Chapter 6 - The Road Into the Storm
They forced Megan into the rear seat of the SUV.
Rex jumped in beside her before Ethan could stop him.
Lorraine objected.
“Leave the dog.”
Ethan looked at Rex’s teeth.
“He comes.”
Megan understood why.
Ethan believed the dog might follow the vehicle if abandoned.
Better to control him inside the SUV.
The mountain road disappeared beneath blowing snow.
Visibility dropped to fifty feet.
Lorraine sat in the passenger seat holding Megan’s phone.
She searched messages, emails, and photographs.
“Nothing,” she said.
Ethan watched Megan through the mirror.
“Where is the copy?”
“What copy?”
“The files.”
Megan leaned against the window.
Every turn sent pain through her ribs.
“You forged my signature badly.”
Lorraine’s shoulders stiffened.
Ethan gripped the wheel.
“That adviser prepared everything legally.”
“Then why bring a shovel?”
No one answered.
Rex rested his head across Megan’s boots.
She moved two fingers against his collar.
One tap.
Pause.
Three taps.
Tracking command.
The dog’s eyes shifted toward the road.
He was memorizing the route through scent, sound, and time.
The cabin entrance appeared near an abandoned forest-service trail.
Ethan drove past the cabin.
Megan looked toward him.
“You missed the turn.”
“We’re walking the rest.”
Lorraine smiled.
The SUV stopped beside a dense stand of pines.
Ethan opened Megan’s door and pulled her out.
Her weak leg collapsed into the snow.
He dragged her upright by the jacket.
Rex jumped down and barked.
Megan ordered him to heel.
They moved deeper into the forest.
The black SUV remained visible through the trees.
Lorraine carried the duffel.
Ethan carried the orange strap.
No one spoke until they reached a large pine beside a steep ravine.
The location had been selected carefully.
Far enough from the cabin to avoid immediate discovery.
Close enough for Ethan to claim Megan wandered away during confusion.
Lorraine removed a small flask from her coat.
“What’s in that?” Megan asked.
“A sedative.”
Ethan smiled.
“You were supposed to fall asleep first.”
Megan looked at the untouched flask.
“Plans change.”
His smile disappeared.
He wrapped the orange strap around her chest.
Rex barked.
Megan kept the dog under command.
She needed him focused.
Not attacking blindly.
May you like
Not yet.
👉 Megan allowed Ethan to bind her because she knew Rex could free the knot—but Lorraine had brought one more weapon hidden beneath the duffel bag.
