Page 10 of The Wrong Drive

Really freaking confused.

“I should probably call my boyfriend.” I pause, my voice quiet. “Well, ex, I think,” I add under my breath, the realization causing my chest to ache. I look up at him when he’s still silent. “Can I use your phone?”

He’s unmoving. “No.”

“Youshotmine,” I exasperate, the volume of my voice scorching the quiet crackle of the fireplace. “He could be out inthat.” I gesture to the window. “He’s probably worried.”

The man’s cold expression doesn’t budge. “Okay.”

My shoulders slump. “Ineedto let him know I’m okay. He’ll probably call the cops, and?—”

He shrugs. “They won’t find you.”

I blink a few times to clear the moisture brimming my eyes. “I don’t understand. He’s going to come looking for me.”

“He’d be an idiot to try that in this storm. If there was a search, they’ve called it off by now.” His voice is so monotone, it’s creepy. “They’ll wait until it passes.”

“You don’t know that,” I say stupidly.

“Okay.”

My heart hammers against my ribcage.Who are you?I want to shout at him, but his aura is intimidating—and almost as frightening as the charged silence in the room. My palms sweat and the warmth in here is now suffocating. I eye the door to my left.

“You’ll succumb to the elements within an hour.”

“You don’t know that.” I sound like a complete idiot as I repeat myself, and for the moment, I justify it with the hit on the back of my head. The man doesn’t react to anything, continuing to sit there in the chair and assumingly stare at me. I shift uncomfortably.

“You should hydrate.” He nods to the side table.

I follow his gaze to the bottle of water sitting there. It’s open. “Can I have one that’s still sealed?”

“You think I’m roofying you?”

I swallow hard.Jeez, this man makes me nervous.“I don’t know you.”

“I don’t know you, either. I think it’s fair to assume you’re the one who trespassed ontomyproperty. Therefore,youare more likely to be a threat.”

I narrow my eyes. “You tried to shoot?—”

“Just drink the fucking water,” he barks at me.

I nod out of fear, trying to reason with myself. Maybe he’s just an introvert and so he’s cranky I’m here. I mean, anyone who lives in a cabin alone with their dog and shoots phones out of people’s hands has to be recluse.Or insane.But maybe he’s paranoid? Doom’s day prepper. I cast my gaze over him again.

Maybe.

“You’re a good shot,” I think aloud, the mental image of my shattered phone coming back to mind. He could’ve easily misjudged with the wind and low visibility—andkilledme.Or maybe that’s what he was trying to do.

He doesn’t say anything to my comment, and anxiety creeps into my chest. I’ve always been the annoying kind of person who talks to fill the space. I hate that quality about myself. I’d change it about me in a heartbeat.

But I’m alsosofreaking confused and terrified by this situation.

He shot my phone, his dog trailed me through the woods, and then he knocked me unconscious. I’m not bound and gagged… But there’s also nowhere for me to go.

And what about my change of pants?

I push my hair out of my face and wrap my arms around myself. Never mind the breakup—er, break when it comes to Adam. This is much,muchworse. I’m probably in a house of horrors, and this is just the beginning.

All I can do is hope like hell there’s a search team out there coming for me. There’s no way Adam would just let medisappearlike this. My hands begin to tremble in my lap, and I swing my legs down, my feet hitting the cold hardwood floors.I shiver. All the while, the man’s dark eyes just bore into me, gauging my every move.

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