Page 59 of Girl Long Gone

He dropped his hands, she gripped the nail in her fist, and plunged it into his eye. Gabriel howled in pain, and she ran to the door. She was almost there. She was going to get away from him. Her shaking fingers found the handle and she turned the knob.

Nothing happened. The handle didn’t move. The door didn’t open.

Gabriel coughed and groaned as he rolled on the ground, the sound morphing into hysterical laughter. “You dumb bitch. I told you. There’s no way to escape me.”

28

Anxiety ricocheted inside Connor. Two hours had passed since Evelyn had vanished.

“It’s been too long. What if we’re too late?”

Mark turned from the main street, and clusters of trees gathered on the side of the road where the Hudson River lay hidden beyond the foliage. Red and blue lights flashed in the distance. “Police are here. Maybe they found her.”

Mark continued down the uneven lane until a log cabin with lights ablaze inside emerged in front of them. He parked his cruiser beside the lone police car in the driveway.

Connor jumped from the passenger side and raced up the porch stairs and into the home. “Hello? Anyone here?” A young officer swept around the corner with a gun trained in front of him. “Stay where you are and put your hands in the air.”

Biting down his frustration, Connor lifted his hands as Mark stepped through the door. “I’m Detective Mitchel, NYPD. We called in the tip and secured your warrant for this place.” He nodded behind him. “That’s Detective Mark Tyson.”

“Let me see your identification and move slowly.” The slight tremor in the young man’s voice spoke of his inexperience.

Connor lowered one hand to his badge clipped on the side of his pants and tossed it over. “Have you found Evelyn? Is Gabriel here?”

The man studied the badge then lowered his weapon. “No one’s here. My partner’s upstairs. We’ve searched the entire house, top to bottom. No sign of anyone.”

“Dammit.” Connor swiped his hand over his head. “Did you search the property? Plenty of woods to hide.”

“Yes, and again nothing. Their property line doesn’t extend far beyond the patch of land behind the house.”

Irritation boiled in his veins. “What about beyond their property line?” Gabriel was a twisted murderer. A little trespassing wouldn’t bother him.

“No, sir.”

Connor raced outside, off the porch, and skidded to a stop. “You got a flashlight or something in your car? We’re gonna need more than the light from our phones.”

“Yeah. Give me a second.” Mark ran to the car and grabbed two flashlights from the trunk. He tossed one to Connor.

Connor swept the wide beam over the dark yard. Tall trees loomed high, towering over the yard and shielding the space. He rested the light on a patch of trees separated by a dirt path. He ran across the yard, the unkept grass smooshing beneath his hurried steps. He trained the light on the ground and crouched. The path was only about a foot wide, but booted tracks marred the soil. He jumped to his feet and took off into the woods.

Ragged breaths tore through his chest. His lungs burned. Dread filled his soul as they passed through the woods, no sign of what lay inside except the distant sound of rushing water. The river was close.

A soft thud echoed to his right. He turned toward the noise. “Did you hear that?”

Mark stilled. “Sounds like some sort of banging.”

Evelyn.

He took off in a sprint toward the sound, wayward branches smacking his face and slamming against his body as he barreled through the dense woods. The sound grew louder, the banging more insistent. He had to get to her in time—he couldn’t lose her.

Pain shot through the side of Evelyn’s hand, but she kept pounding it against the door. Her heart raced along with every frantic beat against the hard metal.

“No one can hear you.” Gabriel snarled and clambered to his feet. The nail she’d jammed into his eye fell to the floor, and blood poured from the damaged socket. He staggered forward, his jaw set tight and lips twisted in a snarl.

He came toward her, and she darted her gaze around the room. Saws lined the wall, but they wouldn’t help her now. Hand tools lay on a workbench to her left. She didn’t want to leave the only means of escape, but the damn door wasn’t much use if she couldn’t get it open.

“Evelyn, step back from the door.” Connor’s muffled voice carried through the thick metal. “I need to shoot out the lock.”

Relief shot through her. He’d found her—Connor had found her.