She felt foolish for trusting him. Even if she didn’t see what she thought she saw last night, Johnny hadn’t been telling her the whole truth. She got sucked in by his charming smile and his superficial kindness. She should’ve known better. He should’ve known better.
With each step closer to the living room, she stopped to listen for movement. Satisfied that no one else was home—or at least no one was on the bottom level—she made a mad dash for the door.
Once outside, she felt much better. The fresh air made her feel grounded to the earth. The world looked exactly the same as it had last night. There was no sign of bears or—
“Shit,” Holly whimpered as she saw a set of three deep gashes in one of the wooden columns. Okay, so at least one bear was outside last night. That did not mean any of the human men living in the house had turned into fucking bears. The stress had gotten to Holly. That was all.
Johnny’s truck was in the driveway. Unless he was going for a walk, he was somewhere in the house.
Holly wasted no time. She bolted down the road just in case she was spotted through one of the many windows. The road curved quickly. Within moments, the house was completely hidden behind a wall of trees.
A rumbling noise came from up the road. Thinking it was Garret or Keller returning home, Holly skittered off the path into the forest and ducked behind a sparse shrub.
A motorcycle came around the bend, slowing to a stop right in front of her bush. Holly kept her eyes fixed on the wheels, refusing to look at the driver. The childish logic of “if I don’t look at them, they can’t see me” kicked in full throttle.
“Holly?” a voice called.
It wasn’t Keller or Garret. Without thinking, her eyes snapped up. She locked onto an unsettling familiar gaze. It was Loch. Holly remained silent.
“I can see you; you know. What are you doing in there?”
“Shit,” she muttered. Holly felt she had no choice but to stand up. The bush wasn’t a great hiding spot anyway. It would’ve been smarter to go deeper into the woods.
“Are you going to tell me what you’re doing, or are we going to pretend this is normal behavior?”
“You don’t hang out in bushes in a town like this?”
Loch barked out a laugh. “That was good, but seriously, what are you doing?”
“Leaving.”
Loch’s brows shot up. “Were you planning on walking all the way back to California? That’s an awfully long walk.”
“I never told you I was from California.”
“It’s a small town where nothing happens. You’re the only new thing to come through here since Robeline’s Diner got an espresso machine. You’re hot news.”
“Seriously?” Holly narrowed her eyes.
“It was a crappy espresso machine that didn’t last a month. Don’t dodge the subject,” Loch said. “Why are you leaving?”
“Because I’m being blatantly manipulated and lied to, and I’m sick of it.”
“Who’s manipulating you?” Loch asked, brows furrowed.
“How many people have I met since I’ve been here? You can put all of them on the list.”
“You’ve met me, and I haven’t done anything to you yet.”
“I’m concerned you felt the need to add yet to the end of that statement,” Holly pointed out.
“I’m just covering my bases. Do you want a lift into town?”
“Weren’t you going to the house? That’s the only thing up this road.”
“Maybe I was coming to see you and you shaved a minute off my trip. Do you want a ride or not? I’m happy to let you walk, but it’s not a fun walk.”
“Fine.” Holly sighed. “I’ll take the ride. Can you take me to the diner?”
“I can do you one better if you like,” he said, taking a second helmet out of a compartment on the bike. “I can drop you at the train station. It’s the next town over, but it might save you some money on cab fare.”
“You’d do that?” Holly took the helmet and clutched it to her chest.
“Sure.” Loch offered a half-smile. “I have family in that town I’ve been meaning to drop in on anyway. If I take you, you’re saving me from getting a guilt trip via phone call.”
“I sure am doing you a lot of favors today.” Holly placed the helmet on her head and swung her leg over the bike.
“How can I ever repay you?” Loch smirked before revving the engine and turning around the bike. They sped off down the road at a speed that didn’t seem safe. Holly wrapped her arms around Loch’s middle and held on for dear life.
What the hell was she doing? She’d never been on a bike before in her life. She barely knew Loch, and now she was trusting him to take her into another town without stopping to murder her in the woods. Something about Silver Spruce was making her crazy. She couldn’t wait to get out of there.
They zoomed through town so fast Holly barely had time to look around, not that there was much to look at. Soon, they were on that same stretch of road where she had first swerved into the woods. Fond memories.
Her heart sped up when she saw the sign for Silver Spruce. She was almost out. Just a little farther, and she’d be out. Maybe she could still find a way to secure her inheritance without having to stay in the house for thirty days. Maybe the deed could be passed to her father. He was technically next of kin. The house should’ve been left to him in the first place. He should be the one to deal with this insanity.
A blaring horn startled Holly from her thoughts. She very
