Page 4 of Mountain Shadow

Sarah’s hands shook as she rechecked the lock on the bathroom door for the fifth time. It looked solid enough, but the dark-haired man chasing her looked stronger. There was no doubt in her mind that he could break in, should he want to. She put her ear to the door, struggling to hear anything through the thumping of her heart.

He’s gone.

Please, God, let him be gone.

Her heart thumped inside her chest. She took a small step away from the door, half expecting it to cave in at any moment. When nothing happened, she took another cautious step backwards—then another. Her sodden ballet flats made a soft squelching sound against the dark, tiled floor. She tried not to think of what she was stepping on.

The lonely light bulb above her head flickered. Sarah held her breath until the light settled again. Her phone was out of battery, and the thought of finding herself locked in here, in the dark, made her shake with fear.

Get ahold of yourself.

Sarah approached the old stained sink cautiously, grabbing on to the sides to steady herself. The mirror above the sink was clean, though rusty around the edges. She almost didn’t recognize the frightened young woman staring back at her. Her light brown eyes looked enormous against her too pale face. Dark circles under the eyes gave her a raccoon-like, almost cartoonish look. Her cheekbones, usually one of her best features, now stood out like mountain peaks on her face. Water dripped down the ends of her limp hair, making it look darker than it was. There was no sign of the carefully layered waves her hairdresser had worked so hard to create just one week earlier.

Above all, the woman in the mirror looked scared.

How did it come to this?

The shivers overtook her again. The face in the mirror shook.

I need to warm up.

She pushed the faucet lever towards the red and lifted it, praying for hot water.

No such luck.

Sarah made a cup with her hands and filled it with freezing water, then lowered her mouth to her hands. The water was so cold it hurt her throat as she swallowed, but Sarah forced herself to take a couple more sips. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had anything to drink.

Or the last time I ate anything.

Her world spun—she grabbed on to the edge of the sink, knowing she needed to stay upright, that she needed to stay strong.

Where are you Tess? I need you.

There was a noise outside the bathroom door again. Sarah held her breath.

Maybe it’s just someone who needs to use the bathroom.

Instants later, she recognized the voice of the dark-haired man who’d stopped his car next to her as she walked along the side of the road—the man who’d chased her when she ran. Her chest heaved, her heart thundering out of control.

He’d been gaining on her fast. If she hadn’t thought to lock herself in the bathroom, he would have caught up with her for sure.

She didn’t know if the man wanted to hurt her, but he’d looked more than capable of inflicting pain. She’d bolted before he could get out of his car, running all the way back to the gas station. It was one of those old-fashioned places that had the bathrooms on the outside, near the back.

The man had chased after her, but she’d managed to bolt the door just in time. That had made him angry. He’d pounded on the door, speaking loudly in French, only leaving once she’d mentioned Damien’s name and made it clear she wasn’t opening the door for anybody else.

Now he’s back.

And this time, he’s not alone.

“She locked herself in there. Wouldn’t listen to reason—”

So he does speak English.

Then a new, deep voice, also speaking her language. “I’ll take it from here, Beau. Leave us a bit of space, will you?”

“Sure. I’ll wait by the car in case you need anything.”

Sarah sighed. The big man was leaving. At least, he said he was leaving. But it could just as easily be a trick. She leaned her back hard against the door, as if her weight could reinforce the small lock.