Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Shit.
I hid behind the tree again, lowering to a squat. They couldn’t see me here. It was too dark. I peeked around the edge of the tree, then cupped my mouth to refrain from gasping. Someone stood at the edge of the woods, peering into the darkness. They were only a few steps away. I wasn’t sure which brother it was, but I could hear him breathing. My heart drummed an uneven beat. If he walked any closer, he’d catch me.
“Just get in the fucking house,” Alex snapped. His voice was distant.
I took another peek, and the men were rounding the house to reach the front porch. Once they were out of sight, I made a dash for it back to the rental. Without the flashlight on, it was tricky sticking to the trail. I got caught in a few branches and nearly tripped over roots but, eventually, I found the cottage lights.
I made it back to the front door, breathing raggedly as I shot up the porch. Once inside, I slammed and locked the door. I stood there for a moment, panting as I replayed the situation with the Reeds in my head.
I’m not going to prison because both of you want to act like fucking idiots. What did Alex mean by that? Go to prison? For what?
He’d obviously taken Eve’s purse, but why would he do that unless he had something to hide? I pressed my forehead to the door and squeezed my eyes shut.
What did they do to Eve?
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
The smartest thing for me to do was call the police. Any sane person would’ve done it. But the sheriff was the Reeds’ uncle. There was no way in hell he was going to believe me enough to investigate them. I had no proof that they’d done anything to Eve other than having her purse, which was an easy out. Eve’s purse could’ve been anywhere. They could easily lie and say they’d never seen it.
The charred necklace was also an easy out. Eve could’ve been distraught and tossed it into the fireplace out of anger. They’d probably not find any fingerprints on it other than mine now. I stood in the bedroom with all the curtains closed as I paced back and forth.
It wasn’t safe to stay in this house anymore. Not when they could access it so easily. What did that family even have to do with Eve? I had no clue who those men were. I’d never seen them before, not a day in my life. Eve knew a lot of people, but I had reason to believe she didn’t know the Reeds before her visit to Aquilla Lake.
Her camera was still on the bed. I picked it up and powered it on again. The battery was at an even lower percentage. I turned it off, tucked it into my overnight bag, then started packing up all my shit. I’d be damned if I stuck around just to go missing too.
I carried everything with me to the living room where my purse and keys were. After double checking that I had everything (including my gun), I left the cottage and jumped into the car. Screw cleaning up and emptying the trash as a courtesy. They could do it themselves. I turned the key fob to start the car but the unexpected happened.
My engine stalled. I tried again. The engine sputtered.
“What? No. Come on.”
I tried once more to no avail. A knock sounded on my window and I shrieked.
“Oh shit! Sorry!” Alex took a large step back with his hands raised. “I didn’t mean to scare you!”
My hands shook as I blew out a breath. “It’s . . . it’s fine. What, um . . . why are you here?”
“What?” he cupped his ear.
“Why are you here?” I repeated in a louder voice.
“Oh. You told me to come and check in with you if I remembered anything. About Eve.” His voice was muffled but I could make out what he was saying.
“Okay?” What was he playing at? I glanced at my purse, where my gun was tucked away. I had every urge to take it out and place it on my lap, just so he wouldn’t try anything reckless. I resisted though.
“Are you coming out of the car?”
“No. I’m good in here.”
He gave me a funny look. Then he put on a crooked smile, huffing. The smile was charismatic, almost boyish. A deceptive display.
“Um, okay. Well, like I told you. I didn’t personally run into your friend,” he said loudly, “but Damian just told me that he saw Eve hanging out around the lake with some guy. I remember now because Damian was so pissed about it. He said he caught the guy peeing in the water or something.”
“What did he look like?”
“He said he was tall. Short, dark hair. Native American or Hispanic maybe?”