After he left, she pulled ingredients from the fridge and started a lemon-herb chicken marinade. Garlic, fresh thyme, a squeeze of lemon—simple, solid, reliable.
Her phone rang again. This call was about renting the event barn.
She laughed after she hung up, shaking her head a little. For the first time in weeks, things felt manageable. Heather and Sabrina had both reached out earlier, still shaken by whathad happened to her. Joy and Autumn checked in too. Autumn already wanted to come out and take more pictures once things settled.
Caleb hadn’t hovered all day, and she was grateful for that. Tonight they were meeting Ford and Tessa for dinner, conversation, something normal.
The day ended easily, the way it used to before everything changed, and soon they were on their way downtown to the Brick & Barrel.
“I can’t wait to try this place again,” said Mia. “Lainey was so excited when Brian Gallagher agreed to open it during the historic district renovation.”
Caleb glanced at the building. “Lainey doesn’t do things halfway.”
The brick building sat on the corner of Haywood Lake’s historic district. Inside, the gastropub hummed with life. Warm Edison bulbs hung from reclaimed beams, casting a soft glow across the brick walls and wood tables. The bar was a long sweep of polished walnut, lined with mismatched high-backed stools.
A chalkboard listed seasonal drinks, and the air carried the scent of roasted garlic, charred beef and beer.
They slid into a booth near the window. Tessa was already mid-story, hands moving as she talked. Ford smiled as if he didn’t mind hearing it again.
Food arrived; drinks clinked. The world narrowed to normal things. Mia leaned back against the booth. “I needed this,” she admitted softly.
Caleb nodded. “I know.”
Later, walking back to his truck, with the night air cool against her skin, Mia felt tired in the best way.
Ranger waited back at the cabin. She knew the cameras were on at the farmhouse.
Everything was quiet, and everything was where it should be.
At least for now.
CHAPTER 55
Dana awoke before dawn.The cabin was still.
No birds yet. No wind in the trees. Just the low creak of wood settling and the faint hum of the generator cycling on and off. She lay there for a minute, staring at the ceiling, listening.
Nothing was wrong.
Which meant everything was.
She rose and walked through the cabin barefoot, careful where she stepped. She learned the cabin’s sounds quickly. Which boards squeaked, which ones stayed quiet.
Then she checked the door. Locked, just like she’d left it.
But still the air felt wrong. She paused at the doorway, one hand resting on the handle, and scanned the trees again, slower this time. The tracks hadn’t changed.
She stepped inside and secured the door behind her.
She packed anyway. Only what mattered. No trash left behind. No fingerprints. She wiped down the surfaces she’d touched. The cabin had served its purpose.
Now it was a liability.
Dana had gone into town once for groceries. That was all it took. Talk of a fundraiser. Mia’s name spoken like a success story.
How Mia got out alive was beyond her. The damned woman just wouldn’t go away.
Instead, Mia resumed her life and Dana was in hiding.
