Haven Hill: Chapter 11

by the Author of The Widow in the Woods

Here’s where the story left off last time.

Kate awoke to the sound of the Molly bar being removed and the door to the basement opening. She froze, not daring to exhale, certain that Logan was going to come downstairs. When she heard his footsteps in the kitchen, she let out the breath she had been holding in a long, quiet whoosh.

She remained still in body, but her brain was racing as she began to plot their escape.

She thought back to a course she had taken in Mexico about surviving a kidnapping.

If you’re kidnapped, don’t take the first chance to try and escape unless it’s completely bulletproof. Your attacker will be watching for that. Initially they’ll be alert to your attempts to free yourself. Lull them into complacency by seeming to comply. Wait until their guard drops and then make your escape.

 She would spend the day making Logan think he’d won and the “family” he so treasured was back together. Part of her mind rebelled at the thought of being nice to him, but she knew it was the best way to cause him to drop his defenses.

He’d made several mistakes already. He’d locked them in with their survival supplies. But worse, for him, he thought they were the same victims he’d left behind when he went to prison.

She rolled onto her side and watched Ariel’s chest rise and fall as she snored softly. She hated to awaken her into their current situation but this might be their only chance to speak privately.

Gently, she shook Ariel’s shoulder until the girl began to stir.

Kate put her finger to her lips in a “shush” sign. Ariel nodded sleepily. Kate began to whisper the plan to her.

“We have to make Logan think he’s won and that we’re all ‘together’ again,” she told her daughter.

Ariel got a look of instant mutiny on her face. “I won’t be nice to him,” she argued stubbornly.

“Ariel – you have to be nice to him. Don’t go overboard or he’ll know we’re lying, but be civil and try to act like you used to act with him before everything went bad. I promise, tonight we will get out, but today we have to play along.”

Ariel set her jaw and looked as annoyed as a teenage girl can look – which was pretty darned irritated. Finally, she relented with an aggrieved sigh. “Fine.”

“Promise me,” Kate urged.

Ariel rolled her eyes. “I promise. I hate him, but I’ll behave.”

“I want you to stay away from us as much as possible and read your book. Keep your distance but don’t make it look weird, okay?”

Ariel nodded again.

“Okay. Let’s get up and put on a show. I love you.”

Reluctantly, Ariel sat up in bed and stretched. “I love you, too, Mom.”

And…action! thought Kate as they padded up the wooden stairs in their slippers.

…

While Ariel went to the bathroom, Kate sat down at the kitchen table with Logan. Her voice trembled, and she let it, hoping that it would reinforce his feeling of being in charge. “Logan, please… I can’t fight anymore. Let’s talk.”

“It’s not that easy to have a casual conversation with the woman who ruined my life, took my family away, and sent me to prison,” he replied with a hard set to his jaw. “But I still love you, Katie. I don’t know why, but I do.”

“I was in the wrong,” Kate lied, inwardly grimacing at the words that sounded like a betrayal of her deepest self. Her voice broke. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Logan reached across the table and cupped her cheek with his big, calloused hand. She steeled herself not to flinch and gazed back at him.

“Katie, I missed you.”

“I missed you, too, Logan. I think Ariel’s out of the bathroom now.” She forced herself not to sprint to the restroom that Ariel had just vacated. The teen had vanished behind her closed bedroom door, just as instructed, Kate noticed approvingly.

Once she was finished in the bathroom, she returned to the kitchen and poured herself some of the coffee Logan had brewed. She added cream and sugar to her cup and began to make herself busy, tying on an apron and preparing breakfast as the man she once loved stared at her with longing.

While bacon sizzled in the cast iron skillet, she expertly whisked half a dozen eggs and removed some vegetables from the freezer: spinach, onion, mushrooms. She put them in a heatproof glass cake pan and began to thaw them in the oven. She buttered 6 slices of bread while waiting for the bacon to be finished. Then, she diced up the now-thawed veggies and dropped them into the hot bacon grease. Once they were done, she placed them on a paper towel to drain as she poured the fluffy eggs into the pan. Putting a lid on to let the omelet set, she grabbed Swiss cheese from the refrigerator and put on another pot of coffee. She slid the buttered bread into the oven to toast.

It felt strange to be watched while she cooked, but it was better than trying to have a conversation that she didn’t mean. She let her mind wander to solidify her plan for the night ahead. Logan had made a grave error locking her in the basement with her tools and her prepper supplies, she mused. He had underestimated her and she would use that.

The threesome sat at the table to enjoy the veggie and cheese omelets, toast, and bacon.

Logan pushed his chair back and patted his stomach. “I’d forgotten what a great cook you are, Katie. That was delicious.” Being served food had made him believe she was compliant.

“Thanks,” Kate said, smiling limpidly while wishing she could have poisoned him.

Ariel got up to return to her room. Logan stopped her. “Where are you going?” he demanded.

Ariel paused, then fell into her role. “I’m reading the best book,” she told him breathlessly. “I have to get back to it – everyone is about to be killed in an avalanche.”

Logan chuckled, buying it hook, line, and sinker. “You were always such a bookworm. I missed you, sweetie.”

“Yeah,” said Arie,l before she raced from the room. Deceit was difficult for her.

Kate poured two more cups of coffee and said, “Let’s drink this out on the screen porch.”

Logan sat in one of the rocking chairs and sighed. Freedom felt good, and being here with his family felt even better.

“You always loved it here,” Kate said, making small talk.

“Yep,” Logan agreed, yawning. He was tired, Kate observed. She could use that against him later. “I thought of nothing else but being here again with you and Ariel while I was inside.”

She fought the urge to be sarcastic. Old Kate had not been sarcastic. New Kate was just going to have to bite her tongue for a while longer.

They sat in companionable silence, listening to the birds greeting the day as the forest around them awakened.

It won’t be long now, Kate told herself. He’d better enjoy it here while he can.

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.