Page 103 of Better Hide

“Not while we’re driving.” Jayden gets in and pulls off. “Strap her in, fucker.”

Cole grumbles, then leans over to me. “Safety first, princess.”

We drive for an hour while Cole rambles stories about when he and Jayden were kids. Most of the stories involve something embarrassing Jayden did. I know Cole’s trying to distract me, and I appreciate it. I keep glancing at the phone monitor, which also gives me peace. After about an hour, Jayden reaches into the front seat and tosses something back. “Put this on.”

I blink as it lands on my thigh. It’s a black piece of fabric. Cole snatches it up. “Blindfold time.”

“Wait, no–” I protest, but Cole wraps the blindfold around my head.

“Say no again; it gets me hot.”

Cole’s heavy hands land on mine, pinning them to my lap so I can’t mess with it. Excitement thrums through my veins. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing you won’t like.” Cole squeezes my hands.

I feel the truck roll to a stop, and then Cole’s door pops open. Hot air rushes in, and immediately, I notice it smells fresh. Cole helps me scoot to the edge of the seat, then grabs me and carries me over his shoulder.

“Put me down,” I giggle.

“You hear something, Jay?”

I raise my hand to try and peek out of my blindfold. Someone swats it back down, then Jayden says, “Nope, didn’t hear shit.”

I’m carried for a bit, and then it sounds like we are walking up some steps. I hear the birds and the frogs, but other than that, there’s nothing.

A door opens.

“Ready, lemon drop?”

Cole sets me down. Immediately, I reach up to take the blindfold off. Where the hell are we?

Warm hands help me pull it off, and instantly, I’m greeted with the sight of a living room with exposed wooden beams. The kitchen is on the right, there’s a spiral staircase to the left, and bear and moose decor.

I stand frozen. It’s…the cabin. The cabin they first took me to.

I blink. No, it’s not the cabin. Things are different. All the windows are open, and warm air floods gently in. The bears and moose on the decor have traditional Mexican clothing stitched onto them. In addition, the kitchen is much more advanced. The most recent amenities are set up, and there’s a wooden sign that says ‘Lemon Drop’s kitchen.’

Emotion fills me. I pull in a breath and turn.

Both men are looking at me with soft expressions.

“What? How?”

“You like it?” Cole grins.

Nostalgia hits me. I turn back around and look at it all again. The space is so homey, warm, and welcoming. A smile moves across my face. Despite everything, I’ve missed this place.

I turn back to the men. “You built this?”

Cole smiles. “Missed it too much. Loved the things we did here.” In an instant, a predatory look sweeps over his face. He watches me intensely.

It makes me freeze. I glance at Jayden. He also looks at me like I’m a piece of steak and he hasn’t eaten in weeks. I haven’t seen them look like this in a long time. They’ve both been in dad mode for so long, but this? This is exactly what they used to look like. Mean and hungry.

The front door is still open, and Cole shuts it slowly while watching me. He slowly flicks the lock over. “You want to explore?”

I swallow. Cole’s pupils are blown. Jayden’s are, too, and he watches me with utter focus.

“What are you doing?”

---