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“So, you folks up here to grace the damp, or just passing through before the next storm hits?” she asked, her rings clicking against the plastic counter as she slid a gallon of milk across the scanner. She peered over her reading glasses with a sharp smile. “Haven’t seen that truck around these parts before.”

Nate opened his mouth, but I cut in before he could say anything.

“We’re staying near that little lakeside motel right near the highway. The Blue Pine Lodge? We drove through this morning,” I said, trying to keep my voice light and casual.

I felt Nate give me a look, but he didn’t say anything and directed his attention back to the cashier. Barb’s hand froze over a box of granola bars, her eyes darting between us like she couldn’t quite understand what was just said. But then she shrugged it off.

I bit my lip, wondering if I’d made a mistake by lying through my teeth. Best-case scenario, she just thought city folk were strange and would forget soon enough. That was what I hoped for, even if lying then would’ve been embarrassingly unnecessary. But the worst-case scenario was nothing I wanted to risk.

8

Ava

“Well, this is a hidden talent of yours,” I grinned at Ethan as he used a heavy chef’s knife to dice a pile of red potatoes on a makeshift cutting board, his movements quick and practiced.

He made a sound of dismissal, but there was a proud little smirk on his face. “It’s just the basics, really.”

“I think you have a very interesting idea of what constitutes the ‘basics’,” I replied, stirring a sizzling mountain of bacon and sliced onions in a giant cast-iron skillet.

I couldn’t believe that the general store stocked all these things. But at least I’d have my kitchen supplies sorted once the room was fully renovated. Ethan had graciously volunteered to help me prepare dinner the second Nate and I walked in, our arms full. We settled on a feast of thick-cut bacon, charred venison sausages, and a rustic potato hash with peppers and onions.

It was easy to prepare but hearty enough to satiate three towering mountains of muscle and their expected appetites. Or at least, it would be enough in theory. Deacon had already circled the kitchen counter three times like a shark who’d sniffed out blood, quiet but very clearly impatient.

It was nice, cooking with Ethan. We made small talk, and he told me about some of his favorite sights around the area, exposing himself as a total Valley boy who knew the place like the back of his own hand. He mentioned the weather, and how I’d have to get used to it being volatile and turning on a dime—like right now, with the sun peeking through a modest spread of clouds. I enjoyed listening to him. His eyes lit up when he was excited about something, and they just made me feel at ease for some reason.

Which was why, when Nate popped his head into the kitchen and asked if we could talk, I stiffened, wishing I could stay rooted to the spot.

“I’ll be right back,” I told Ethan, taking off my apron and wiping my hands with it before following Nate to a somewhat private corner of the cabin’s main living area. I put my hands on my hips, waiting for what I knew was coming.

He regarded me with seasoned curiosity, but his voice was firm. “Ava, why did you lie to the cashier back at the store?”

Was he always this direct? No preamble, no segue, just straight for the jugular.

“I don’t really make a habit of telling random strangers my business,” I answered.

“Small talk with small-town folk isn’t exactly a recipe for danger. Not around Blackwood,” he said. Then his gaze turned heavier, and he leaned down just close enough for my breath to hitch. “What’s going on? I know there’s more you aren’t telling me.”

Despite his insistence, Nate didn’t look annoyed or angry. His brown eyes instead held genuine concern. Those eyes were one of the few pieces of him that had remained exactly the same. The realization had me winding myself even tighter, more desperate not to let anything slip.

I took a step back. “I think you should focus on the job I’m paying you to do, and stop worrying about other stuff. Okay?”

I didn’t stay to hear his response or see the look on his face. I sidestepped him, heading straight for the front door to get the most of the sun while it was still up and shining. A sunbreak, Ethan had called it.

The dark lake was dead calm, reflecting the gray-blue sky above and the surrounding peaks like a sheet of glass. It was still cold but not freezing as it had been when we left earlier. There was just enough heat to make a walk along the boat dock pleasant.

The dock was a narrow, sixty-foot wooden walkway extending out into the deep water. The cedar planks were bleached by decades of weather, covered in green moss, and warped by winter freezes. Parts of it sagged where the support piling rotted at the waterline.

As I stepped onto the planks and began to walk, my mind drifted.

I’d tried my best to evade Nate’s questions. I couldn’t tell him I needed to keep my location a secret, because he was the type of man who would make it his business to find out what was going on. Simply because Jules was involved, and it was his self-proclaimed duty to protect her.

If he had known what we were doing…

I stopped for a second and let the cold sun soak into my skin. Jules and I had made a promise that no one else could know what we discovered, especially not Nate or anyone else that we cared about.

But I was only just starting to realize that I’d gotten in over my head. First Ethan, and now Nate. I was tempted to share the burden, not because I wanted their help, but because it had simply gotten too heavy to bear by myself. And without my best friend around to talk to as often as we used to, I felt utterly alone in the face of it.

I had almost reached the end of the walkway when a voice called out my name. From the shoreline. I turned and saw Deacon waving his hands, yelling something at me about being careful.