Twenty feet from the cabin, lightning flashed, and thunder rolled over the land. The rain picked up, pelting them hard, making her wonder if it was more than just rain. Could it be hailing, too? This storm seemed to be getting worse with each second, and she feared a tornado would hit them. Did they have tornados here?
She increased her speed, racing to the door. Kester was beside her as they jumped onto the small stoop, and she lifted her hand to knock. Kester didn’t even hesitate and shoved open the door. Shock froze her in place, but the momentum of running along with the door no longer being there to support her had her falling forward. She stuck out her hands as she tumbled toward the floor. Kester caught her by the back of her shirt before she hit the ground. He pulled her up and shoved her inside. This cabin, though sketchy at best, would provide a much-needed escape from the storm.
But now she would be locked inside with this man and whatever he wanted from her. She backed away, moving to a far corner, praying nothing scary scampered around in the dark.
“There, now we’re safe,” Kester said.
April bit her lip. She felt far from safe. A part of her had wanted the place to be occupied, but then another part of her feared what Kester would do to anyone who got in his way. No one was in the small cabin with a mostly sound roof.
Outside, the rain swallowed up the trees, making it impossible to see more than a few feet. The cabin had glass windows, but now most were broken, leaving behind jagged openings that looked more like monster mouths than windows.
April hugged her arms tightly around her waist, wishing she were back with Mac or even at Grinders, watching the rain fall on the square.
April peered around the space, taking in the fact that despite it obviously being abandoned for a long time, many of the contents still remained. She spotted an old cupboard with some dishes. She spied a camping stove with bowls and cutlery packed away inside when she moved closer.
Kester walked to another corner, picked up a bottle, and then held it so she could see it. The bottle had something inside.
“What is that?” April asked.
“Spices. It’s oregano.” He held up another jar. “It’s coriander.”
“That’s odd.”
On top of one of the shelves was an oil lamp they could use if they stayed through the night or if it got darker outside. The rain still came down, and thunder boomed, but the worst of the storm had moved on.
April turned and glanced across the room, spying a stack of blankets, and faded quilts she assumed had been left behind ages ago by whoever previously lived here. In another corner were bins containing rusty tools. Maybe something in one of those containers would help her remove the collar.
She turned back to the shelves and opened a low cabinet. Four—no, six cans were stacked on the low shelf. There were no labels on the cans, but she didn’t care as long as it was food.
April pulled out one can and realized the top wasn’t a pull tab. They needed a can opener.
“What do you have?” Kester asked.
Her first instinct was to hide the food, but the cabin was tiny, and he would figure out she’d found food in the next few minutes anyway. She held up the can, showing him.
“Food.”
Kester moved close, grabbing the can from her. “What is it? You removed the label. How will we know what it is?”
“I didn’t remove the label. Whoever had placed it here removed that. I don’t know what any of it is.”
“Let’s open one.”
She glanced around on the open surfaces, not finding an opener. Then she started looking through the drawers. It only took her about twenty seconds of serious searching to find the opener.
Kester grabbed the can and opener from her and started working on it. Anger shifted through her. She needed to eat, too.
He popped the top off and made a face. “What is this?”
April moved a step closer and looked at the can. “Beans.”
“Shit.” Kester shoved the can at her and shook his head. “I hate beans.”
She dipped two fingers in and dug out some beans, moaning as she swallowed. Kester grabbed the can from her and ate some. She moved back to the drawers and pulled out two spoons, handing one to Kester. He’d eaten about half the can by the time she got it back. She shoved beans into her mouth, not caring that she made a mess.
Having food felt good. They should be collecting rainwater, but she hadn’t thought of it until now. There was no way they would survive out here in the woods for more than a day. Kester hadn’t planned anything beyond grabbing her. If they survived another day in the wilderness, she would be surprised.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Mac didn’t want to pull back. They were close to catching up to April and the man who had taken her. He had little doubt they would find them before nightfall, but a storm was heading their way, and they had to seek shelter.
“I know you’re unhappy,” Ethan said as they made their way to a trailhead about two miles from where they’d been following the tracks they’d found. “We will pick up the trail in the morning. They aren’t going to be moving, either. They’ll have to find a spot and stay put.”
“I just hate giving up.”
“We aren’t giving up,” Zeke said.
Ethan paused and met his gaze. “We know around where they are. We’ll find a place where we can go over maps and figure out where they might be. This will give us time to get a few steps ahead of them.”
Mac nodded, wishing the weather had cooperated. The storm was a huge mess with tornados and dangerous lightning. Worry for April increased. This storm was bad, and he hated the idea of her being out in this, but what could they do? For their safety, they’d been called in.
Chief Hill had arranged for a Virginia police department van to meet them at the trailhead. They would head to the police station, where they would have time to rest and eat before heading out after the storm. They would also have time to look at maps and determine where they might go.
Just as they arrived at the top of the trail where an officer had just stepped out of the van, lightning struck, making the air sizzle. They all jumped and chuckled as they realized they hadn’t been hit, just frightened.
“I’m Officer Baker. And you guys are Eagle Point Search and Rescue, right?”
“Yes, sir. I’m Ethan, and this is Zeke, Brock, Drew, and Mac. The rest of our team is back home.”
“Well, it’s nice to finally meet you all. I’m new in town. Of course, they sent the new guy out to pick people up. But I like it. I enjoy meeting new people and finding out cool stuff like that we have a nearby search and rescue team.”
The guy smiled at Baker, and Mac tried for a smile, too. His worry for April was too thick for pleasantries.
“Do you know the area?” Ethan asked.
Officer Baker cleared his throat, pulling Mac from the self-accusing tangent running rampant in his mind. “I’m familiar with this part of Virginia and the hills extending into West Virginia.” Officer Baker was quiet for a moment as he drove. “The woods around here can be quite treacherous if you don’t know where you’re going or what to look for. I may be new to being on the police force, but I grew up running through the woods. I won’t say I know it like the back of my hand because that’s just cocky, but I would love to help you with maps. I understand you’re searching for someone who might have been abducted?”