her grip visibly tightened on the knife handle. “Shut up, you little slut. You don’t love Hayle. You don’t even know what it means to love him like I do.”
It seemed that my brilliant idea to keep her talking wasn’t so brilliant after all. I needed to get away, and soon. Other than my phone, I didn’t have anything to use as a potential weapon. And she was standing between me and my only path of escape.
Unless…
While Lily continued rambling about how I could never love Hayle properly, I adjusted my position slightly, until my right side was hopefully lined up with the door handle. Knowing I would have to be prepared either way, I thought about what else I had on me. Since I couldn’t risk sacrificing my phone, the only other option was the glove in my left coat pocket. That would have to do.
Moving as quickly as possible, I reached for my glove at the same time I backed all the way up against the door and tried the handle with my right hand. Fuck. It was locked.
Recognition had only begun to dawn on Lily’s face when I screamed Hayle’s name at the top of my lungs. Then, I threw my glove directly at her eyes and sprinted around her while she was distracted.
On instinct, I aimed for the path leading to the mansion. If I could make it there, I would have plenty of places to hide. Except, what if Susan was there alone? She and Gerard had returned from Europe last week, and if I knew the faithful cook at all, she would be making an elaborate dinner for Vincent’s first night back.
Fuckity fuck.
I couldn’t take the chance that I’d lead a madwoman straight to Susan. Even she wouldn’t be safe from Lily.
Without a solid plan in place, I abruptly changed directions, following what appeared to be the clearest route through the thick trees. Beyond walking to and from the cottage along the path, I hadn’t spent any time in these woods. And now that I was a short distance from the house, the front porch lights no longer illuminated my way.
At least I knew the trees had to open up soon, since I couldn’t be that far from the shore. If my heartbeat didn’t sound like a damn jackhammer in my ears, I probably would have been able to hear the waves crashing against rocks.
Drawing up a mental picture of the shoreline, I visualized the cliff I would be running up to. Unfortunately, there weren’t any other structures or houses nearby. Which meant I still needed to head toward the mansion. But not to it—to Vincent’s yacht that was docked in front of it.
If I could just get onto the boat, I should be able to lock myself away from Lily for long enough to call someone. It wasn’t the most creative plan in the world, but right now, it was all I had. Which meant it had to work.
A branch snapped too close by for comfort, and even knowing it was a bad idea, I twisted my head to peer behind me. Lily was hot on my heels, as though her rage was spurring her on. In the moonlight streaming through the trees, I could see the knife still clutched in her hand.
Damn it.
I picked up my pace, my legs and lungs burning. Though I’d been doing all of the leg exercises my doctor had recommended, I’d only just worked up to staying on my feet for an extended period and riding my bike short distances. I definitely hadn’t done any jogging, much less flat-out running, and it showed.
Out of other ideas, I began weaving through the trees, hoping my erratic movements would slow Lily down more than they did me. Shrubs and other brush bit at my legs through my jeans, but I barely even noticed. It was taking all of my concentration to not fall on my face.
I was so focused on the ground, I didn’t notice the break in the trees until I was right upon it. Seeing nothing but black in front of me, I darted left at the last second and wrapped my arms around a tree trunk to halt my trajectory.
My sneakers skidded against the dirt, and the sound of my coat ripping was almost deafening in the otherwise quiet night. I immediately felt the sting of jagged bark piercing my palms, but I didn’t have time to worry about the pain.