The Girl Who Cried Wolf by Paige Tyler Page A

arrived at their destination?
    The car came to a stop and Sherman turned off the engine. Not a back road, then. Her heart pounded as the car door opened, then closed. Footsteps crunched on the gravel along the side of the car, then came to a stop. The trunk opened and Sherman loomed above her.
    Even though she wasn’t fond of the close confines of the trunk, Kat shied away as he reached for her. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to hide and he hauled her out without too much trouble. She balled her fists and tried to punch him, but Sherman was a big guy. He simply wrapped the tree trunks he called arms around her and carried her toward a small log cabin. At least she thought it was a log cabin. It was difficult to see in the dark. Sherman shifted his grip just long enough to open the door so he could drag her inside, but then put both arms around her again.
    Kat blinked as bright light flooded the cabin. When her eyes adjusted, she looked around. She’d expected the cabin to be a pigsty, but instead it was tidy and well-cared for, even charming. With its handcrafted quilts and country-style furnishings, it looked almost feminine. Did Sherman have a girlfriend or wife? If he did, maybe she could appeal to the woman.
    Sherman kicked the door shut with his foot, then dragged her across the living room and into the small kitchen, where he pushed her down into a straight-backed chair. Grabbing the length of rope on the table, he roughly jerked Kat’s arms behind her back and bound her wrists tightly together. Sherman gave the ropes an experimental tug before coming around to stand in front of her. He’d taken off his sunglasses and his eyes were cold and hard as he regarded her. It took everything in Kat not to look away.
    “It’s Carl, isn’t it?” she asked.
    His eyes narrowed. “How do you know my name?”
    “My b-boyfriend,” she stammered. “He’s my brother’s partner.”
    Sherman’s mouth tightened. “Figures Sinclair knew I was out. That’s gonna take some of the thunder out of my surprise.”
    “Carl.” Her voice trembled and she tried again. “I know you want to get back at my brother for putting you in prison, but kidnapping me is only going to send you right back there. If you let me go now—”
    “I don’t want to get back at Sinclair for putting me in jail. I want to make him pay for what he did to my sister.”
    She frowned. “What did he do to your sister?”
    “That son of a bitch let her die all alone in this cabin.” Sherman’s voice broke. “She got real sick and with me in jail there was no one to take care of her. I should have been here for her, and it’s Sinclair’s fucking fault that I wasn’t. I couldn’t even go to her funeral, dammit. I figure a sister for a sister is only fair.”
    Even though Sherman had kidnapped her and tied her to a chair, she still felt sorry for him and his loss. How crazy was that?
    However, that didn’t mean she was okay with being kidnapped.
    Kat wanted to point out that it was his fault, that he wouldn’t have been in jail if he hadn’t committed a crime, and that Dylan had only been doing his job. But Sherman wasn’t going to see the logic in that.
    “I’m sorry about your sister, Carl,” she said quietly. “But killing me isn’t going to bring her back.”
    The hatred in his eyes made her shiver. “I ain’t gonna kill you, bitch. I’m going to fucking bury you alive.”
    All the air seemed to leave her lungs, and Kat couldn’t breathe. Sherman’s words echoed over and over in her head.
    I’m going to fucking bury you alive.
    “I thought about killing you, then dumping your body somewhere for Sinclair to find,” Sherman continued. “But then I figured he wouldn’t suffer enough that way. So, I’m gonna call him and tell him what I did to you. I might even tell him where you are. After it’s too late for him to save you.”
    She let out a strangled sob. “You don’t have to do this, Carl.”
    Sherman didn’t answer. He