“How are you doing with this whole thing, by the way?” I asked with gentle caution.
Emersyn was a strong person, she prided herself on it, but it hadn’t been that long ago where she faced one of her worst nightmares—the Shadow Stalker himself. It couldn’t be easy working on something so close to wounds that were still healing.
She waved me off, though something in her expression sharpened. “I’m good. It’s easier to keep busy, keep working. This is all a part of my job with the podcast anyway. I love what I do, even when it’s hard.”
I nodded. I understood that.
“But something is different with Skye. This isn’t—I mean, I’m not sure it’s normal.”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “She can get kind of obsessive about things when she’s working.”
I tried not to linger on the memories in the depths of my mind, pushing their way toward the surface. Memories of how she used to come to my house and hunker down at my desk to work on school projects for hours on end. She was good at school, committed herself to her studies and got good grades. She wanted scholarship offers, and when she set her mind to something, she usually accomplished it.
I’d always admired her. She inspired me in many ways, pushed me to be better.
“I don’t know her that well,” Emersyn continued, and I focused my attention back on her—not the past. “But it seemed like she wasn’t distracted with the documentary, but rather something else.”
My brow furrowed. Before I could speak, the ringing of a phone cut me off.
Emersyn reached into her pocket. Her eyes widened when she glanced at the screen. “Weird.” She looked up at me briefly before answering the phone. “Hey, Skye.”
My spine straightened.
Emersyn was silent as she listened to whatever Skye said on the other end.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, worry pinching the bridge of her nose.
My foot tapped in an anxious rhythm. A long time seemed to pass before Emersyn got another word in.
“I don’t know if I’d be able to fix that,” she stared directly at me, “but I know someone who probably does.”
Thiswasaboutthelast place I wanted to be.
I studied the surrounding woods as I got out of Emersyn’s vehicle. The cabin Skye had rented was very secluded. My nerves buzzed with quiet alarm as we headed toward the front door, as if someone was watching through the thick brush on the outskirts of the property.
And who was to say there wasn’t? Again, I was bothered by how unsafe it was for her to be out here in the middle of the woods by herself.
I shouldn’t care about what’s safe for her anymore, though. She could look out for herself. She always had.
It was easier said than done.
“Thank you for coming,” Emersyn said as we stepped up onto the small front porch.
I stuffed my hands in my jacket pockets. It’s not like I could’ve said no when she asked me to come. Apparently, Skye was having some sort of computer emergency…and I was the computer guy.
Although I had told myself I wasn’t going to get involved with the Shadow Stalker documentary, this was different. If Skye was having technical issues, she couldn’t do her work. The longer it took her to make this thing, the longer she would be here interruptingmylife.
I had come here for me, really. To make sure she could get out of this town as fast as she had left it.
“Let’s get this over with,” I muttered, nodding toward the door.
A faint line creased Emersyn’s forehead, but she didn’t say anything before knocking.
Skye opened the door almost immediately, and my breath caught.
She looked worse than I’d last seen her.
Skye was still stunningly beautiful, of course. She always was. But her usual rich, vibrant skin was pale and ashy. Her eyes seemed tired, shadowed in dark circles. Her cheeks seemed hollower than when I’d last seen her, as if she wasn’t eating enough.
