Page 56

The clinic spits me out right across from the river. Up close, it looks wider and faster than I expected, the surface glittering in the afternoon sunlight. Instead of heading back to the house, I walk towards the water, needing air after the stale plastic smell of the blood donation room.

A paved path curves along the riverbank, so I follow it upstream and let the sound of the current fill the silence.

I’m not in a hurry to return.

The tower rises over everything, tall enough to make the rest of the town seem tiny and harmless. Something dark lives up there while everyone down here is more concerned with trivial things like playdates and grocery lists.

A structure comes into view farther ahead, perched right on the water.

Canoes and kayaks lean against it in tidy stacks, while others lie overturned in the grass, as if dropped there in a hurry. The place looks deserted.

I slow down, drawn to the idea of a possible escape.

I imagine taking a boat and crossing over to Wisconsin. Or letting the current drag me south until I end up somewhere no one knows my name or expects anything from me.

It’s stupid to think I could. Even so, I step closer.

The shed door hangs partially open. Inside, sunlight spills across the wooden floor from the side facing the river, where no wall exists at all. Kayaks are stacked neatly on racks while a few canoes are tied up in the water, rocking gently, almost inviting me to take one.

The temptation rises. I shouldn’t get closer, but I do it anyway.

It would be so easy. Just go. Step into a boat and let the river decide the rest.

But I won’t do it. I wish I were the kind of girl who could disappear without looking back. I’m just not. The consequences would catch up to me.

I pull the medallion from my purse to feel its weight. I don’t regret asking for revenge. I only wish I knew what I agreed to in exchange.

A floorboard creaks behind me.

I spin.

“Edwin.” My hand flies to my chest to hold my heart in place.

He stands just inside the doorway, outlined by the bright afternoon sun. Dressed in black, of course, his long-sleeved shirt is unbuttoned halfway down, revealing the tattoos on his chest. Calm in that unnerving way of his, as if he’s been watching longer than I noticed. I slip the medallion back into my purse.

“Did you find anything out about my brother’s killer?”

He steps towards me, and only then do I realize how narrow the walkway is. Boats stacked on both sides of me. Water behind. To get around him, I would either have to squeeze against him or throw myself into the river.

“They’re making progress,” he says. “They found his car. Took paint samples from it to identify the car he hit and find the owner.”

The memory slams into me. The impact. The jolt through my body.

“Good.” My voice comes out too thin. I stiffen before continuing. “I’d ask how you’ll contact me once you hear more, but you always seem to know where I am.”

He gives a quiet hum of agreement and steps closer.

“You keep wandering off where you shouldn’t.”

A chill moves down my spine.

I try to move around him, but my foot catches on the uneven boards. I stumble towards the water.

His hand closes around my arm and pulls me back to him before I can fall.

The force of it leaves me pressed chest to chest with him. Heat rushes into my face. I can’t steady my breathing.

“I was just going home,” I say, and hate how small my voice sounds.