She was crying by the time she’d finished.
When Riggs read the note, he was going to be pissed. But not at her. She had no doubt that he wouldn’t believe anything on that piece of paper. They loved each other. Truly and deeply. There was no way he’d turn his back on her because of a note.
Not to mention, as soon as he reviewed the cameras, he’d learn what had happened.
She hadn’t been so sure about the cameras, had thought more than once of taking him up on the offer to turn them off . . . but she trusted Riggs. And now? She was eternally grateful for them. If Susie hurt her, Riggs would know what had happened—and who was to blame.
“Now pack,” Susie ordered. “And hurry up. We need to be off this godforsaken mountain before that asshole returns.”
With little choice, Carlise began stuffing her things into the backpack she’d worn when she’d first set out into that storm. When that was full, she put the rest of her things into the suitcase his friends had brought to her after finding her car. She was crying nonstop now, not sure what to do, how to escape.
Susie. She never in a million years had suspected her friend was the one who was terrorizing her. Now, it made glaring sense why she’d never been able to catch a glimpse of her stalker. Hell, she’d told Susie everything she was doing, where she was going . . . how badly the messages and gifts were scaring her.
And the person she’d thought had her back was actually laughing behind her back the whole time. Enjoying the fact that she was frightened and constantly looking over her shoulder.
Now she had a loaded weapon pointed at her—and seemed to have no problem using it.
Had she ever really known Susie? Apparently not.
“Now what?” she asked tonelessly when she’d finished packing.
“Now we leave,” Susie said.
“And?”
Her former best friend smiled again. A grin so malicious, it made the hair on Carlise’s arms stand on end.
“You’ll no longer be Tommy’s problem,” Susie said. “And he and I can live happily ever after. I won’t have to worry about you being a pain in my ass or coming back to try to seduce him away from me. Now move. And don’t even think about going anywhere near that bathroom door. I’ll put a bullet through that dog’s head before he can get close to me.”
Baxter was still losing his mind inside the small room, his snarls and growls loud and continuous. The thought of him being killed was more than Carlise could bear.
As she shuffled toward the front door with her suitcase and backpack, she took a deep breath, and her tears stopped flowing. She needed to clear her head if she was going to survive whatever Susie had planned for her. And it sure wasn’t bringing her back to Cleveland and pretending none of this had ever happened.
She had to get away. She’d watched enough crime shows to know that if someone bent on doing harm got you into a car, you were done for. And they both knew Susie couldn’t navigate the snowy winding roads and keep the gun pointed at Carlise at the same time. As soon as she was in the SUV, it was likely Susie would shoot her and find a place to dump her body in some desolate forest area on the way to Bangor to catch her plane back to Ohio.
Anger swam through Carlise’s veins. No. She’d just found Riggs. She didn’t want to leave him. Leave Baxter.
She wanted to get to know JJ and Bob and Cal. And find out what the deal was between April and JJ. She’d seen the look Riggs’s friend had aimed at the administrative assistant when she’d almost fallen in the snow, and it definitely wasn’t one of mere concern.
She wanted to see her mom again. Wanted to make her a grandma by giving Riggs as many babies as he wanted.
Carlise had too much to live for. She wasn’t going to let Susie take everything away from her. And for what? Jealousy?
She still wasn’t even clear why Susie had turned on her, why she couldn’t just go back to Tommy, leaving Carlise in Maine to enjoy her life with Riggs. But she supposed, at the moment, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting the hell away from her.
“Riggs isn’t going to believe that note you made me write,” she said as she put down the bags and reached for her jacket hanging on the coatrack beside the door.
“Sure he will,” Susie countered. “This was a fling. You’ve come to your senses, and now you’re going home.”
Carlise shook her head. Susie was the stupid one. How was Carlise supposed to get off the mountain? It wasn’t as if she had a car, and Susie certainly didn’t let Carlise mention her visit or use her name in the note. So apparently, she must think Riggs was going to believe she’d levitated away from the cabin or something.
She wasn’t about to point out the flaws in Susie’s plan. Even without cameras, Riggs would eventually figure out who’d taken her, and he’d know that Carlise wouldn’t have left voluntarily. He had to.
“He’s going to come looking for me,” she told her firmly. “People in town will remember that a woman was asking where he lived. They’ll track down the rental car . . . did you put it on your credit card? Use a fake name?”
Susie looked surprised for a moment, like none of that had even occurred to her—and clearly it hadn’t—before pressing her lips together and frowning.
Bingo. She’d always thought her friend was smart, but apparently, she was just a good actress.
Her stupidity worked to Carlise’s benefit at the moment. Susie had screwed up. Big time. She might as well have left a huge neon sign pointing straight to her. With her mistakes, and the cameras filming her every word and action, Susie would be caught quickly, whether she killed Carlise or not.
It was currently the only positive about this extremely screwed-up situation Carlise had found herself in.
“It doesn’t matter,” Susie finally said with a shrug. “I’ll claim ignorance. Tommy will be my alibi.”
She wanted to roll her eyes. As if he would ever make a convincing alibi. Carlise knew him. Knew he’d throw Susie under the bus in a heartbeat if it meant saving his own ass.
Susie had acted impulsively by coming out to Maine to find her, and doing so would be her downfall.
“Hurry up, or I’ll shoot through the bathroom door at that damn dog,” Susie seethed.
She had no doubt she’d do as threatened, so Carlise hurried to tie the laces of her boots, then stood. “I’m ready.”
And she was. Ready for the first chance she had to run.
She’d go into the woods. Riggs and Baxter would find her. Of that she had no doubt.
Susie gestured with the gun, and Carlise opened the door. She exited the cabin where she’d been so happy for weeks, not looking back. She’d see it again. She had to believe that, otherwise she’d be a basket case and wouldn’t be able to do what needed to be done.
She walked toward the SUV parked by the cabin and calmly put her bags into the back seat as Susie ordered.
“Get in,” her former friend told her, pointing toward the passenger door with the gun.
Carlise’s heart raced. She slowly opened the door and sat on the seat. Susie slammed the door shut, just missing Carlise’s foot. She kept the gun pointed at her as she walked around the front of the car toward the driver’s side door.
This was it. Her only chance to get away. Even though they were literally in the middle of the Maine wilderness, Carlise knew if she left with Susie, her chances of survival were zero. She’d rather be lost in the woods than dead.
Susie reached for the door handle on the driver’s side of the SUV—and Carlise made her move.
She wrenched her door open and ran.
She heard Susie scream for her to stop, but she kept going. Heading straight for the trees, in the general direction Riggs had taken her when they’d gone for a walk.