Page 16 of Follow Me Down

“Um.” I look around. “Not really. Maybe a couple of miles down on the right. All I know is that it’s a two story, tan house down by the water with a pretty steep gravel driveway.”

“Okay.” He nods.

“You seem to know this area well.”

“I have some clients I do business with that own houses down here.”

“Clients? What exactly is it that you do?”

“I restore bikes.”

“You restore bikes?” I phrase it as a question.

“Classic motorcycles, if we’re being technical. And yes, I rebuild them from the ground up using all original parts. Well, when all the original parts are available.” He gestures to my right. “Keep an eye out the window and let me know if I pass it.”

“Okay.” I do as he instructs, squinting through the trees in an effort to see the houses that sit on the other side of the thick foliage.

I remember crossing this road with Austin as we headed away from the lake and deeper into the woods. The thought causes a shudder to run through me.

“There,” I shout abruptly when I spot Christy’s bright red car sitting at the bottom of the sloped gravel driveway.

Titus is going slow enough that he’s able to stop before he passes the drive, but just as he’s about to turn, I reach over and grab his forearm. Both of us tense at the contact.

I swear it feels like I touched a live wire. A tingling sensation starts at the tips of my fingers and shoots all the way up my arm.

I quickly release my hold on him.

“Sorry. Can you maybe park the truck up here?” I ask so quickly that the words end up blending together.

He quirks a brow at my request but straightens the wheel, guiding the truck off to the side of the road.

I doubt Christy would think to pay attention to the truck, let alone write down the license plate number, but the less people that know where I am, the better chance I have of staying off the grid for the time being.

“I’ll be right back,” I tell him, unlatching my seatbelt before slipping out of the truck.

I can feel his gaze hot on my back as I make my way up the driveway and I swear I can sense the exact moment he loses sight of me, as strange as that sounds.

My heart feels like it’s about to beat straight out of my chest as I reach the front porch. There are only two cars parked at the house which gives me a small ray of hope that only Christy and her boyfriend are here.

Reaching for the doorknob, I give it a twist, relieved when the door opens.

Taking off up the stairs, I slip into the first bedroom on the left, which was meant to be my room for the week, quietly shutting the door behind me. I make quick work of gathering my things, most of which are still packed in my suitcase.

The house is quiet, which means Christy, and whoever else is still here, are likely out on the beach.

Grabbing my cell phone, I’m not surprised to see the battery is dead. I have half a mind to leave it here, knowing my father can easily trace it if it’s on, but it makes me feel better knowing I have it if I need it. So I drop it into my purse, then throw the bag on top of my clothes. Zipping my suitcase shut, I hoist it off the bed and exit the room, ready to make a mad dash for the front door.

The sooner I get out of here the better.

Unfortunately, my plans are foiled when Christy and her boyfriend, Wyatt, begin climbing the front porch steps right as I push my way through the front door.

I freeze, not missing Christy’s confused expression. She’s wearing a bright red bikini that barely covers her private areas, and her dark blonde hair is wet and slicked back away from her face.

“There you are. Where the hell did you disappear to last night? I thought I was going to have to send out a search party.”

Not likely. Though her fake concern is almost believable. If she actually cared I highly doubt she’d be out gallivanting in the water with her boyfriend.

“I went down to the beach last night to be alone and ended up falling asleep in one of the lounge chairs. When I came up this morning, you were still in bed.” It’s the first thing that comes to mind, and I’m kind of impressed that I was able to come up with the lie so quickly.

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