I promised her I would handle it and told her to stay locked in the bathroom until help arrived. As soon as we hung up, I grabbed my keys, jacket, and purse from the living room table. I wrote a quick, vague note for Owen, stating I had an urgent work emergency and would call him early in the morning.
Driving down the dark, winding highway at one in the morning was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life. The headlights cut through the thick fog as I navigated toward the remote coordinates she had managed to text me. Every minute felt like an eternity, and my hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. 🛣️
As I drove through the night, my mind kept turning toward practical matters like insurance and financial security in times of crisis. Valerie had mentioned earlier that Russell kept talking about investments and selling her home, which now sounded like a calculated scheme. If an accident were to happen on these treacherous roads, having proper auto insurance coverage would be the least of my worries, though the thought crossed my mind.
I arrived near the secluded rental property just as the first rays of dawn began to bleed through the dense treeline. The cabin sat at the end of a long, unpaved gravel driveway, surrounded by towering pines and isolated from neighborly eyes. I parked my vehicle a short distance down the road to avoid making noise with the engine. 🌲
