Guess I’m going to find out.
Nick gazed down at the treetops passing by beneath the cable car as they ascended the hill. The woods were getting thicker the higher up they got. Once the snarling mob at the bottom of the hill was out of sight, the view was actually quite breathtaking. The woods seemed to go on forever; their autumn-coloured leaves were never-ending swirls of orange and red. One hundred feet above the ground and things were once again peaceful.
Nick was yanked backwards and thrown violently to the floor of the cable car. He shook his head, dazed and confused. “What the hell?”
Jan and Dash were standing over him.
I knew I couldn’t trust them. Now I’m going to pay for it.
Jan smashed Dash in the ribs with his fist, like a heavyweight boxer, knocking the wind out of the smaller man and doubling him over. Then he shoved Dash backwards, right through the open doorway.
Hundreds of feet in the air.
Nick leapt to his feet as Dash’s screams faded towards the ground below. The sound of him hitting the treetops and smashing through the branches was sickening. It wasn’t even clear if the snapping sounds were from tree limbs or Dash’s bones.
“What the hell did you just do?” Nick cried out.
“Saved your life,” said Jan calmly. “Dash was just about to send you on your merry way, before I decided that he was the one who ought to go. Just ask Cassie.”
Nick stared at Cassie, who was sitting nervously on the cabin’s bench. She nodded to him. “He’s telling the truth. Dash gave Jan a wink behind your back. He was about to push you out until Jan pulled you out of the way.”
“What? But why? Why would he want to kill me?”
Jan huffed, as if the answer were obvious. “Because he tried to take liberties with Cassie last night and you weren’t going to let it go. In fact, he was planning to get rid of Dave, too – Carl as well, if need be, but that kind of resolved itself when Kathryn reappeared.”
Nick sat down on the bench beside Cassie, feeling unsafe to be anywhere near the open door after what had just happened. “I don’t understand,” he said. “Weren’t you his friend?”
“Dash? That gangbanging piece of shit?” Jan shook his head. “No way. I just got stuck with him when the prison guards were killed and our transport was sprung.” He pointed at Renee who was silent as always. “Renee’s not a problem, but Dash was a degenerate. I seen him do some real nasty shit the last forty-eight hours. Me and Renee were already looking to ditch him when we ran into you and Eve in the woods.”
Nick looked at Cassie and frowned. “So, Jan didn’t, you know…hurt you?”
She shook her head solemnly. “No. Carl and I were fooling around in the kitchen. He was on top of me when something hit him from behind. It was Dash. He came at me and tore off my shirt. Then Jan came and stopped him.”
Jan shrugged. “Renee saw Dash get up in the night and go into the kitchen. He shook me awake. We knew he’d be up to no good, so I went after him. Turns out I was right. I caught him red-handed and told him to go back to the restaurant before I beat the hell out of him. Usually he’s not the type of guy to back down, but I think he understood I wasn’t playing around. Then you turned up, brother, and got the wrong idea.”
Nick looked at Cassie. “Why didn’t you tell me at the time?”
“Jan told me he would deal with Dash, but I had to keep quiet, otherwise Dash would hurt more people.”
“If everyone found out about it, Dash would have kicked-off. He’s a loose cannon. When I got back after my conversation with you, he wanted to know what was up and why you had got involved. I told him that you wanted answers. Dash wasn’t happy being told what he could and couldn’t do, so he told me he was going to take you out, along with Dave and Carl, then hole up with all the women at the restaurant.”