“Mom, this is Everly’s cousin, Addie. Addie, this is my mom, Julia Easton.”
Addie wouldn’t meet my mother’s gaze. “I’m sorry for intruding, Mrs. Easton.”
“Nonsense, you come right on in. I’ll fix you some tea. I bet we could all use some. And call me Julia.”
We made our way inside to find Calder poring over a map on the kitchen island. Dad must’ve called him to tell him what had happened. His head lifted as we approached. “Any news?”
“We have a possible direction, thanks to Addie.”
Calder took in the woman at my side, who had almost shrunk behind me at the sight of him. “Hi, Addie. I’m Calder, Hayes’ best friend.” He did his best to move slowly and didn’t approach for a handshake.
“Nice to meet you,” she whispered.
“I’ll start on the tea,” Mom said, moving to the stove. “How about some chamomile? I always think that’s a good one for anxiety and stress.”
“Sure, Mom,” I answered when Addie was silent.
Her gaze was focused on the map. “I can help.”
“You think you can show us where to start the search?”
She nodded. “We were taught to look for the same things when making shelter. He’ll want trees, not brushland. A source of running water. If he built a true shelter, he might’ve wanted to bring things in. That means he’s not up in the mountains.”
Addie walked slowly towards the island, and Calder didn’t move an inch. She gestured to the pencil in his hand. “May I?”
He extended it to her. “Have at it.”
She studied the map, her brows furrowing. Then she used the length of the pencil to measure miles. Doing a little math on the side of the map, she then drew three circles. “I think these are your best bets. You can trailer horses in?”
Calder nodded. “I’ve got the trailer hooked up to a ranch truck and two mounts ready to go.”
She pointed to a forest road. “Drive in here until you get to mile marker eighty-two, then head east. That loop will take the least amount of time.”
Calder smiled. “I’m thinking you should get a job as a park ranger.”
Addie looked down, dropping the pencil as she turned away.
“Shit,” he muttered. “I didn’t mean to scare her off.”
“It’s not you. She’s been through a lot lately.” And I had a feeling I only knew the tip of the iceberg. I looked at my friend. “Are you sure you want to do this with me?”
Calder’s face hardened. “Of course, I do.”
But he had girls at home that he was an only parent to. Responsibilities that I couldn’t dream of. “I can go alone.”
“I’m going with you, so quit arguing. The truck is loaded with supplies. You ready to go?”
“Let’s go.” I could only pray that Addie’s suspicions were right and that Ev could just hold on a little longer.
44
Everly
“I bet you’re thirsty.” Ben moved from the threshold to the small kitchen, lifting a bucket onto the counter. “I need to boil this before you can drink it, though. You’ve been living the city life for a long time. Don’t forget, you can’t drink straight from the creek. You’ll get sick.”
I watched as he stoked the fire in the woodstove in the kitchen area, then poured the water into a pot on top. I couldn’t find any words. Ben. My sweet, kind, gentle Ben. He was the one who had taken me. Chained me.
My fingers itched to reach for the nail. At least that would be some sort of protection. But never in a million years had I thought I’d need protection from Ben.
“Did you try to take me before? Outside the vet?” I didn’t know which would be better, that another psycho was running around, or that Ben had left me with a concussion and bruised ribs.
He stilled his movements, not looking at me. “I’m sorry you got hurt. That wasn’t what I wanted.”
“I know you wouldn’t want to hurt me.”
Ben turned, raising his gaze to me. “Not ever.”
“This?” I lifted my foot that was chained. “It hurts me.”
“You have your jeans protecting you.”
“It doesn’t hurt me physically, Ben. It hurts me here.” I patted my chest. “It scares me.”
“You don’t have to be scared.” He moved across the room.
I couldn’t help my reaction. I skittered back on the bed.
His expression hardened to stone. “You don’t need to do that. You know me. You’ve always known me better than anyone else. Now it’s as it should’ve always been. You’ll be my wife. That’s why Liza died. I know it. Because it was always supposed to be you. I’ll keep you safe. No one will find you here. Ian can’t hurt you here, and no one else can, either.”
I might’ve known Ben once. The boy who was my best friend. But the man before me now was a stranger. I studied his face as my heart hammered against my ribs. I wasn’t even sure exactly what I was looking for. A reason why, maybe? A how? Had this sickness always been in him or had there been some sort of break?
“What happened to you?”
He stiffened. “What do you mean?”
I chose my words carefully. “I just mean… You’re so scared someone is going to hurt me, but I’ve been taking good care of myself since I’ve been back. Ian hasn’t hurt me once.” Not unless you counted scaring the hell out of me.
“He wanted to. Was planning on it. I stopped him. He’s the one who burned your barn. If it wasn’t for me, you’d probably be dead. I have to keep you here. Keep you safe. And you’ll see. We’ll be married.”
My stomach pitched as if I were on a Tilt-A-Whirl. Only there was no pleasant rush of adrenaline like an amusement ride. There was only nausea and fear. “If that’s true, then you can unlock me. I’ll stay here. I don’t want Ian to hurt me.”
Ben’s eyes narrowed on me. “You’re lying. I always know, Evie. You don’t see yet. But you will. You’ll see the truth. You’ll see that we’re meant to be.”
“Please, Ben.” I wasn’t above begging. My tears or trembling voice had always been his undoing. He’d hated the sight and sound of them. “I don’t want to be locked up. We can figure out another way.”
“This is the way it has to be.”
The man before me might have been a stranger, but I knew that tone. It was the same one he’d had as a child. The one that said his mind was made up, and he wouldn’t be moved. I sagged against the wall, needing time to come up with another plan—some other way. And I needed information.
“Where are we?”
He turned back to the stove. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that it’s home.”
Helpful. If I got a chance to run, I’d be mostly blind. But if I could get to a clearing, somewhere with sightlines, I could use the mountains as my guide. I’d have to be faster than Ben. Because I was certain of one thing. He wouldn’t have made a home here without knowing the land like the back of his hand.