“It’s an old hunting cabin,” Eli explains. “One of Acacia’s friends owns it, but he doesn’t use it anymore.”
“Why did you bring me here?” I ask.
“We’ll explain in good time,” Aiden says, prodding me in the back to herd me inside.
The smell of fresh pine and a crackling fire hit me straight away. Dried dirty boot prints coat the wooden floor, which squeaks underfoot. Looking around, half-melted candles and dried wax droplets cover most surfaces, and mounted stuffed animal heads eerily follow my movements with their glassy eyes. To my left, a sofa and two armchairs with chunks missing sit around the fireplace. Moth-eaten blankets drape over the upholstery, signaling this is where they’ve been sleeping. To my right, a kitchen area with a small stove, a sink, and a table with four chairs. Knives are laid on the table, and next to them, three laptops are open, looking out of place among the dated decor.
“Did you get it?” Lex asks. He stands at the stove, monitoring the hissing copper kettle.
Aiden grins smugly and taps his inner pocket. “Right here.”
Lex scowls and looks me up and down disapprovingly. He tips steaming water into a large bowl, puts it on the floor, and nudges it in my direction.
“Here,” Lex says.
I look down in confusion.
“For your feet.” He throws me a dirty rag. “You’re covered in mud.”
Eli pulls out a chair for me to sit down and forces me onto it. He kneels before me and removes my socks carefully, then steers my ankles into the waiting hot water. I bite my lip to stop myself from groaning. It feels heavenly.
“We’re not animals,” Eli says.
“You had me fooled,” I grumble sarcastically.
I expect him to leave me to wash in peace, but he grabs a tiny bar of soap from next to the sink and kneels at my feet. He works the soap into a frothy lather between his strong palms, then takes my foot gently into his hands. He massages the suds into my skin, taking his time to clean my toes and knead the balls of my aching feet. I blush, stunned by the intimacy and care he’s taking.
“So…” Lex talks to Aiden. “When can we open it?”
“Soon,” Aiden promises. “First, we need to find out why our little ghost ended up in Sunnycrest again.”
Their attention returns to me.
“I was looking in my dad’s office for evidence,” I say. “He caught me, and I made up an excuse about looking for pills.”
“Not bad,” Lex says. “For an amateur.”
“He was furious,” I say. “I don’t think I’ll get another chance to search his office again. He’ll be watching me like a hawk if he ever lets me go home.”
Eli rubs the arches of my feet, encouraging my rising anxiety to fade away. I’ve never had a foot rub before, but I could get used to this at the end of a hard day.
“You did well,” Eli says.
“You were testing me?” I read between the lines, looking from Eli to Aiden. Their expressions confirm my suspicions. “Why?”
Eli removes my feet from the water, patting them dry with a rag, before going to empty the basin.
“We needed to know that you were serious,” Aiden tells me. “Your father would never leave anything incriminating lying around for you to find.”
“Great,” I huff, crossing my arms. “So, you got me drugged and locked in Sunnycrest for no reason?”
“There’s a reason behind everything we do,” Aiden says, his eyes narrowing. “But that doesn’t mean you’re privy to it. The sooner you learn to stop asking questions and follow orders, the easier everything will be.”
“I’ll never stop asking questions,” I say, daring to be defiant. “I don’t want to be another pawn in your twisted games.”
“Oh, really?” Aiden tips my chin up to face him. “And what do you want to be? One of us?”
“No,” I answer. Too quickly.
