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My head thumped as I looked at page after page of holiday retreats.
Bingo!
There it was. It might have been a wild goose chase, but one picture was of a holiday rental known to be a romantic getaway for couples. “The sick bastard. Sorry about that, Dorothy.”
“Don’t be sorry. If I could get my hands on him, I would whack him over the head with my rolling pin, and I’m not usually a violent person. Bluey, you have my permission to bite him where it hurts the most.”
Bluey wagged his tail while Dorothy patted him on the head.
The pictures online showed a cabin almost perched on the side of a ravine. The large main room and the bedroom had floor-to-ceiling windows that opened onto a balcony with the mountain view beyond. There was a rail on the verandah to stop you from tumbling over the edge. It might be a romantic location for some, but the thought of Autumn there with this madman was unthinkable.
“It’s not far away. I’m going to go there. You call the police and let them know.” I had a new burst of energy now I could actually do something.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Don’t you think you should wait for them? This man is unstable, and you could get hurt.”
“If he is that unstable, every moment she is there with him alone, she could get hurt. I can’t waste another minute.”
Dorothy touched my forearm. “I understand. The number on the car was DES-406S. If it’s there, you will know it’s him. Now, go and save that woman of yours.”
* * *
I drove as fast as I could. If the police stopped me, I would get them to escort me. Twenty minutes later, I took the steep drive down to the property. It would be dark soon, and I needed to find her now. I would not accept that it was too late. It was such a beautiful place. The owners had created a haven, but now it was a prison for Autumn. I would get her out of there no matter what it took.
I parked away from the house so this Kevin would not hear my pickup. I sneaked through the bushes with my arms getting scratched, but I didn’t care. Bluey was beside me. There was a car out the front and sure enough, it had the number plate registration Dorothy had given me. I scrambled around the side of the house to see it was perched on the side of a ravine. I wasn’t sure how I would get to the other side of the property without climbing up the rock face. It was too risky. I could try going to the front door and pretending I was lost. Would the guy believe it? I wished Grant or the police were here too, but I simply could not wait. I would never forgive myself if these few minutes made the difference in whether she lived or died.
There was a side door that I assumed would be the laundry. I tried the handle, but it was locked. Damn. Well, that made my decision, I would have to go in the front entrance. Adrenaline pumped through me, making my heart race so fast I thought it would jump out of my chest. I walked up to the door and knocked. I waited, and hoped she was still alive. I could not allow myself to think otherwise.
The door opened and a huge guy stood in front of me. Shit. For some reason, I had been expecting someone small and weasel-like that I could easily overpower. Autumn had never mentioned the guy was so big. That alone would have been intimidating for her. I thought back to when I was a kid. I had not let the big guys intimidate me then, and I wouldn’t let this guy get to me either.
“Hi. I was wondering if you had any fuel or if I could use your phone to call a recovery truck? My pickup broke down, and my cell phone isn’t getting any reception.” I hated the idea she was in this place alone with this asshole of a man.
Kevin looked me up and down then pulled out his phone. “My reception’s good. You can call but I don’t have any spare fuel.”
“You have an English accent. On holiday, are you?”
“Yep. What’s it to you?”
“Nothing, but you’ve chosen a beautiful part of the country to visit. I don’t suppose I could use your bathroom and get some water for my dog and myself? Traipsing through the bush is hard work. Then I’ll give them a call.” I had to get inside the house.
Kevin glanced indoors and then out again. “Follow me.” He showed me down the corridor inside the house to the bathroom.
I locked the door and stared in the mirror. I shook my head. There was nothing for it but to charge my way through. This was going to hurt, but it would be to save Autumn. I would do anything for her. I flushed the toilet, took a deep breath, and headed out. Bluey sat wagging his tail. I bent down and whispered in his ear, “Here we go, boy.”
As I walked back to the entrance, Kevin guarded the door that presumably led to the main room of the house.
“Thanks for that.” I made a fake turn one way and then flipped around and charged at the mountain of a man. It was like hitting a rock wall, but I kept going. The door behind Kevin gave way as it was ripped off its hinges by the weight of the two of us.
Bluey growled as we hit the floor and then started barking.
I peered across the main room for a split second to the balcony and the bush beyond.
“Autumn,” I yelled at the sight of her. She was alive, but this madman had her hoisted on the railing. She was sitting and balancing on the top rail with her hands tied above her head. If the ropes were cut, she would tumble to the ravine below.
That was it—I wanted to kill this man right here, right now.
TWENTY-ONE
Autumn
