I am surprised by what I hear when I search within and listen to the voice he knows is there. Despite all of my suspicions, and evidence to the contrary, I realize that I do trust him. Deep, deep down I know he is not to blame for the strange things that have happened to me. He may have the answers I seek, but he’s not responsible.
Instead of admitting any of that, I ask, “What’s so special about Silver Lake?”
“I want you to see something.” He pauses and waits for my uncertain gaze to meet his. “Trust your instincts, Sav. They won’t lead you wrong.”
I place one hand on the steering wheel and shove the key into the ignition with the other. Then a troubling thought occurs to me, and I look at him suspiciously. “I can leave whenever I want?”
He gives me the same smile I give the young campers when they ask me something absurd. “Of course.”
“No argument,” I insist. “I say I want to leave, you let me leave.”
He holds his hands up as if in surrender. “I won’t argue.”
“Fine.” I start the engine with a shake of my head. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
Luca eases back into his seat. “You won’t regret it, Sav.”
I glance at him, but he’s not looking at me. He’s staring out his window, what little I can see of his face void of emotion, and I wonder if he doubts his own words.
I could boot him from the car now, and bury my head in the sand. I could choose to never see or speak to him again, and go on with my normal—albeit boring—life as it is.
I could do the smart thing. The safe thing.
I drive.
Chapter 8
The ten-minute trip to Silver Lake is a quiet one. Other than the occasional “turn left here” and “go straight here” Luca tells me nothing. He doesn’t elaborate on why he insists on taking me to Silver Lake, or what he plans to show me.
I don’t ask either. My mind is too preoccupied with one unpleasant thought after another.
It’s a trick. It’s a joke. I’m an idiot for trusting him.
I should stop. I should pull over. I should kick his cute butt out of my car.
I don’t do any of the things I should do.
I follow Luca’s directions. He tells me to turn onto the dirt road blocked by a gate that I always suspected kept unwanted visitors off the Caspan’s land. The entrance is bordered by wire fencing that looks like it carries enough electricity to zap small dinosaurs back to the Mesozoic. I briefly wonder if its purpose is to keep people out, or to keep something in.
“Do you house a baby T-Rex in there?” I force a laugh to chase away the unease.
It doesn’t go far. Not even when Luca rolls his head my way and flashes a dimply smile.
“My parents are big on privacy,” he tells me.
“No kidding.” I brake to a stop alongside a keypad and drum my fingers on the steering wheel while Luca rattles off a series of numbers.
I stare through the gate, unmoving. The road ahead is surrounded by trees and disappears around a curve. I have no way of knowing how far he is taking me. I have no idea where he is taking me. Not really.
I have never seen Silver Lake. It could be a local myth. An urban legend. Knowing my recent luck, it will end up being code for ‘mass grave for stupid girls who trusted the wrong guy.’
“Sav?” Luca’s voice is soft in my ear, and a wave of intimate familiarity washes over me. For reasons I can’t explain, hearing my name on his lips fills me with nostalgia. Like I’ve heard it before—many, many times before—and I’ve longed to hear it again.
That’s crazy.
I punch in the numbers and stare straight ahead as the gate swings open. It holds there, beckoning me forward with the promise of safety. Or imprisonment.
I glance at Luca, and he gives me a thin smile. My pulse races and a blanket of fog fills my head in response. I want to trust him, even if I’m not sure I should. All I have to rely on is instinct—a little voice buried under all the madness telling me it will be okay.
She better not be wrong.
I hit the gas and drive through the gate. I watch in the rearview mirror as it swings shut, sealing me inside.
I am such a sucker. Who knew dreamy eyes, dimples, and a smile could do this to me? I am willingly driving into the unknown with a guy I barely know. I have thrown common sense out the window.
I am no longer the survivor in this movie. I am the gullible girl who falls for the handsome and charming stranger only to discover, too late, that he is a sociopath.
I can only hope Luca isn’t a serial killer, and I don’t end up another lost soul forfeited to the Cascades. And if he is, I’m screwed. It’s too late for me to turn back now.
I drive along the narrow dirt road as it cuts through the thick forest under a canopy of green. One eye watches the odometer. Just in case I need to make a speedy exit out of here, I want to know how far I am from the gate.
We travel exactly one-point-three miles up and down and around hillcrests before the road curves sharply to the right. The forest fades in the rearview mirror as a pink-and-orange sky opens up in front of us. The road clings to the side of the mountain as it begins a gradual descent. In the valley below lies the lake.
I sneak glances over the edge of the cliff as I drive, drawn to the nature spread out before me. Tall trees hug the lake like a giant horseshoe, their freshly bloomed leaves creating a broad swatch of green as far as I can see. The water is calm, with a glass-like surface that shines a crisp silver in the fading sunlight. It’s bigger than I imagined, its distant bank a blur where it meets the vast forest.
As the road dips and curves closer to the lake, I spot a large log house nestled against the cliff we just descended. Three stories of dark cedar and oversized windows look surprisingly natural against the rocky backdrop and the spattering of manicured pine trees that surround it. A sweeping deck faces the lake, and a set of wide stairs connects it to a stone pathway that leads to the sandy shore.
I look away from the impressive sight long enough to notice that Luca is watching me intently. I lift one shoulder. “I expected it to be bigger.”
He points toward the house with a grin. “You can park under those trees.”
I follow Luca’s directions and bring the car to a stop under an umbrella of foliage. I leave the engine running long after he gets out and shuts the door behind him. My hands grip the steering wheel tightly as I watch him walk away.
He doesn’t go far—only to the edge of the path. His back is to me as he faces the lake.
I could leave. Right now. Turn around and go back the way I came.
“He wants me to know that,” I murmur to myself. “That’s why he gave me the code to the gate. He wants me to trust him.”
I do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here with him right now. I also have enough sense to know I need to exercise caution. I reach for my bag, where it fell onto the floorboard when Luca climbed into the seat. A quick pat confirms the can of bear spray is where it’s supposed to be.
I take a breath. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
Before I lose my nerve, I cut the engine and get out of the car. I slip the bag over my shoulder to keep it close. Just in case.
Luca doesn’t look at me when I come to a stand beside him. The pleased crinkle in the corner of his eye could be because I didn’t flee, or because of the amazing view.