“Tell your dog to stand down,” he said, but Amarok simply flipped him off, called Mikita so they could climb into his truck and spewed gravel as he took off.

Fortunately, no one came after him. Maybe they knew it would only make matters worse.

10

Anchorage, AK—Thursday, 9:00 a.m. AKDT

Evelyn shivered with fear and revulsion. She’d staged the bloody water. Had it all over her legs and dress. When she turned over, she could see the small puddle she’d made on the floor as well as the drops that led to her cot. She’d smeared some of those drops with her bare feet as she pretended to limp to the bed.

The scene looked convincing. Almost too convincing. That was part of the reason she was having such a severe reaction to what she planned to do. She believed it might actually work—at least well enough to draw her captor into the room, which meant, for better or for worse, one of them probably wouldn’t be leaving this cell.

With time, she calmed down a little, but her hand began to sweat on the shiv she was hiding. Several hours must’ve passed since he’d brought her dinner—maybe as many as … twelve? She felt weak and a little dizzy. And after being on edge for so long, she was getting sleepy in spite of her fear.

But she had to remain focused, determined.

He’ll be coming soon, she told herself.

Once again, she prayed that Amarok would appear and rescue her. She knew he’d move heaven and earth to find her, but he didn’t come. The only thing she heard was the heat as it kicked on with a soft rush of forced air.

Rocking back and forth, she stared at the white wall in front of her. Hang in there. You have to hang in there. She was doing this to save her child. But she was almost as afraid of her captor’s arrival as she was of what would happen if she continued to wait.

If he hit her or kicked her in the stomach—

The sound of the bolt acted like an electric shock and sent her heart rate skyrocketing. Oh God! This is it! There was no turning back now, no changing her mind.

Clenching her jaw, she began to moan as she rocked. That part wasn’t difficult. It wasn’t hard to conjure the tears that streamed down her face, either. She was shaking all over.

At first, she heard nothing besides her own moans. She imagined him bending down and peering through the slot. He had the same limitations she did when trying to look out, but she was fairly certain he could see her from his vantage point. She was far enough from the door.

“What the fuck?” he cried, immediately enraged.

She heard some rattling, as though the cooler had been locked on the outside with a chain and padlock, before the door came open.

Her shaking grew worse as he walked in. Striking upwards was always harder than striking down; she didn’t have the benefit of leverage.