Page 10 of Unmask
“What about Donovan?” I asked. If he had gone through so much effort to get my guardianship, it seemed unlikely he would just let me go and cut his losses.
“I don’t want you to worry. I’ll handle Donovan and his Ravens. The only thing you need to be doing is thinking about your future.”
Those Ravens included Kreed, Mason, Maddox, and Raine.
Not that I gave a shit. Fuck them. Fuck them all.
My arms wrapped around myself as I huddled into the seat. I should have felt relief. I should have been grateful, instead of the unease coiling unrelentingly in my stomach, but exhaustionweighed heavier. My body ached, my head was a mess, and right now, I didn’t have the energy to question anything.
After I slid out of the truck, my boots sank into a layer of snow as I took in the rest of the place. The air was thick with the scent of damp wood and earth, and the wind whispered through the trees, rattling the bare branches like bones clacking together.
Rusty unlocked the door and pushed it open, flicking on the light inside. A dull yellow glow flooded the cabin, revealing a space that hadn’t been touched in months, maybe longer. Dust clung to the sparse furniture, including a worn-out couch with a crocheted throw draped over the back. A wooden coffee table littered with old magazines sat beside the couch, and just over the threshold to the right was a small kitchenette with a single-burner stove and an outdated fridge.
I stepped inside cautiously, cedar lingering thick in the air as my fingers brushed against the edge of a counter. A fine layer of dust coated the surface, confirming my suspicion. “No one’s been here in a while?”
Rusty shrugged, setting his keys on the counter and moving to put a kettle of water on the only burner. “Haven’t had a reason to use it lately, especially during the winter. The roads can be treacherous and slick during a storm.”
I nodded slowly, my gaze drifting to the one hallway leading to what I assumed was a bedroom and bathroom. The whole place felt…abandoned.
Rusty pulled a mug from the cabinet and filled it with hot water from a kettle. He dropped a tea bag in before handing it to me. “Drink this. It’ll help you sleep.”
I accepted it, the warmth seeping into my fingers. “How long can I stay here?”
His frame seemed to occupy the entire kitchen as he leaned against the counter. “For as long as you need.”
The promise should have been comforting, but something about this place, about being so far removed from everything, made me feel…trapped. Ironic because I’d just escaped one cell only to feel boxed in another smaller, grossly dirtier one.
Maybe I was just tired.
Maybe I was overthinking things.
Maybe I was missing that plush, oversized bed across the hall from Kreed’s room.
I sat on the couch, cradling the tea, exhaustion pulling at me. “Thanks, Rusty.” I took a sip, the warmth spreading through me.
His lips lifted in a small, tired smile. “There’s a bedroom down the hall. I’ll take the couch. Get some sleep, kiddo. We’ll figure out what happens next after you’ve rested.”
A yawn pulled at the corners of my mouth, and I nearly told Rusty to take the bedroom. Getting up again sounded like a chore when it would be so much easier to curl up right here on the couch, but I took my tea and ordered my body to move. I barely made it to the bedroom before the burden of everything crashed down on me. The tea was still warm in my hands as I tucked myself beneath the thin blanket fully dressed, my body finally surrendering.
For the first time in days, sleep claimed me fast and hard. And for the first time in weeks, I didn’t dream.
I woke up groggy,my head fogged with sleep, and my eyes blurry with tears. Blinking them away, I stared at the unfamiliar wooden ceiling, trying to shake off the heaviness pressing down on me. Crying in my sleep wasn’t a new concept, and I doubted it would stop anytime soon. Especially now.
How long had I been out?
Crash.
A clatter of what sounded like glass breaking from somewhere in the small cabin jolted me upright in bed. Strands of my silvery hair fell into my face as my head whirled toward the door, and a moment later, Rusty mumbled a curse in his gruff voice.
Shoving my hair out of the way, I scooted to the edge of the lumpy bed, stretching the kinks out of my back and neck. Definitely not the best sleep of my life, that was for freaking sure.
I made quick use of the bathroom, mostly because I didn’t have anything to do my normal hygiene routine. No toothbrush. No toothpaste. No hairbrush. No face wash. Nada.
Rusty was crouched on the floor, sweeping up broken glass into a makeshift dustpan when I emerged from the hallway. He glanced up, sensing my presence. “Everything okay?” I asked, hovering awkwardly in the doorway.
“Just being my normal, clumsy oaf,” he retorted, scooping up the last few bits of glass before standing up. “Did you sleep okay?” he asked, keeping his voice light as if it would make this situation any less weird.
I tried to recall how many times I’d ever been alone with him. Other than a few times when I was little and he used to watch me at the shop, I couldn’t think of anything in recent years. I shrugged. “I haven’t been sleeping well since…”
