Page 43 of Lost in the Dark

“Do you want to know more?” he asks, his smile deepening.

I nod. I could be with this man forever. “I want to know everything.”

LIBRA

It’s after 9:00 when I wake up, which is unheard of for me. As a baker, I’m conditioned to wake up early every day; even on my days off, I don’t sleep past 7:30. I feel relaxed and refreshed, like maybe I finally got a decent night’s sleep. The nightmare came for me, and I remember feeling a presence in my room, as if Evan had finally found me, but I couldn’t manage to wake up and confront him.

And then poof, it morphed into something much nicer. I stretch, long and slow like a cat, feeling good in my skin. It’s been ages since I’ve been intimate with anyone, and that dream was the best sex I’ve had in recent memory. Scratch that. It was the best sex I’ve ever had, period. Too bad my dream man isn’t real.

I roll over and grab my phone, ready to spend a leisurely twenty minutes on my favorite apps, but I’m interrupted by the buzz of an incoming text. The number is blocked, which means it’s probably spam, but I check it anyway.

It’s not spam.

It’s a picture of me, from yesterday’s jog. The sun is shining on my face, my dark hair is bouncing in its ponytail, and I’m wearing a slight grin. I look happy and relaxed. The photo is accompanied by three little words that send a chill down my neck: TIME’S UP, ELIZA.

Libra

There’s only one person who would send me this, only one person who would call me by my old name.

I’ve never had chemistry with anyone the way I did with Evan Adler. All we had to do was lock gazes and my body would come to life. One word, one touch, one tilted black eyebrow—our physical connection was like something from a movie, and the things he made me feel were incredible, which is part of why I stayed with him as long as I did. My friend Haven insists that I have siren in my background, but I’m not so sure. If anything, Evan is the siren. How else could he have made me do the things I did?

Regardless, I haven’t felt that buzz under my skin in years, but I feel it now, looking at this text. I know it’s from Evan. Which means he’s free. And he found me.

I instantly break my rule and do an internet search for Evan Adler. After ten years in prison with perfect behavior, he was unexpectedly granted parole a few days ago.

Fuck. I should have looked into this the second I thought I saw him last week, but living here has made me complacent. I convinced myself that I was imagining things, that I was safe, even though the dreams were clearly warning me. The fact that he’s already here in Haven’s Hollow means he’s known where I was for a while, because there’s no way he could have stumbled upon me in a matter of days. He must have had someone keeping tabs on me all these years.

How, though? I changed my name, I was careful not to leave a trail, I never let anyone get too close. I haven’t been in contact with my foster family since the night I left, not that they’re any better than Evan himself. I don’t use social media; I’m careful about being photographed.

So how did he track me down? I guess it doesn’t matter how he found me. The important thing is that he’s here and he intends to have his revenge. He’ll kill me if he catches me, there’s no doubt about it.

I have to hide.

Where the hell can I go on short notice that won’t leave a trail? Everything requires identification and credit cards these days. I can’t get a motel room, rent a car, book a flight…nothing. He’d be able to track me way too easily.

But he also surely expects me to run, to get as far away as I can. He would never think that I would stand my ground and stay close. There is one place I can think of where I can disappear unnoticed, something that’s free and keeps me in familiar territory.

I can hide in one of the old cabins at the lake. Lake Eerie is creepy—there are rumors that it’s haunted, and also that there’s a treasure in it (maybe some of the supposed ghosts are dead treasure hunters) and I doubt anyone would think to look for me there.

I love Haven’s Hollow, and the life I’ve made here. I may keep to myself, but people know me. I have a successful business, a pair of good friends, and a I’m content and fulfilled. It’s the life I always wanted growing up, and I won’t give it up without a fight.

I nod to myself. I have a plan. Or at least the beginning of one.

I scramble around my apartment, throwing necessities into a duffle bag. Once I have the basics packed, I call Oaklyn.

“Hey, Libra. What’s up?”

“Oaklyn,” I say. “I’m so glad I caught you. I need a huge favor.”

“Sure. Is everything okay?”

I take a breath and try to keep my voice calm. I don’t want to alarm her. “Everything is fine, but I have a family emergency that I have to take care of. I’ll be gone for a little while and I need you to run the bakery while I’m away. I’ll pay you extra.” Luckily, I’ve never mentioned to Oaklyn that I don’t have a family, so there’s no reason for her to doubt me.

“Yeah, no problem. Is there anything I can do?”

I smile. Oaklyn is a gem. Friendly, compassionate, a great baker in her own right. And the most easygoing person I’ve ever met. Nothing ruffles her feathers.

“Nope, I have things under control. As long as you can handle the bakery, everything will be all good.”

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