Chapter 13 - The Standoff
She rushed to the cracked window of the cabin. A massive helicopter was touching down in the clearing just beyond the tree line, its floodlights cutting through the snowstorm and illuminating the cabin. Her husband stepped out, wearing a long black overcoat, flanked by half a dozen heavily armed men. "You can't hide from me," his voice echoed through the phone. "Bring my daughter out, and I'll let you walk away. Keep fighting, and I burn that cabin to the ground with all of you inside." She looked at Lily, who was trembling, clutching the old wool blanket. She looked at the wounded hunter. She had the evidence, but it meant nothing if they died in this frozen wasteland. "Okay," she said into the phone. "I'm coming out. Alone." She hid the folded paper inside Lily's shoe. "Stay with him," she whispered to her daughter, kissing her forehead. She opened the cabin door and stepped out into the blinding light of the helicopter, holding her hands up. Her husband smiled, but as she walked toward him, she heard the distinct sound of a gun racking behind her.
