I took a step away from him. Bringing him here was a mistake. If he didn’t remember me, he shouldn’t remember Mom, but the scent permeating this place had triggered him.
I went with the truth. “Many years ago, this used to be my home.”
His attention snapped to me. “When?”
“Too many years to count,” I said softly. Our feet crunched over damp leaves and broken glass. To the left was the small spot I used to sleep in, my old, tattered blanket still lying on the floor. “I used to sleep there,” I said, pointing to the dirty corner.
Ethan glanced over. His expression went thunderous. “Did you take your bed?”
I let out a harsh laugh. “I never had a bed growing up. If I were really lucky, Mom might toss me some extra hay.”
I could sleep anywhere and in any conditions after living with her. The ground, a tree, a bed of metal spikes, it didn’t matter. If I needed rest, I could take it wherever I landed.
“You slept on the floor like a dog?” Ethan asked quietly. I turned to see his eyes glowing.
I blinked. “It was a long time ago.”
Ethan pointed to the small room on the other side. The door hung lopsided, but we could see a small wooden bed inside the room. “Your mother slept there while you were here?”
I nodded.
His fists tightened at his sides. “Why are we here?”
My gaze swept the room until I found the small knot in the floor. “There.” I went over and dug my index finger into the groove, prying up the wood to expose a rusted handle. “Mind helping me?”
Ethan strode over, bent, and jerked the handle up. The wood gave with a loud screech and puff of foul air.
We both coughed and stepped back to wait for the dust to settle.
“No electricity,” Ethan observed. “Sure you want to go down there?”
I pulled out my cell and turned my flashlight on. “Technology is amazing.”
He plucked it from my hand. “I’ll go first.”
I waited until he turned away before smiling.
The first loud creak of the ladder made me wince. Ethan wasn’t overly bulky, but this house was old as hell. So old it should be on a historical registry somewhere, but no one else knew it was here.
When he was far enough down, I followed.
Firm hands wrapped around my waist. I gasped at the feel of Ethan’s calloused fingers on my exposed skin but let him set me down. He dropped his hands and stepped away. “The last rung is rusted out. Didn’t want you to fall.”
“Thanks.”
We stared at each other awkwardly before I turned to see if Mom had left me anything useful or if this was just another dead end to this never ending road.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
The makeshift shelves had sagged over lifetimes of moisture and weight. Piles and piles of books lay haphazardly scattered over the scarred surfaces. Most were useless. Others had been completely destroyed by mold and moisture.
But those were not what I was looking for. “Be careful in here,” I told Ethan. “Especially against the walls.”
Ethan nodded, his watchful gaze taking in everything.
I walked toward the back and moved a heavy table out of the way. Ethan came over to help, easily lifting his side. Behind the table was a dusty brick wall.
