Sunbeams danced through the heavy tree cover, reflecting off the windshield. I squinted and used my hand to hide the glare as Jude cut the engine.
Silence descended upon us like a low fog, heavy and suffocating.
“I need you to make me a promise, Amelia,” Jude said as he leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes.
“What’s that?”
He let out a slow breath. “Don’t try to run away until after I’ve gotten some sleep.”
I thought it over as the weight of the last twenty-four hours made my chest ache. If what he said was true, it was mutually assured destruction if either of us gave the other up.
I couldn’t get complacent. No matter how much it seemed like he was on my side, the side he was most on was his own.
If I was Jude’s escape plan, that also meant I was his bargaining chip. If John Valentine came after us the way Jude believed he would, I was his get-out-of-jail-free card.
I fingered the soft cotton of the clothes Jude had gotten for me from the gas station. It was thoughtful. Sure, I looked absolutely ridiculous, but it was better than a dress and bare feet.
Realization dawned on me.
It wasn’t kindness. It wasmanipulation. He was trying to lull me into a false sense of security, the way he had at the casino—helping me and giving me tips.
But at the casino, he had only ever tried to warn me away. Even then, he knew what would happen if I kept showing up. And when he realized just how stubborn I was, he tried to help me stay safe in the lion’s den.
Every possible iteration of his intentions and what might happen out here warred in my mind. A yawn of exhaustion came out on top. “I’m too tired to make promises I won’t keep,” I said. “Are you going to tell me where we are?”
“The Monongahela National Forest. So if you do run, you should be more afraid of the land than the people hunting us,” Jude said, ignoring the lack of my promise. He wasn’t at all surprised, and I respected that. At least we were seemingly on the same page.
Tiredness crept in like a fast-acting drug. It felt like the chloroform wrapping me in a deceitful hug once more. “Either take me to a bed or kill me right here. I just want to sleep,” I said.
Jude chuckled. “Come on, little fox.”
I eased out on weak legs. Any strength I had left had been sapped by the spontaneous road trip. My knees buckled the second I set foot on the ground.
“Whoa there,” Jude said as he appeared at my side.How did someone so big move so silently? And so fast?His hands spanned my waist, keeping me upright until I found my footing on the damp ground.
Leaves littered every inch of the ground. I blinked at the cabin until it came into focus. It wasn’t run-down per se, but it was . . . quaint.
“Home sweet home,” Jude said as he took my hand and led me to the front door. I didn’t miss the way he slipped his fingers between mine or the gentle, reassuring squeeze he offered. “Watch your step.”
I froze. “Are there booby traps?”
Jude’s eyes immediately dropped to my chest.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh my god. Could you be more immature? I said booby trap. Not boobs. I just need to know if I’m going to fall into a giant pit of spikes.”
He smiled sheepishly and turned his gaze back to the house that was—is it actually leaning or am I just delirious?
A cricket jumped out from beneath a pile of leaves and hopped onto my bare toes. I shrieked as I leaped into the air, all but jumping out of my skin.
Jude did nothing but stare at me with a raised eyebrow.
“Did you see that thing?!” I shrieked. “It was the size of a mouse!” I wiggled and curled my toes against the foam flip-flops, as if I could still feel it on my skin.
He blinked at me, then huffed. “I mean this in the nicest way possible, but please don’t run. I’m genuinely concerned about what would happen to you if you tried.”
“Maybe I’m just lulling you into a false sense of security,” I said as I kept a watchful eye on the ground, tiptoeing around anything that could hide something jumpy or slithery. “Maybe I was a Girl Scout. Maybe I go camping and hiking on the weekends. Maybe I?—”
“Snake,” Jude said calmly, pointing near my right foot.
