I drew my gun and stopped the four-by-four. Aware there were most likely other armed men around, I opened the door cautiously, keeping the pane of metal between my body and the cabin. Someone might be waiting inside to take a shot at me, though why they hadn’t been a bit more subtle about it, I wasn’t sure. If I’d been them, I’d have parked the car out of view and made it appear as though everything was as it should be. I hesitated, taking in the scene with fresh eyes. The open doors made me think someone had left in a rush, and that it was both the driver and passenger door open meant there were at least two of them.
Where was Kaja?
I hunkered down, making myself as small a target as possible, which wasn’t easy considering my six-feet-three frame, and ran to the closest outside wall of the cabin. I braced myself for gunfire, but none came.
Keeping my weapon aimed and my back to the wall, I skirted around the outside of the building until I reached the door. A quick check inside told me no one was in the main living area. Could Kaja be hiding somewhere? In the bathroom or in one of the bedrooms? I had to check. I resisted calling out for her, not wanting anyone else to hear me. I searched the other rooms, even dropping to my knees to look under the bed, but she wasn’t there.
My heart contracted. Motherfucker.
My disappointment that she’d gone surprised me. I’d expected to be furious, knowing I’d no longer be able to go through with my plans. But it was more than that. I’d actually been enjoying her company, and deep down, though I hadn’t wanted to admit it to myself, I’d wondered where it could have led.
The car outside made me think someone was still around, but they may have come with two vehicles and for some reason decided to leave one here.
Now I knew Kaja was no longer in the cabin, I went to check the car. I searched through the glove box in case something in there might give me a clue who the car belonged to, but there weren’t even any logbooks or papers. The interior was clearly empty, so I went to the back and opened the boot. A dark part of me had half expected to find Kaja’s body in there, but it was empty.
If she was gone, what would my options be? I could go back to Rasmus’s compound, but he’d be ready for me this time. I wouldn’t be able to take him down when he was surrounded by his men.
What about Kaja? She’d told me she hadn’t wanted to go back there. Had she been lying? She could easily have just been getting me onside, lulling me into a false sense of security so she could pick her moment to escape. But if she had been telling the truth, she’d be back under her father’s control with no way out, and I discovered I didn’t want that for her. It was crazy to think that I was a better option for her, but maybe that was the truth.
I gave my head a shake. What the fuck was I thinking? She was Rasmus’s daughter, and I’d taken her to hurt her and torture her and make sure Rasmus experienced the same kind of pain I had. I hadn’t taken her to free her from him.
Leaving the car, I did a search of the grounds. I went behind the cabin, to where the clearing turned into forest.
Could I hear something? Gentle cries?
Kaja?
I broke into a run, following the sound. I entered the boundary of the trees, the light instantly fading from the coverage of pine branches. The acoustics changed, too, and the temperature dropped. Strange-shaped white fungi sprouted from the base of tree trunks, and silvery green lichen climbed up the bark.
The sobbing grew louder, and I knew I was on the right track.
“Kaja?” I risked calling her name out loud. This might be a trap, but if it was, they’d know I was coming anyway by the crunch of my footfall on the fallen needles.
“Here,” her soft voice replied. “I’m over here.”
I broke through a cluster of pine trees and drew to a halt.
This definitely wasn’t what I’d been expecting.
Kaja sat beside the body of a man, her knees huddled into her chest, her eyes wide. The man lay on his stomach, but he wasn’t flat. Instead, he appeared to be tented in the middle.
I walked over to the body and used my foot to roll him onto his back. He was definitely dead. I recognised the thing he’d been propped up on as the poker from the fireplace. Now it protruded from his chest. She must have got him right between his ribs and penetrated his heart.
Good job, I thought admiringly.
That wasn’t the only thing I recognised. He was the man in the boat who’d approached the cabin earlier that day. I’d known something had been off about that encounter. He must have been sussing the place out. I should have trusted my instincts and shot him when I’d had the chance.
I turned my attention to her. “You okay?”
She nodded. “I think so.”
“Then why are you crying?”
“This all might be an everyday event for you, but I’ve never killed someone before.”
It hadn’t even occurred to me that she might feel bad about the prick with the poker sticking out of his chest.
“What happened?”