Haven Hill: Chapter 12

by the Author of The Widow in the Woods

Here’s where the story left off last time.

While the day dragged along for Ariel and Kate, Logan seemed to be having the time of his life. Back was the charming man who Kate had originally fallen for and Ariel had accepted as part of the family. They played some board games and ate snacks that Kate had stashed at the cabin.

To anyone who didn’t know their background, they looked like a happy family.

After lunch, Logan said, “I need to go get my truck and my personal supplies. Ariel, let’s go for a hike.”

The girl froze, all attempts at covering her fear gone. She shook her head and backed away. Kate put herself in between Logan and her daughter.

“Absolutely not,” Kate told him firmly. “You want me to trust you, but you want to take my child like you did once before? There’s no way, Logan. We’ll wait here while you go get your things. You can lock us in the basement again. You can zip tie us. Whatever you need to do, but you are NOT taking Ariel with you.”

Logan’s face instantly darkened with rage, but he covered it quickly. He chuckled dryly. “If that’s the story you’re telling yourself about what happened, I can see why Ari is so scared of me.”

Kate glared back at him stubbornly, refusing to give an inch.

“You realize I could just make her come with me, right?” Logan pointed out.

“You could, but you’d undo all the work you’ve done to get us to trust you again,” Kate countered.

Logan appeared to be lost in thought. Finally, after a long few moments, he spoke.

“Give me your shoes and get in the basement, Ari,” he ordered. “Katie, you’re coming with me. I don’t trust the two of you alone here. I’m sorry, but I just don’t.”

Kate turned and looked at the daughter she adored. “It’s okay, Ariel. Do what he says. I promise I’ll be okay.”

“You can’t promise that,” Ariel disagreed, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. “I want to be with you, Mom.”

“I’m only taking one of you with me,” stated Logan firmly. “You two can thrash it out but I’m not in the mood to have you plotting against me again.”

Kate went to Ariel and hugged her, whispering, “This is how we get out tonight. Trust me.”

Ariel’s slender body was wracked with sobs, but to her credit she did as she was told. She switched out her boots for the Yeti slippers, went to the restroom, grabbed her book, and headed downstairs. She paused and looked back at her mother longingly. “I love you, Mom.” Her voice broke, and she went downstairs.

Logan barred the basement door, and it was time to go. Kate finished lacing up her hiking boots, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, shoved it into her backpack, and strode off into the forest with Logan.

…

Kate was surprised when Logan headed right down the driveway toward the gravel road that led to their cabin. Once at the bottom, instead of taking a left out toward the main road, they took a right and the road narrowed to one lane. It wasn’t far until Logan veered off the side of the road to where his truck sat. It has been loosely covered with a tarp and some fallen branches and if you didn’t know it was there, you’d never notice it.

Kate stood aside while Logan cleared off the truck and unlocked it with his key fob. “Get in,” he ordered.

She climbed into the passenger side where she found the back of the cab was jampacked with totes, backpacks, and grocery bags. He had been in it for the long haul.

“Don’t get mad at me, but I have a question,” Kate ventured.

Logan glared, already annoyed, but quickly wiped the expression off his face and replaced it with a more neutral one. “Shoot.”

I wish, thought Kate. “Aren’t you on parole or something? Don’t you have to check in and stay in the county and away from us?”

“They took three years of my life,” Logan replied. “I’m not giving them one more day.”

“But won’t you end up back in jail if you don’t –“

“No,” Logan interrupted angrily, jamming his key into the ignition. “I’m not going back. Q&A time is over.”

Kate stopped speaking. If she antagonized him now, he wouldn’t be as ready to let his guard down later, she counseled herself wisely.

With a roar, the diesel engine started, and Logan backed out onto the road. He drove back to the cabin in complete silence, with no radio or conversation to break the tension.

…

When they took the short drive back to the cabin, Logan’s good mood appeared to be restored. “Help me bring this stuff in,” he demanded as he shouldered a duffel bag and grabbed a case of beer.

Kate looked away when she saw the beer, because the spark of light in her eyes might give her away.

Now, she had a plan.

…

When the bar was lifted and the basement door opened, Ariel rushed to her mother and the two embraced as though they’d been apart for years instead of less than an hour.

Logan shook his head and began to stock the refrigerator with beer. Then, he dug in his backpack and pulled out a bottle in a brown paper bag – some kind of booze, Kate noted, though she wasn’t sure what. She forced herself not to smile in satisfaction and excused herself to the bathroom.

Once Kate had locked the door behind her, she painstakingly opened the mirrored door to the medicine cabinet. She stopped it before it began to squeal in protest, reaching up along the top shelf for a small bottle of pills.

“Alprazolam,” the bottle read. “Alcohol may intensify the effects of this medication.”

Thanks for the serving suggestion, Kate thought, as she stuffed a few pills into the pocket of her sweatpants.

These pills had been in the cabinet for quite some time. They’d been prescribed when Ariel was suffering regularly from uncontrollable panic attacks. She rarely used the pills anymore, since she had learned to control her breathing and manage her fears better, but Kate kept them on hand, just in case they were needed.

And today, they were definitely needed.

For good measure, she added a couple of Benadryl tablets to her pocket. She carefully, quietly, closed the door to the medicine cabinet, washed her hands in the sink, and emerged from the bathroom, hoping that she looked innocent.

About Daisy

She is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

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