The sky had deepened all the way to darkest purple when Willow heard it: the sharppop-pop-popof gravel crushed under tires.
She sat up straight, heart thudding. Her eyes scanned the road below, and there it was—a pair of headlights in the distance, cutting sideways through the trees. Should she hop down from the boulder? Movement would draw attention, but staying put made her feel exposed. Like prey on a perch.
The truck rounded the curve, and its lights hit her full in the face. Willow threw up an arm to shield her eyes.
The truck slowed. The lights dimmed to parking beams, then flicked off altogether. The engine growled for a few more seconds before going quiet.
She heard the creak of the driver’s side door, and her heart sped faster. Rabbit fast. She thought of hillbillies. Toothless men with chaw tucked between their gums and their lips. Mr. Chapman with a rifle.
“Didn’t mean to blind you. Sorry,” said the driver. He stepped into view from behind the cab, a broad silhouette cut from the deeper dark. The pickup stood between them, thank God. He braced his hands on the rusted rim of the bed. “Need a lift?”
Willow didn’t answer. Her rabbity heart had lodged itself in her throat, and sweat once more pricked beneath her arms. Fear sweat.
“I’m not trying to be creepy,” the guy said. He waved a hand vaguely. “But what are you doing up there? Why are you here? Are you lost?”
No, she was found. By him. Against her desire, against her will.
He circled around the tailgate, stepping into clearer view. Broad shoulders, shaggy hair, strong jaw. Mid-twenties, maybe? He leaned against the rear quarter panel of the truck, kicking one filthy boot over the other and folding his arms over his chest.
If he thought the casual posture would put her at ease, he was mistaken.
“My name’s Cole,” he said, tilting his head. “I’m headed toward Lost Souls.” His voice was low and measured, nothing flashy. His eyes, though—his eyes caught what light there was, and in them, Willow saw a keen intelligence. Watchfulness. “You headed that way, too?”
Her voice cracked when she tried to speak. She cleared her throat and tried again. “You know it? Lost Souls?”
“I do,” Cole said. “Not an easy hike, if that’s what you’re doing. There’s still a good ten miles to go. The road isn’t well marked. Might find yourself walking up someone’s driveway without even knowing it. And... you might not be so well received, a stranger showing up out of nowhere, unannounced.”
Willow drew her thumbnail to her mouth, wedging it between her teeth. Her clean, white, orthodontically perfect teeth.
“Would you like a ride?” Cole asked with careful formality.
“I don’t know,” Willow said honestly. “You’re a stranger. You showed up out of nowhere. How do I know... ?” Her words trailed off. How did she know what sort of reception he was expecting from her?
He lifted his hands and showed his palms, as if that would prove his good intentions. “I’m not out hereon the prowl.” The way he said it made her feel a little dumb. “Hell, I didn’t expect to round the bend and find a girl like you sitting barefoot on the point of no return.”
Willow frowned. Then she glanced down at the boulder that was her throne.Are you lost or found?“Is that what this is? The point of no return?”
“More like the boulder of fair warning. ‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.’”
She blanched. She was here to claim hope and hold it tight, not abandon it.
“Listen,” Cole said. “I’ll feel like hell if I drive off and leave you out here. If you want to get to Lost Souls, I’ll take you there.”
She slid off the boulder, landing barefoot in the dirt. Her heels smarted.
“Why ‘abandon all hope’?” she asked.
“That’s just what the townsfolk say back in Hemridge. They think we’re all crazy up here. My parents, they sure think I’m crazy.”
“Your parents live in Hemridge?”
He nodded. “They hate that I moved up here.” The corner of his mouth twitched downward. “They think they’ve lost me, too.”
There was a lot to unpack there. Grief, for sure. Willow pushed down her curiosity, knowing she didn’t have time for distractions.
“All right, well... I’d love a ride. I’m Willow, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you, Willow.” He raised his eyebrows expectantly:Shall we, then?
