I wished I stayed in bed that morning with Eric. I wished I’d never checked my phone, nor gone to Ogden without telling him, or at least kissed him one last time. When I closed my eyes, I still felt the heat of his body against mine from last night. The comfort and warmth of his skin was beyond my wildest dreams and I thanked God over and over again that he’d come back for me, that we’d still had a chance to spend the most amazing twenty-four hours of my life before I walked into a trap.

And now, I was stuck in a fucking hole, the same kind Eric had described when he was kidnapped.

I didn’t remember much past being dragged through a forest, my hands and feet bound before my body was thrown into darkness. I’d already loosened the knots and gotten out of the stupid rope, but, in pitch black, finding your bearings and keeping your mind calm and wits about you was another story. This was a psychological game the bastard was playing. I hadn’t heard him since he’d dropped me down here, so I frantically looked for the hatch in the low ceiling, scraping my fingers over rocks and adding countless splinters to their pads. They were swollen now and bleeding, but if I didn’t get out now, I’d probably be dead in a few days – if I was lucky enough to survive that long. This bastard was too smart, though. He wouldn’t come near me with a ten-foot pole unless I was tied up in chains. Somehow he knew that given the slightest chance, I could overpower him. Huntz would probably want ransom. There was no way he’d still want the Waters property. There was no way anyone would let him live there anyway. This was all about a sick need for revenge. But why?

How could I have fallen for this trap? Julian was right. Huntz was as calculating as the greatest bastard my brothers had ever dealt with – if not worse. When I knocked on Missy’s door, after being told she’d gone to get extra clothing, the last thing I’d expected was being banged on my head from behind with a fucking baseball bat. And poor Hunter was Tasered at the same time. As I fell to the floor I remembered seeing two pairs of dirty boots with baseball bats hanging by their sides. I had no strength to lift my gaze and passed out. One thing was for sure, Huntz hadn’t acted alone. He had help, whereas all my research had indicated he was on his own. I hadn’t even had a chance to pull out my gun.

Chills began to cover my body. Despite the fact that it was early summer and the days were getting hotter, there were still some cool nights, and tonight was one of them. I cursed at the polar vortex. At this rate, hypothermia could even set in. I wanted to rub my hands together to create some heat, but that would only irritate the stupid splinters in my hands. Plus, my fingers were so stiff, if I rubbed them they’d break off like iced-over branches. Without shoes, which I didn’t recall losing, I could barely feel my toes and it wouldn’t have surprised me if they were blue. There had to be a way out of here. I reached above my head and began looking for the hatch once again. What felt like hours later, my hand hit a wooden door and I fell back. This had to be it. I pushed on it gently. The latch opened, and with hope I pushed it further as the sound of chains rattled in my ears. It was just as dark outside as it was down here, so either Huntz had left or he’d turned off the lights (if there were any) and gone to sleep. I prayed it was the former.

I squeezed my wrist through the small opening and grasped the chain and its lock, pulling it inside the hole. Fumbling with the metal I skimmed my fingers over the lock, wishing I had a Swiss army knife with me, or even a bobby pin.

I sat back down against the wall, fumbling with my new necklace. When my fingers touched the horseshoe, I knew that today was the day it would bring me luck. I removed it from my neck and, pressing one end of the charm into the lock, I started picking it. Seconds later I smiled at the sound of a click.

I slowly removed the chains and opened the hatch, climbing out. The room was dark and smelled of wet leaves and moss. Moonlight illuminated the worn wooden boards from a broken window. I picked a piece of glass up off the floor and removed my plaid shirt to wrap around its end, warily making my way around the room until I reached the front. The tank top would have to be enough to keep me warm. I twisted the handle and it swiveled, unlocking the door. The click was so loud in my ears I was afraid that if Huntz was still around, he’d hear it.

The sound of breaking wood not too far from the cabin startled me. I shuffled my bare feet along the forest ground to the side of the building, pressing my back against its wall. I’d been lucky enough to get out; I couldn’t give up now.

“Emma? Emma are you here?” A whisper of hope neared.

It couldn’t be, could it?

