Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six(102)

Trina looked suddenly sad. “I never wanted to hurt anyone. But we’re apples—fallen from the same poisonous tree. I’m actually trying to help. To clean up this mess.”

A single tear trailed down the other woman’s face.

“Okay,” Hannah said. “Then let me help you, Trina. Let me help you find a way out of this.”

“It wasn’t my baby,” said Mako, still weeping. “Or maybe it wasn’t.”

“What do you mean?” asked Hannah.

“Liza had an affair—which she ended. She didn’t think I knew. But I did. I just couldn’t lose her. She’s the only good thing in my life.”

Hannah didn’t have words, felt like the ground was shifting beneath her feet. They were all so flawed, weren’t they? So many layers and mistakes, bad judgments, failures.

Trina stared at Mako, her face twisted in anger and disgust. “You’re pathetic,” she said.

But Mako didn’t seem to hear. He just looked back to Liza, put a tender hand to her face.

“Tie them up,” Trina said, glancing back quickly to Joshua but keeping the gun pointed at Hannah, Cricket, and Bruce who all stood frozen in place.

Hannah searched for the flash of humanity she’d seen but Trina’s face was made from marble. Cold and still, unmoved. She didn’t care, Hannah realized, about any of them, about anything except whatever agenda she might be running. “Do it now.”

Josh shifted, still with his eyes on Cricket. “I left the bag back at the house.”

“Men. They are fucking useless,” Trina hissed. “Take the zip ties in my pocket.”

Of course she had zip ties in her pocket.

Josh moved slowly, reluctantly, toward her pocket when Bruce took a big step forward. Hannah gripped his arm and Trina raised the gun, backing up into Josh.

“Just don’t, Bruce,” she said, sounding tired. “You’re not part of this. I know you’ve worked to do the right thing here.”

Bruce looked back at Hannah. What did that mean?

“And I don’t want to kill you but I will. I promise you.” Hannah didn’t doubt her. There was something unhinged beneath the cool exterior, something broken.

“Not part of what?” Hannah ventured.

But Trina didn’t even seem to register her, as if Hannah didn’t exist.

Joshua did as he was told, removing a long plastic bag from Trina’s pocket.

Hannah calculated—distance, strength. That gun. How good was Trina’s aim? How fast could she fire it?

Cricket wept quietly beside her.

Trina pointed the gun at Bruce again. “You help him get Cricket and Hannah secure. Keep them out of the way and you all walk out of here. Okay, Bruce? You’re the straight arrow here, right? The good guy.”

Hannah still had a grip on her husband’s arm. She couldn’t see his face but she could imagine his expression—cool, almost blank, reading the situation, calculating, just like Hannah. Did he believe Trina? That if he tied them up, she’d let them all go?

Hannah did not.

This woman was going to kill them all, wasn’t she?

She made the decision right there. This wasn’t going to end without a fight. She heard Cricket weeping behind her, holding tight to her arm.

Time seemed to slow and stretch, outside the storm tossing the trees and wind moaning through the cabin.

Joshua moved toward them with the zip ties, his passage halting. His eyes hadn’t left Cricket, who sobbed now, “Joshua, please don’t do this. Whatever she has on you, whatever the reason you’re with her, we’ll get through it. I’ll help you. We’ll find a way. Please.”

Joshua seemed to hesitate, looked at Trina.

“Joshua, do you want to go to jail?” Trina asked. “Because if we don’t finish this and get out of here, that’s where you’re going. Do you think this little tramp will wait for you?”

Josh seemed to find some inner resolve and moved toward them.

“Sorry,” said Bruce, his voice dark, squaring his shoulders. He cleared his throat and Hannah heard his voice shake. “This is—not going to happen.”

“Just tell us why you’re here, Trina, what you want,” said Hannah, this time louder.

Hannah heard Libby’s teenage voice, sobbing. He raped me.

“Put the knife down,” said Trina. “Kick it over here.”

Everyone was frozen, the rain pounding on the roof, the windows.

“Do it!” Trina shrieked. “Or I’m going to kill your fucking husband, and your stupid friend, and your raping, embezzling, money-laundering brother.”

Hannah looked at her brother, all the rumors about him and Red World.

“None of that is true,” said Mako, looking at Hannah. But she saw that look, the same look he gave her the night she caught him with Libby. It wasn’t guilt or shame. It was self-knowledge.

“And that’s not even all of it,” said Trina.

What else? Hannah wondered. What else was he capable of?

“You know, Hannah. Look at you. You know what he is.”

She and the other woman locked eyes. In that moment, there was a whole universe of understanding—about Mako, about men, about the world.

“Don’t you ever get tired of cleaning up after him?”