A temporary moment of relief washed over her. But the moment was fleeting as the sudden realization of what it all meant pushed its way forward in Tara’s mind.

“Shit,” she said under her breath.

He had a gun, he had gone outside with purpose. It could only mean one thing—that he was headed to the barn.

Tara jumped to her feet. She had to do something and she had very little time. She watched from the window as he creped across the lawn. He held her gun. It was just a dark object clenched in his hand, but as she turned her eyes toward the kitchen, she could see it was nowhere to be found. All that was left were her keys and her phone.

Tara needed to act now, before he even reached the barn. I need to distract him, she said to herself as she frantically surveyed the kitchen. She assumed he wouldn’t shoot them right away. He wanted Tara because he knew keeping her alive was risky and the moment he realized she was gone, she assumed he would search for her. But she couldn’t take any chances.

All of a sudden, an idea sparked in her mind. All she needed were her keys. She didn’t have time to call anyone. She didn’t have time to wait for help, but she could start the car with her automatic start. It would cause him to stop in his tracks, to check the car, and then head back to the house because Tara was sure he knew where he left the keys last.

She treaded carefully across the kitchen floor. She could hear the television blaring in another room, reminding Tara that the woman lurked not too far from where she stood. Tara reached the island and grabbed hold of her keys, but she waited to press the automatic start as she scanned the room once more. She needed a weapon. She needed something to defend herself once he veered off course, once he headed back to where Tara was.

A knife block quickly caught Tara’s eye and she slinked toward it, reaching for the largest knife and sliding it out slowly. She then grabbed her phone. I should alert Warren, she thought. Where the hell is he? But as she looked down at her phone, the screen was shattered, and her heart sank.

She turned toward the window. He was almost at the barn now, and Tara’s heart thumped in her chest because she didn’t have a second to waste. She pressed down hard on the button of her keys.

She heard the car beep in the distance before rumbling to a start. From the window, she could see him, as his feet stopped short. His head spun to the car in the distance and then shot back to the barn, where he stared longingly for a moment until it all registered in his mind.

He moved closer to the barn, peering into it. But then he suddenly spun around, as he picked up into a run toward the car. He had noticed Tara was gone from where he left her, and once he reached the vehicle, he thrust open the driver’s door with full force, took a quick glance inside, and then abruptly turned his gaze back to the bed and breakfast, to the door he had exited moments ago.