“Bring the damn boat,” I say. “Now.”
Holler doesn’t argue this time. “On my way.”
He’s there in under half an hour, engine rattling, his face hard the second he sees mine. We don’t talk much while we load her in. Brittany doesn’t let go of my arm.
I don’t tell her to.
The lake is black glass under the moon. Halfway across, something hits us.
Hard.
The boat lurches, water slaps up, and Brittany gasps and grabs me like she’s already falling.
“What the hell was that?” she breathes.
Holler glances over the side, squinting into the water. “Told you,” he mutters. “Lake monster.”
“Shut up,” I snap, but my hand tightens around Brittany anyway, because my body ain’t laughing.
The water settles.
Nothing surfaces.
Nothing shows itself.
We make it back to camp without another hit. Lights flicker between trees. Engines idle. Voices carry. The brothers are posted like sentries, and that tells me everybody felt the shift, even if they won’t name it out loud.
Lottie’s already on the dock when we pull up. She rushes forward and wraps Brittany up before I even finish tying off,
“You okay?” Lottie demands.
“There was someone in the walls,” Brittany says faint.
Lottie’s eyes flash to me, pure fury and fear braided together.
“We’ll talk,” I say.
Holler jerks his head toward their cabin. “You two stay there tonight.”
Lottie keeps Brittany close and guides her up the path. Brittany moves like she’s made of glass, but her chin is still up. Stubborn. Still herself.
I hang back just enough to scan the dark water again.
Something is wrong here.
Not just Pearly Gates. Not just Bethany. Not just some peeping pervert hiding in a floatel wall.
The lake feels alive tonight, like it’s listening. And whatever brushed that boat wasn’t small. But that’s crazy. That’s adrenaline talking. I take a deep breath.
I watch Brittany step into the cabin light, shoulders tight, jaw set like she’s refusing to be broken by a jealous wife or a lake monster or a perv in a wall.
I made the right call staying.
And I’ll make the right call again.
Even if it burns every damn thing else down.
Chapter 21
