you two out of here right now.”

Dana shook her head, unable to comprehend what was happening. “We’re not leaving without Claire.”

Jake spoke calmly. “Hartwell’s discovered new evidence in the Reaper case. They found letters from Max and Claire in a stolen news van Max was hiding out in.”

Dana looked at him, the fog in her mind starting to clear. “It’s not over?”

“Not by a long shot,” Hartwell muttered. “Claire’s been behind it the whole time.”

Dana shook her head. “No, that’s impossible.”

“I assure you it’s not!” Hartwell yelled. “And if you picked up your damn phones you’d understand, but there’s no time now. You’re just lucky Meredith knew where this place was. Now come on, let’s get the hell out of here while we can!” Hartwell marched onto the porch and down the steps. The lure of Meredith making Dana follow.

“Meredith’s here?” Jake asked, following Dana outside.

“That must be how Hartwell found us,” she replied. “I told her we were coming up here.”

Jake switched on his phone; the unmistakable ping of missed calls and messages began coming through. She was sure hers was the same, but she’d left it in the bedroom.

The cold night air bit her skin making her shiver as she took in the eerie scene. Her mind was still trying to catch up. Hartwell was halfway back to his car when Dana spoke up. “We’re not leaving without Claire.”

Hartwell whirled around, impatience filling his voice. “What don’t you understand?” he shouted. “Claire is the Reaper!”

“That’s not possible!” Dana yelled back.

Hartwell turned toward his cruiser and motioned to whoever was inside. Officer Lennox got out and opened the back door, helping a woman from the backseat.