More Than Life

Chapter 12 (Corrected version)

A/N: The previous version of this chapter was the un-beta'd version. I've updated it.  Not major differences, but a few.

....

I was going insane sitting around waiting for fucking Hunter to call. I didn't understand why nothing was being done. My woman was out there being tortured by the bastard!

I was pacing up and down the room like a caged tiger when the phone finally rang. I grabbed it and listened as Hunter told me to meet him at a cabin in the woods near Albany. I was to stop at a post office in Burtley where I would pick up a letter containing directions to the cabin. He hung up before the police could complete the trace on the call.

Immediately, I was told that I would not be going. I didn't know what fucking game Detective Beckett was playing, but I wasn't going along with it. There was no way in hell I was going to sit there and do nothing when Bella's life rested in the hands of a deranged fuck-up.

I waited until Detective Beckett left, then studied the habits of the two men babysitting me. The fat cop took smoke breaks every twenty minutes, it was the skinny guy that I was concerned about. He never seemed to move, except to get coffee.

Twenty minutes later, the fat guy went out for his smoke, but the other one hadn't moved as of yet. In a moment of pure genius, I accidentally knocked over his cup of coffee. He gave me a scowl before heading into the kitchen to get some more. Seizing the moment, I slipped out the door and down the stairs. I ducked around the back of Bella's apartment building and caught a cab on the other side of the street.

Forty minutes later, I was cruising down the interstate in a rental car, headed toward Burtley. It killed me to have to drive the speed limit, but I couldn't afford to get stopped for speeding. If that happened, I'd be back in the city before I could blink.

An hour and a half later, I pulled up in front of the Burtley Post Office and headed inside. There was a woman with a mustache behind the counter who handed me an envelope that some "very nice man" had left for me. Very nice man, my ass. That woman had no idea what the fuck she was talking about.

I ripped open the envelope and scanned the letter. I was to take a back road down to Highway 12 and from there I'd turn off onto an old logging road and drive about five miles north. I was to park in front of the cabin, and he warned me that I'd better be alone.

I knew that I wouldn't be alone for long. I was positive that the police were hot on my trail and would be arriving in Burtley shortly.

Clutching the letter, I got back in the car and started driving toward Highway 12. Thirty minutes later, I swung the car into a rough right turn, almost missing the logging road. It was pretty well hidden and there wasn't a sign, but something told me it was the right road.

Driving down the road, I clutched the steering wheel tightly as an old hunting cabin came into view. I stopped the car in front of the cabin and climbed out. I stood and listened for a moment. It was unnaturally silent and a chill swept over me.

Looking around, I didn't see another vehicle anywhere, but that didn't mean Hunter wasn't there. However, I wasn't about to enter that cabin without some kind of weapon. I picked up a rather hefty rock that was on the ground and slowly made my way up the stairs to the cabin. They creaked and bent under my weight, alerting Hunter that I had arrived—if the noise of the car hadn't. Taking a deep breath and praying that my Bella was in there and unharmed, I reached out and turned the doorknob.

It turned easily, and the door swung open revealing a dark room. I gave my eyes a moment to adjust before entering. I hadn't gone far when I heard a noise to the right of me.