Chapter 9 - I FIGHT BACK

The sun was setting when I reached the turnoff.

I parked my truck a mile away, in a thicket of trees, and walked the rest of the way.

The woods were dark and quiet. Crickets chirped. Branches cracked under my boots.

I moved slowly, carefully, keeping to the shadows.

According to Vanessa’s directions, the cabin sat in a small clearing, surrounded by tall pines, invisible from the main road.

When I finally saw it, my heart sank.

A small, weathered structure. Dark windows. A single light glowing dimly inside.

And parked out front—two vehicles.

An old pickup truck I recognized from the gas station CCTV—Jason’s.

And a police cruiser.

Miller.

He was already here.

I stayed low behind a fallen log, watching the cabin.

Voices drifted through the open window.

I crept closer, staying out of sight beneath the sill, and listened.

“Where is the money?” Jason’s voice. Sharp. Impatient.

“I told you—she doesn’t have it!” Miller. “Vanessa is broke. She’s been paying you every cent for years. There’s nothing left.”

“Then why did she move in with that guy Adrian?” Jason snapped. “He’s got money. A nice house. A business. She told me she’d get it from him!”

“She never got the chance! And then she had to go and leave the kid at the gas station!” Miller sounded angry. “Now everything is a mess. The whole department is watching this case. I can’t cover for you anymore, Jason. Not with that video circulating.”

“Then we use the girl,” Jason said coldly. “Adrian will pay. I know he will. He’s got that soft look in his eyes. One look at little Lila crying… and he’ll empty his bank account.”

My blood boiled.

“Vanessa told him about the cabin,” Miller said. “He’s coming. And when he gets here… we take whatever he has. And we make sure neither of them ever talk to anyone again.”

My hand tightened around the recorder in my pocket.

They were going to kill me.

And then they would likely kill Lila too, to tie up loose ends.

I couldn’t just walk in there. Not against two men. Not knowing what they were capable of.

I backed away slowly, thinking furiously.

I needed proof.

I needed help.

But I couldn’t call Miller. And I couldn’t trust anyone else until I knew who else was on his payroll.

Then I remembered something Vanessa had said earlier.

*“If you get the chance… get everything on tape. Every threat. Every deal. Send it to the state police captain. His name is Carter. He’s the only one Miller is afraid of.”*

I pulled out my phone.

No signal.

Of course. Deep in the woods.

I crept back toward my truck as fast as I could, staying in the shadows.

Once I reached it, I got a single bar of service.

I found the number Vanessa had given me and dialed.

It rang once. Twice. Three times.

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