Page 3 of Her Mountain Man Protector
I open the door and my stomach drops when I see two cops standing there, a man and a woman.
“Good evening, Sir,” the man says.
My thoughts immediately flash to Isabelle. Some kind of accident in the woods. A mountain lion. A cliff. My blood runs cold, but the other cop notices my expression, quickly reassuring me, “Nothing to worry about, sir. We’re just here to ask a few questions about a missing person.”
“Missing person?” I frown. “Who?”
“Her name is Mila Van Alstyne. She ran away from Highcrest Castle this afternoon. Twenty-four, dark hair, average height. Last seen heading into the woods wearing a white wedding dress.”
I raise an eyebrow. This Mila girl sounds pretty damn hard to miss.
“Sorry, haven’t seen her,” I tell them.
They both nod, unsurprised.
“I notice you have a shed back there,” the woman says. “Do you think we could take a look inside? We think she might be hiding. Just want to make sure she’s safe.”
I shrug. “Sure.”
The cops follow me outside, to the back of the cabin. I haven’t gotten around to dealing with the shed yet. It’s a big wooden outbuilding full of Ralph’s old junk—broken furniture, old tools, scrap metal. The door doesn’t have a lock, and it slides open easily.
“Sorry,” I say. “Light doesn’t work.”
The cops pull out their flashlights, shining the beams into the jumble of crap. It’s like a scrapyard in here, the room bulging with everything from stacks of old tires to a sagging couch in thefar corner. Whenever something broke beyond repair, it looks like Ralph just dumped it in here.
“Mind if we get a closer look?”
“No problem, officers.”
I duck my head and step into the shed with the cops in tow. Despite the clutter, it’s a big place—almost basement-sized. I wade through the junk as the cops shine their flashlights around, and as I reach the corner of the room, I catch an unfamiliar scent. Something sweet and floral. Totally unlike the rest of the shed’s damp and musty smell.
I follow my nose until I reach the old couch. Peering behind it, I catch sight of a glint of white in the shadows. It’s almost impossible to see what it is, so I pull my phone from my pocket and turn on the flashlight, shining it behind the couch.
Holy shit.
My heart leaps to my throat, and I let out a grunt of surprise. A young woman is crouching behind the couch, her white dress spilling around her in a puddle of silk. She’s beautiful…and terrified as hell. I’ve never seen anyone look so damn scared. She holds my gaze and raises a trembling finger to her lips.
Don’t tell,I can almost hear her begging me.
Please don’t tell.
Then my flashlight dies. Low battery.
“Found something?” asks one of the cops from across the room. She must have noticed the way I’ve stopped moving, frozen as I stare into the darkness where I know the girl is hiding. I step away from the couch, forcing my expression into something more natural as I meet the cop’s eye.
“No,” I say. “Nothing here.”
3
MILA
This shed wasthe first building I found after running away from Highcrest Castle. It’s dark and damp, but at least nobody can see me tucked away in the corner. I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting here, leaning against the back of this moldy old couch. It must have been hours. I know I can’t hide forever, but I don’t know what else to do.
I can’t go back.
I can’t face them.
Running away was never the plan, and I hate myself for being such a coward. I’ve let Grace down. My phone is back at the castle, so I can’t even message her to tell her I’m sorry. Now night is drawing in, and the tiny window on the other side of the shed shows nothing but a patch of pitch black. The temperature is dropping fast, and I can hear the wind rushing outside, making the shed creak in a way that convinces me it might collapse on top of me any second.
