Tonight is turning out to be a new record for bad decisions. I click it closed and shove it in the middle compartment, then check the time.How long is he going to be?An ETA would be good to know.
My eyes sweep the silent forest. It’s dark and haunting, layered in thick shadows. A squirrel darts across the hood of the car, then scrambles up the trunk of a tree before she settles on a branch, nibbling on whatever treasure she found.
Wonder if she’d share? I skipped the pineapple pizza, and now my stomach is staging a protest. In my defense, I didn’t plan on getting kidnapped.Curious, I glance over my shoulder, half hoping Hugo has some snacks stacked in the backseat, when a sharp scream rips through the air—high-pitched, raw, and trembling.
Even the forest seems to hold its breath.
What was that?
My eyes skim the boundary of the lodge. There doesn’t seem to be any movement.
One moment. Two. Then another muffled deep cry. My stomach twists. I snatch Penny’s phone and jump out of the car, keypad ready on 999 as I start down the muddy path with slow, cautious steps.
I stop a few feet from the lodge, eyes searching the dark trees around me, the shimmering lake in the faint moonlight, the dim windows of the dwelling.
No sound. Nothing.
Did it come from the forest? It did sound like a wounded animal.
A light glow on the eastern side of the lodge catches my attention. I tiptoe through the long tapestry of gold and rust under the trees, threaded all the way to the French doors. My feet hesitate, dreading what I might see. Mason didn’t mention what his business was, and I’m not sure I want to know. But if someone is hurt…
When I draw closer, I see a silhouette of a thin man in the ground-floor room. I don’t hear anything now. But I definitely did. Shall I check? Wait for Mason? My eyes peer through the haze behind the half-drawn curtains.
I climb a few more steps up and stop at the top of the clearing, watching, waiting, my index finger still hovering over the dial.
Then, in a flash, a man appears at the door. An old, wrinkled, expressionless face.
I shriek and jump back.
But he doesn’t move. Dark eyes staring into nothing. A long, frightening scar drags along his jaw. He stares at me for a long moment while I stand frozen, my heels digging into wet mud. Then in a flash, he disappears.
“The fuck are you doing here?” A wall of muscle materializes behind me.
My hands fly to my mouth until they meet the familiar shade of dark brown.
“Fuck.” I let my hands fall to Mason’s chest. “You scared me.”
“What part ofstaying putwasn’t clear?” Mason towers over me.
“I heard a scream. There is someone there.” I point toward the back of the lodge. “I think they might need help.”
Mason’s nostrils flare. His hands raise toward my face, curled fingers shaking in rage as if he’s contemplating whether to strangle me or not. His lips move soundlessly before he composes himself.
“So just be clear, you are safe and sound in the car, then you hear a strange sound coming from the dark woods, and that fucked-up brain of yours tells you to go toward it?”
I open my mouth, then close it and point to the French doors again. “What if they need help or an ambulance? You wouldn’t have gone and checked?”
“I’m not a five-foot-five girl who is scared of fucking spiders, Eva,” he roars, exasperated.
“Okay then, six-foot-six hellion, why don’t you go check?” I cross my arms at my chest. He doesn’t move. Just stares at me like the dick he is. “Please?” I stomp my foot.
He lets out a long exhale and rubs his forehead. “Fine.” He takes a few steps down the slope. I start to follow, but he whirls around and points at my shoes. “Stay fucking put,” he barks.
I roll my eyes, but step back. Mason heads to the French doors and slips inside the lodge, like he’s used to doing that. When he’s out of sight, I take a few careful steps toward them. Through the window’s warped glass, I spot the old man settled in a rocking chair, the light from the fireplace throwing his long shadow against the wall.
His scarred face—I know that face.
I watch through the glass, as Mason helps him with a drink,then fiddles with the television in the far corner, before he turns and walks back to me. His jaw ticks when he finds me outside the doors.