“Eric?” I replied, peaking around the corner. When I saw his face, illuminated by the full moon, I thought I was dreaming.

He hurried toward me, almost tripping over a stray branch. With the natural light our only guide, I was surprised how Eric had found me at all.

“You came for me?” I threw my arms around his neck.

“Of course, baby. I’m so sorry he did this to you.” He held me tight against his body, and if I didn’t let go I’d break down right here in his arms. But I couldn’t do that. Deep inside, my instinct told me we weren’t in the clear yet.

“Julian and Tristan are in Ogden. We gotta go.”

“Hunter! He was with me when we got to Missy’s house.”

“We’ve got him. Your brothers are with him.”

“What’s wrong? Has something happened to Hunter?” Grace would never forgive me if something had. And I couldn’t live with myself either. There must have been a good reason why my brothers didn’t come out to the woods with Eric.

“My parents’ house is burning. I think Huntz set it on fire.”

Yet Eric still came to get me. He chose me over his family. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to them.

“We need to get out of here.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Huntz’s deep voice bellowed. I whipped my body around, taking a defensive stance. He held a machete in his right hand, and his legs spread slightly apart, ready to pounce. “Well, well. I didn’t think you’d remember this place, Eric.”

“What the hell do you want from us?” Eric barked. “Haven’t you done enough? You’re not going to get the farm – you never will.”

He let out a laugh from deep within his belly. Its roar echoed through the woods.

“That’s what you think, stupid boy. Besides, it’s not about the farm anymore. I want revenge. Donna should have never married your father. She should have chosen me. The farm and the inheritance would go to me. Instead, she betrayed me.”

Donna? Was he talking about Eric’s mother, Joanne? Was Huntz Jonathan, the boyfriend who raped her over and over again, whose child she ended up losing? He was supposed to bring the families together?

“My mother has always been with my father. A faithful wife and a loving mother.”

“Donna Jo was to be mine. Your father stole her.”

I recalled the story Joanne told me and compared it to Missy’s – the one she’d heard from her father as a child when he’d told her about how her mother had abandoned her. Was Missy their love child? Was she Eric’s half-sister, and he didn’t know it?

“Joanne had your child,” I whispered. “You told her the baby died. You lied to her.”

“I saw her kissing him. She had my child in her, and she kissed him.”

It was true. Huntz didn’t confirm it, but he didn’t deny it either.

“She never loved you. You fucking raped her, stole her baby, and told her that the infant died.”

He laughed. “Ethan stole Donna Joe from me, I wouldn’t let them have Missy. I switched the infant with one from a morgue. The stupid hospital didn’t even notice they’d lost a body.”

“What?” Eric said.

“Missy’s your half-sister, Eric,” I whispered. “I’ll explain later. It was never about the land. It was always about revenge on your father.”

“It doesn’t matter now. You’re right I don’t care about the fucking land. It wasn’t for me anyways, but I do care about your father suffering, burning to death the way he left me for dead at that dance to save Donna Jo. I’ve carried the scars with me my entire life.” He lifted his right sleeve along with the machete to show the shriveled skin on his arm: white and hairless ripples of scarred flesh. White light reflected on the blade, bringing my attention back to the flex in Huntz’s bicep.

I spread my feet apart in a stern stance before stepping in front of Eric. This man had done enough to this family, and I would not let him hurt them anymore.

“What are you doing?” Eric whispered.

“Trust me,” I replied.

“You be a good girl and step aside. I’ll chop him up and then we can have some fun.”

“Not before I cut your dick off, you asshole!”

“Emma…”

“Trust me…”

Huntz rushed at us both, his machete high in the air. I pushed Eric down to the ground before ducking under Huntz’s swing and jutting the piece of glass I held in my hand right under his arm, into an artery. Blood squirted out and Huntz yelped in pain, covering his underarm with his other hand.

“You bitch.” He pulled the piece of glass out of his flesh and threw it to the ground. “I’m going to tie you up and fucking make you want to die before I gut you.”

“The problem you have, you bastard, is that I just sliced your main artery. It won’t take long before you bleed out.”

