Chapter 33: Chapter Thirty-Two

After the initial branch snap, he didn’t hear another sound. In his mind, that either meant that the girl had scared herself shitless and stopped altogether, or it meant that she’d managed to slip away. Since the latter wasn’t an acceptable option, he chose to believe the former.

Always the optimist, he thought sardonically.

He walked several more feet, approximating where the noise had emanated from, then paused and listened again. If he got close enough, she’d give herself away somehow. She’d flinch. She’d draw in a breath. Something. Because as brave as her escape might’ve been, he knew it wasn’t more than false bravado. The weeks together had taught him all about her weaknesses. And emotional fortitude wasn’t her strong suit.

Come out, come out, wherever you are…

Then, from behind, he heard it. He heard her. The rustle of her subtle movements.

Grinning, he spun with a greeting on his lips. But belatedly, he realized he’d underestimated her after all. She wasn’t cowering away from him. She was charging toward him instead.