Page 79 of Begin Again
The more I think about it, the more I can’t wait to return to New York. Going back will be good for both of us—Elena and me. She’ll be happy to be closer to her cousins again and it will give me the fresh start I’ve been looking for. Maybe it will allow me to start healing once and for all.
Now, I have to tell Beau…
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
KAI WILL KILL ME if we miss our flight, but there’s no way we’ll make it now. I have been out here far longer than I should have, but it was hard to leave the lake. It’s always hard to walk away from this place…Being here makes me feel close to Nick. Is that morbid? Maybe a little, but sometimes I hope some answer will magically appear if I keep coming out here. A sign to let me know what happened because, despite what the police speculate (a wild animal is their best guess) I still don’t know for sure, and that haunts me.
My pace slows at the base of the mountain. I try to catch my breath, approaching the mouth of the trailhead. When I step through the tree line, a cool wind blows through the field and the tall grass bends to its will. It wraps around me, cooling the exposed skin on my legs and face, warm from my final push the last half mile. A chill runs through my veins, a hyper-awareness of my surroundings as goosebumps rise across my skin. When the wind recedes, the air feels still and suffocating. The birds no longer share their song with me. Everything around me ceases and it feels like the world stands still.
Something isn’t right.
A prickle on the back of my neck forces me to look in every direction for the source, but I find nothing. Something is out here with me. Or is it someone?
I stuff my hand into the front pocket of my hoodie, gripping my keys and stuffing one of them between my forefinger and middle finger.
The feeling of being watched is overwhelming, but I don’t see anything out of place. Any predator would know how to hide—know how to conceal itself long enough to strike at the right moment. I press the auto-start button on my keys, but nothing happens. Of course, this is the one time it wants to follow the rules about range. My feet automatically pick up the pace, but not enough to trouble whatever is watching me.
My gaze sweeps across the fields on either side of the parking lot. There’s nothing out of the ordinary. Like earlier, my silver Wrangler is the only car in the lot, making me feel paranoid. Am I being paranoid? No? Maybe?
Two steps from the highway, I click the button again. This time, the engine turns over, taking the edge off my anxiety.
Snap!
“Don’t do it, Nina. Keep moving,” I demand, but I don’t listen. Turning over my heel, I find the source…
A man towers over the opening of the mountain. He doesn’t move, only stares.
I’m scared to move, but I can’t stay here. I’m closer to the car than he is to me, but what if…I whip around to look back at the lot and make sure there isn’t someone else lurking there. No sign of anyone, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t hiding nearby. I didn’t see this guy until he made his presence known, so who knows how many others there could be? Looking back, I half expect him to be closer, but he stands in the same spot.
I step back, finally on the road, keeping my eyes on his as I edge toward the lot. When I finally reach the other side, stepping onto the gravel driveway of the lot, the man takes one step forward. And then another. And another. Until he’s halfwayacross the field. I run the final distance to the car, expecting to see someone else waiting for me, but there’s no one.
I slam my hand into the ignition button and lock the doors. When I reach the exit, the man stands at the edge of the highway, and we’re locked in another standoff.
Without taking my eyes off the man, I dial the all-too-familiar number.
“Nina?”
“Beau.” His name comes out slowly, concentrated, as I try to remain calm. This is not the time to freak out.
“What’s wrong?”
I smile at how well he’s come to know me. “There is someone out here.”
“Out where?” Sounds of him gathering his stuff can be heard in the background. A door closes and keys jingle. “Nina, where are you? I’m on my way.”
“Achor.”
“What the fuck are you doing out atAchor?”
“I needed some air,” I say, watching the man stand there.What is he doing?I’d swear he was a statue if I hadn’t seen him walk a few moments ago.
“You needed air?” Beau tries to keep his voice down. He hates that I come out here, especially alone. He’s pleaded with me multiple times to at the very least give him a heads up or let him come with me. I tell him he’s being paranoid. That I’ll be fine…even if there was always a voice in the back of my mind telling me he might be right. This was where Nick went missing, after all. “Nina, if you need air, go to one of the one-fucking-million trails we have aroundhere. You don’t have to drive to fucking Achor where I can’t—”
“You are not helping!”
There are no signs of anyone joining us on this dead-end highway. If I try to pull out, will he bumrush the car? The doorsare locked, he can’t get in, but what if he has a weapon? He could blow out a tire. Then I’m really screwed. I could try to outrun him, but…
Holy shit.
