Page 51 of Lost in the Dark

“No!” Evan shrieks, but Macabre already has him in her bony claws, dragging him toward the shackles on the wall.

“What’s that noise?” Libra asks.

I glance at her, surprised. I’m so intoxicated by all the fear that I nearly forgot she was here. “What noise?”

She frowns. “You don’t hear it? It’s like a banging sound. Is it coming from one of the other rooms?”

Before I can answer, Libra vanishes from my side. Which can only mean one thing.

She’s awake.

Libra

My delight at spooking Evan is disturbed by a repetitive thumping noise. Thud. THUD.THUD!I startle awake and realize that someone is knocking on the cabin door. I’m thirsty, sweaty, and disheveled, and it takes a minute to remember where I am. Then it comes back to me. The cabin. Evan. Could he have found me? But how could he have recovered so quickly? Last time we met, I beat him bloody. Heart pounding, I tiptoe to the living room and peek out the window. I’m filled with relief to see an impatient Haven Bishop on the porch, banging relentlessly at the door.

I finally open it. “What are you doing here?”

She cocks a brow at me. She’s six feet tall in her heels, and intimidating when she wants to be. Fortunately, I know her well enough to know that she’s actually a marshmallow. “I came here to ask you the same question. And wow, you look like crap.”

I run a hand through my tangled hair. Ifeellike crap. I’m starving and I have to pee and all my muscles ache. Then her words finally penetrate the haze in my brain. “Wait, what? How did you know I was here?”

“I’m starting a reno project on this resort,” she says, stepping in uninvited. “I have discreet security cameras installed. They caught you breaking in three days ago and you haven’t left since, so I came to see what was going on.”

What is she talking about? Three days? I swear I’ve only been here for a few hours. I flop into a chair, confused and disoriented.

“Are you sure it’s been three days?”

Haven frowns. “Completely. The feed is timestamped.” She cocks her head and gives me an assessing stare. “Are you okay?”

How could I have been here so long and not have known it? What the hell happened to me?

I nod. “Fine, just a little groggy. I was asleep. And sorry about the window.” I wince at the memory of breaking into a building that Haven apparently owns.

She waves a dismissive hand in the air. “Like I care about an old window that would probably have to be replaced anyway. I want to know why you’re hiding out at the lake. Oaklyn told me you were out of town dealing with a family emergency, which is clearly not the case.”

I sigh. I adore Haven, but she’s a freaking bloodhound with a heart of gold. She will plant herself here and refuse to leave until she knows exactly what’s going on and figures out a way to help. “It’s not her fault,” I say. “That’s what I told her. No one was supposed to know I’m here.”

Haven chuckles. “You should know better than to try to keep secrets from me. It can’t be done. So what’s going on and how can we fix it?”

I sigh. I’m not comfortable talking about my past and I hate opening up to people. But when I moved to Haven’s Hollow, I vowed to try to be more, well, normal. The kind of person who made friends instead of being an isolated loner with a fucked-up history. The only people I really talk to are Oaklyn and Haven, but two friends are better than none. And hell, who knows? Maybe Haven can actually help.

“The short version is that an ex I sent to prison was recently granted parole and is looking for me. I needed a place to hide while I figured things out. I really didn’t think anyone would come searching for me here.” Her eyes go wide and I hold back a grin. It takes a lot to surprise Haven Bishop, and I feel a tiny sense of accomplishment.

“To be fair, I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t seen you on the security footage.” She plonks down on the old plaid couch and briskly dusts off her hands. “Okay, so what can we do? Call the cops?”

I shake my head. “And tell them what? My ex is legally out of prison? I don’t have any evidence that he intends to harm me. Just one creepy, anonymous text that isn’t grounds for anything. It’s the kind of thing where I know it’s a threat, but I can’t prove it.”

“Hmmm, okay. You have a point. Maybe there’s something Griffin can do…” She already has her phone out, ready to call Griffin Bishop, mayor of Haven’s Hollow and her cousin.

I reach out and cover the phone. “Haven, no. I don’t want to do anything but hide out here for a few days while I think. All I need from you is a promise that you won’t tell anyone where I am.”

She frowns, like I’ve insulted her. “Of course I won’t tell anyone. Don’t be ridiculous. But there must be something you need. Do you have enough food?”

I actually can’t remember the last time I ate anything, but I threw some dry goods in my bag when I packed. At the very least, I can boil up rice or pasta. “Yeah, I’m fine. Really, you don’t need to worry about me.”

She rolls her blue eyes. “Now you’re just being dumb. Of course I’m worried! Your psycho ex is out to get you! And he’s even worse than Annie’s.” She mutters the last part under her breath.

“What do you mean?”

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