Page 47 of The House Beyond the Dunes

The anger flaring in his gaze cools to concern. “Look, you seem nice, Lane. You’ve had a bad time. I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

As I look down the road, I know I’m out of my depth here. The side alleys of Norfolk are familiar territory, but not this untamed place. “Devon told me you both grew up here with Kyle.”

Reece draws in a breath. “That’s right.”

“She said you and Kyle didn’t get along.”

“Life took us in separate directions, is all. No harm, no foul.”

Who was Kyle Iverson? He swept into my life, tried to remake me, died at my side, and knew a missing woman named Stevie Palmer?

As I stand my ground, I feel less like an errant kid. I find a steadier voice. “I can’t picture Kyle here.”

“Three weeks is hardly enough time to get to know a person.”

“True, but—”

Reece is shaking his head and cuts me off. “Get in the truck. I’ll drive you back.”

“I can walk back.”

“Lane, it’s not safe. Please, get in the truck.”

Hearing his concern, I slide into the passenger-side seat, grateful to be off my hip and inside the truck’s warmth, which chases after the chill burrowing in my bones.

“Tell me about Kyle,” I say.

He stares out the windshield. “He always talked about getting out. He hated living up here. Didn’t want any part of this life. Seemed once he did escape, he’d never look back.”

“Escape. Is that how you feel about this place?”

“There’s a lot of raw beauty up here. But it’s a hard living.”

“If Kyle detested this area so much, why build a house up here?”

“Take the boy out of the woodlands ...”

“But not the woodlands out of the boy,” I say.

“He liked his privacy, and it doesn’t get much more private than up here.” His frown deepens. “We’ve got more weather coming in. It could be a rough night.”

My original plan to grab and go now feels inadequate. Weather aside, I realize, I’m not ready to leave yet.

“Leave as soon as you can,” he says. “No good will come of you being here.”

“I’m not doing anything wrong.”

He shakes his head. “You’re better off returning to your regular life. Forget about Kyle and this place. Consider yourself lucky you survived.”

“I’m not ready to go.” I’m surprised at the force in my voice, so I soften it a little. “Not yet.”

“Why? What is here for you?”

“I’m not sure.” Seeing Stevie’s name in the journal triggered a shift in me. Earl’s comments raised fresh questions. He stared at me as if he were looking at a ghost. “Devon said I could stay for a few more days. I think I’ll be fine.”

He frowns. “If you want a tour of the forest and woodlands, I can take you.”

It’s just the two of us out here now. I don’t know this guy, and my Spidey sense tingles along the back of my neck like it does when I’m crossing a dark Norfolk parking lot. I have my cell, but it’s not fully charged, and reception bars are scarce and flickering. I reach for my door handle just in case. “I want to see the house where Kyle grew up.”

---