Plus, I looked right through the window. There was no one out there.
No sound has come from outside my room either.
I’m alone.
I think.
Just in case, I bend over and look under the bed anyway.
Empty.
Of course it is.
Of course I’m being ridiculous.
I plant my sneakers on the floor, eager to get out there, to look for him.
It’s crazy how, even after an hour alone in this room, the pull hasn’t eased. It pounds through me, and it won’t be silenced.
Heat creeps up my cheeks as I press my fingers to my bra, over the charm he tossed at me. Warm against my skin, it feels alive. Whispering. Calling.
The strangeness of this town fades the more I focus on the man I’m going to see.
A small smile tugs at my lips as I set my book aside. I never snuck out as a teenager. Never rebelled against anything or anyone.
First time for everything.
The nervous energy inside me is explosive as I spray on deodorant, pocket my scalpel, and tread carefully toward the door.
As I tiptoe around the creaking floorboards, I consider my scalpel. I’m not even sure why I’m carrying it. These people aren’t murderers.
The worst Ma could do is scold me again for being nosy. Papa and Jett, as big as they are, seem harmless.
Then there’s him. He hid from me. From Ma.
But he isn’t a monster, I’ve already established that.
He’s a man.
A man I’m attracted to.
My hand hovers over the door handle when I hear sounds coming from the hallway.
Scraping, and then?—
“Mmm! Mmm!”
The butterflies in my stomach drop dead in an instant. They weigh heavily on me, causing my whole body to freeze in place as all the air whooshes from my lungs.
“Mmm!” Bronwyn, I can tell it’s her.
Her mouth must be clamped shut.
Someone’s kidnapping her.
My teeth chatter without permission, and I grind them together to quiet the tremors.
Thankfully, danger floods me with adrenaline, burning through the fear.