“Then I guess I better hurry.”

He rushed at me again, but this time as he raised his arm I could tell he was struggling. His lower swing forced me to bend back as the machete came down, missing me again. I side-kicked his leg. His knees buckled for a moment, but unfortunately for me as I found my stance I stepped on the piece of glass he’d thrown to the side, cutting into my foot.

Shit! Hopping on one leg I was useless. I knew if Huntz could get a good run at me with that weapon, he had a good chance of getting me. As I thought about a move that would do the least damage to my body, Huntz approached again, this time raging hellfire in his eyes. I sidestepped, but the pain that shot through my leg spasmed my muscles, and instead I fell to the ground, right in Huntz’s path. The machete was aimed straight for my head. He would fucking decapitate me in less than three seconds!

People often say that life flashes before your eyes when you’re about to die. And they’re so right. I saw the face of each of my family members at our happiest times, when we laughed and joked; my niece’s and nephew’s cute little faces squirming when they tried a pickle for the first time; my brothers training me and spoiling me rotten when I was young; my sisters-in-law taking care of my broken heart when David died; and David. I saw his face too, smiling at me and saying, It’s not your time. And the face of the man whom I loved – Eric – as he soothed my soul with his kisses and mended my deepest fears of falling in love again. I was the one who had failed him. The justice he sought would never come. In that brief moment, I wished I could go back in time to change its course, foresee Huntz and his accomplice hitting me and Hunter on the head, step a foot further to the right to miss the piece of glass which would ultimately be the reason Huntz eventually bled out, but also the reason I failed to survive.

A loud scream echoed through the forest.

The next time I opened my eyes, I saw Eric flying from the side right into Huntz, pushing him out of the way and falling with him onto the machete.

I jumped up to my feet, screaming. There was nothing else that would come out of my mouth as I saw Huntz fall back onto a broken tree limb protruding from the trunk which pierced his torso, killing him instantly. My entire body stilled as my gaze fell on Eric at Huntz’s side, with the machete sticking out from his back. Motionless, Eric lay face down on the ground.

“No! No, no, no, no, no! Please!” I cried stumbling toward him. But he didn’t move. “Eric, please don’t die, please. I can’t lose you.”

I touched the machete that had claimed him, pulling my finger along the trail of smeared blood on the blade. I followed red blobs with my fingers to under his arm, lifted, it and noticed that it had only skimmed the fabric of his shirt, lightly cutting into his skin, right between his torso and his arm.

“Eric, baby. You’re all right. Please tell me you’re okay.” I gently rolled him over onto his back and heard a painful yet welcome grunt.

“Open your eyes, please.”

“I’m good, Em. I’m good.” He reached with his hand to his forehead where a bruise was already forming. A big gash opened, spewing blood onto his face. I ripped a piece of his sleeve off his shirt and pressed it to the cut to somewhat stop the bleeding.

“Huntz…” He tried to sit up.

“He’s dead.”

“You’re sure?”

“Eric, there’s a branch sticking out of his chest. I’m pretty sure that means he’s dead.”

“Good.” He slouched, shifting his body in pain.

“You’re going to have a nasty scar from that cut.”

“I thought you liked scars.”

“I love them, especially on the man I love.” I leaned lower and kissed the lips I thought I’d never feel again. “You saved my life.”

“I’m glad I could be of some help, and I’m so happy this nightmare is over.”

Far in the distance, a fire engine siren roared. The smell of smoke was now prominent, shaking us up and reminding us that there was another disaster not far away.

I covered my mouth, saying, “Your parents.”

“Let’s go.”

Eric grabbed me under my arm and my knees, lifting me. “Eric, you’re weak. You cannot strain yourself.”

“There’s no fucking way I’m letting you walk with that cut. Please don’t argue, Emma.”

And the next thing I knew I was snuggled against his chest, feeling his heart beat on my cheek and his pecs rise and fall with each breath. Eric was almost running. I wasn’t sure how he knew the way, but I had a feeling his memory had been triggered. And now, all I could do was hope and pray that his parents were safe. As much as I wanted to expect the best, something told me we should get ready for the worst.