Chapter 5 - The Unexpected Rescue
Midnight reared back in absolute terror as the blinding headlights flooded the dark forest.
Sophie lost her grip on the horse's mane and was violently thrown from his back.
She tumbled hard down a steep, rocky ravine, the world spinning wildly out of control.
She landed heavily in a bed of wet, decaying leaves at the bottom of the trench.
Her vision blurred as a sharp, agonizing pain radiated through her left shoulder.
She could hear the heavy boots of several men marching along the ridge directly above her hiding spot.
Someone suddenly clamped a tight, gloved hand over her mouth from the shadows behind her.
Sophie struggled wildly, kicking her legs and trying to break free from the terrifying grip.
A woman's urgent voice whispered directly into her ear, demanding she stay perfectly silent if she wanted to live.
Sophie stopped fighting, realizing this mysterious stranger was trying to hide her from Thomas's men.
They waited in absolute, terrifying silence for twenty agonizing minutes.
The men above them eventually cursed loudly in frustration and drove the SUV away into the night.
The woman slowly removed her hand from Sophie's mouth and stepped back.
She clicked on a small tactical flashlight, casting a dim glow over her own face.
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Sophie gasped in pure shock, instantly recognizing the woman standing before her.
It was Claire, Thomas's first wife, who had supposedly perished in a fiery car crash five years ago.
