Page 128 of Indigo Ridge (The Edens 1)

“You’ll never outrun me,” Rain said, reading my thoughts. She moved to stand behind me, blocking any attempt to escape. If I tried to bowl her over, I’d probably trip and roll down the trail.

Step by step, Rain urged me forward. Her knife bit into the small of my back when I didn’t move fast enough.

She’d have to cut my wrists free at some point, right? If she wanted this to look like a suicide, she couldn’t keep my hands bound. She must not have bound Lily’s at all because there’d been no tie marks.

The cuts on my wrists from the ties stung and throbbed. I’d pulled hard enough for them to dig in, just not break. It was a small comfort, knowing that I’d fought enough for my corpse to raise more questions.

Maybe she’d climb down after pushing me off the cliff and cut the ties then.

Before. Please, let her cut them before.

That would be my only chance to fight. It wouldn’t be much of an opening, but it would likely be the only one.

The trail curved and with it my stomach twisted. The top was near.

Except getting there was going to be a bit more difficult.

Griffin had blockaded the trail.

I laughed when I spotted the fence. It was tall and sturdy. The only way past was to climb over the top. When had he done this? If I survived this night, I’d kiss him for it. I’d kiss him for the rest of my life.

“What is this?” Rain spat the words as she took in the freshly dug fence posts and braces between them.

“A gift from Griffin.”

She studied it, looking it up and down. “Go.”

“Where?”

“Over.” The knife jabbed my bicep. “Climb it.”

“There’s barbed wire at the top.”

Rain didn’t give a shit if I cut myself to pieces, but she’d have to climb this too. She looked forward, then behind us. “Go. Up.”

I opened my mouth to refuse but past her shoulder a flicker of light broke through the night.

She followed my gaze, her own widening.

“Help!” I screamed.

“Winslow!”

Briggs. He was c

oming this way from the trail that led to the cabin. The light must be a flashlight.

“Bri—”

“Shut up.” Rain lifted the knife to my throat. “Go. Down.”

I didn’t argue as she shoved me back the way we’d come. Down was a move in the right direction.

She pushed and pushed, so fast we were practically jogging. When we passed the place where the two trails merged, her knife stayed on my pulse, its blade slicing tiny cuts into my skin.

“Faster,” she hissed.

I searched frantically for Briggs’s light. It was on the trail, but he was still yards away. Too far to stop us as we passed.