Chapter One
Tessa
The sun is setting fast, and the building clouds aren’t helping matters. The sky has turned gray and moody—the little I can see through the towering mountain peaks, that is. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the mountains. I’d forgotten how big they really are and how small they always make me feel.
The highway gave way to a much narrower road about twenty minutes ago. Right about the time the GPS on my phone cut out, the screen flashed uselessly before going completely blank.
Perfect.
I probably should turn around and head back to the nearest city, but that’s hoursbehind me now. Besides, I’ve already come this far, and I can’t give up on anything else. Not now.
My hands tighten on the steering wheel as the road curves upward, the forest closing in on both sides. The tall pines close out what little light is left. There are no streetlights out here. No houses. No… nothing.
I haven’t passed another car in I don’t even know how long. The worry and doubt I’ve been trying to push down are starting to creep in. Maybe I should have called first. Maybe I should have told someone—anyone—what I was doing or where I was going.
It’s fine, I tell myself. I’m fine. This is fine. Everything is going to befine.
The last forty-eight hours have been filled with life-altering decisions; driving to my father’s house unannounced hardly seems like a big deal compared to everything I just left behind.
I blow out a breath and refocus on the road. I just need to keep going a little bit longer.
Then, as if I’ve manifested it, my headlights catch on something ahead.
A worn wooden sign stands just off the shoulder of the road. The paint is faded, butI can make out the words carved deep in the wood.
IRON PEAK
I stare at the sign as I drive by, excitement and fear battling within me. My dad has lived on this remote mountain ever since he left my mom and me when I was twelve, but I’ve never been here. He always said it was too remote. Too wild. Too…much.
It’s taken me fourteen years, but I finally decided to see for myself. Was it Iron Peak he was trying to keep me away from? Or was he just trying to keepmeaway?
I no longer know.
My dad chose this place when everything else in his life fell apart. He chose it over me. I need to see for myself what the appeal is.
Seeing the name on the sign makes it more real. There’s no going back now.
There’s also no going much farther, either. Not until I get more specific instructions to Dad’s place. The only address I’ve ever had was for his post box in town.
I’d planned to call when I got close, but judging by my still-dead phone, that isn’t much ofan option.
Soon, the trees clear a little to reveal a main street. It’s not much.
There are a handful of storefronts, half of which look abandoned. There’s a general store, closed for the day, and… a pub!
Perfect.
They’ll have a phone.
I park my car between two huge trucks, both splattered with mud, their tires almost as tall as my little hatchback. I grab my purse and my now-useless phone, eying the weathered sign swinging above the door as I get out of the car.
THE RUSTY NAIL
Maybe they’ll have free Wi-Fi or a landline, or… literally anything I can call my dad with.
I push the door open and step inside. The noise dies before the door swings shut behind me.
The noise dies. Not completely, but just enough that it feels like everyone is holding their breath. A chair scrapes across the floor. Someone coughs.
