Oh, please!
A flash of light caught in the surrounding firs, and the sound of the engine grew closer.
Julia!
Sophia licked her lips.
Come on, Sister! Let’s do this!
The engine stopped.
Once again, the night was quiet.
Sophia swallowed against a dry throat.
A car door slammed.
Oh. God. Oh. God.
Her every muscle tensed. Her every nerve was strung tight as a bowstring.
And then, over footsteps, the faint growl of an engine—
What?
Had the car started again? Panicked, she strained to see out the small windows, but the engine was moving, coming closer, and sounded larger. Oh, crap, was there a second vehicle?
What?
Craning her neck to view more of the surrounding landscape through the window, she caught a glimpse of Julia, visible in the reflection of headlights on the snow, standing stock-still, facing the lane.
She brought someone with her? In another vehicle?
Why?
No good reason.
Julia took a step backward, more visible now. She reached into her pocket and withdrew a gun, aiming directly into the light.
A pistol? Not the stun gun? What was she doing? Holy shit, was she really going to shoot someone?
Sophia thought of Megan. “No!”
Bang!
Too late.
Julia fired, a flash showing in the muzzle of the gun just as Sophia caught a glimpse of Rebecca Travers, being hit, stepping backward, and then falling and running.
What in the world was Rebecca doing here?
This is wrong. So wrong!
Julia disappeared, moving quickly out of Sophia’s field of vision through the small window, chasing Rebecca, intent on killing her.
Over the thudding of her own heart, Sophia heard screaming and shouting, but couldn’t make out the words. Did Rebecca know Sophia was locked in the tiny house? Was she still alive?
She thought she might throw up, but climbed onto the ladder to get a different view through another small window. She saw no one. Should she bang on the door and yell for help? What would happen if . . .
Illumination washed up the hillside from the parked car.
Then Sophia saw someone running, heading toward the front door, avoiding being caught in the wash of light, her blond hair streaming behind her.
Julia.
Heart racing, Sophia scrambled back to her hiding place as she heard the rattle of keys in the lock. Julia was swearing, cursing under her breath, as she fumbled to unlock the door.
Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God. This is it!
The lock clicked, and the door swung open. “Sophia?” Julia called, panic audible in her voice.
Sophia fought the urge to say a word.
“Sophia?”
She heard Julia slap at the light switch. “What the hell?” Then, “Sophia! Oh, for God’s sake, where are you? I know you’re in here. Listen, we have a problem.” She stepped inside, and Sophia held her breath, wouldn’t be tricked. “I don’t have time for games,” Julia was saying, starting to sound frustrated. “Seriously. This is not the time!” She paused just inside the door, cold air sweeping and tugging at the hem of her coat.
Sophia felt her twin’s fear, sensed her ever-mounting anxiety.
“Sophia?”
A beat. Julia was waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness; only faint light seeped in through the open door. Then she turned and finally seemed to notice the thin strip of illumination visible beneath the bathroom door. “Are you . . . Are you okay?”
Sophia’s pulse thundered in her ears.
She didn’t answer.
“What the hell is this?” Julia said, obviously not fooled. “Fine!” she called out. “Your choice, Sophia. You want to stay up here all alone, then I’ll just leave, and I won’t come back!”
Cruel, horrid woman. Sophia wanted to scream at her.
No! Not yet.
“Oh, for God’s sake! Have it your way. Wait. Oh, crap! What the hell?” Julia said, her voice strangled, then, “Oh, shit! No . . . no! No! . . . this is no good!”
Sophia dared peek over the edge.
The front door was still open. Julia was caught in relief by some kind of weird moving light . . . light from another set of headlights?
Sophia’s heart stopped.
She spied the gun in her sister’s hand.
The gun that probably killed Rebecca. And will kill whoever followed her up here . . . and Sophia as well. She couldn’t kid herself. The reason Julia arrived with a pistol was to kill Sophia, to get rid of the traitorous twin who had become a liability. She coiled all of her muscles and poised on the edge of the ledge, ready to spring.
“Crap!” Julia hesitated, then yanked the door shut. She reached up to throw the dead bolt before she realized that the cabin locked from the outside; there was no way to secure the door from within. Sophia knew. She’d checked over every square inch of this place
The room was nearly dark again, only faint light shimmering through the row of small windows. Julia took one step backward.
NOW!
Sophia pounced!
She flew across the open space and hit Julia square.
Julia shrieked in sheer terror but went down, Sophia clinging to her, tumbling to the floor as one. “What—what the fuck?” Julia growled as they fought, Sophia attacking, determined to wrest the gun from Julia’s hand.
“Get off me! What’re you doing? Stop!” Julia cried, twisting and writhing as Sophia clawed at her, trying to pin her down, wildly attempting to grab the damned pistol.
But Julia was fired on adrenaline and wriggled and swung her arms. “Are you crazy?” she spat out.
Probably. “Are you?”
“Stop this! For . . . for . . . God’s sake, Sophia . . . You’re going to get us both killed!” Julia charged, breathing with difficulty, trying to scoot across the floor, but Sophia wouldn’t let her go and continued to scrabble for the gun. If she could just reach her sister’s hand—
Thud! Craaack! The butt of the gun splintered Sophia’s cheek. Pain screamed through her head. She blinked. Fought to stay conscious. Blood ran from her nose as, in desperation, she flung an arm wide, her fingers tangling in Julia’s hair. She pulled, using all her weight.
“Stop! Oh, owww! You bitch!”
Bang!
The gun went off!
The noise deafening.
Sophia felt her body jerk.
Then a searing pain shot through her
