Page 27 of Obscurity (Pros and Cons Mysteries #5)

B y midnight, the festival grounds had quieted some.

The Mountain Boys had mercifully ended their torture session hours ago. Their bonfire hadn’t been well attended—but that wasn’t a surprise. Olive did wonder where the band was staying. She assumed it wasn’t in these tents. Since they were locals, maybe they’d gone home for the night.

The watchers in the woods appeared to have disappeared . . . somewhere.

The free alcohol had done its job. Most of the attendees had either passed out in their tents or were too intoxicated to cause further trouble.

Olive and Jason had stayed outside observing and mingling.

But they hadn’t seen anything that would help them find Chloe.

Not yet.

So they’d turned in for the night, vowing that tomorrow would be the day they found answers.

The inside of the tent was small—two uncomfortable air mattresses, each shoved into opposite walls of the tent. There was maybe a foot of space between them—just enough room to place their backpacks and shoes.

They had arranged their sleeping bags on top of the mattresses earlier and had set the single lantern near the entrance.

Olive lay on her bed, listening to Jason’s steady breathing beside her. Sleep was impossible.

Every sound outside made her tense. The wind. The rushing water. The footsteps that probably belonged to guides—who’d since transformed into security guards.

“You awake?” Jason’s whisper was so quiet she almost missed it.

“Yeah.” She turned toward him in the darkness, acutely aware of how small their tent was, how close they were lying. “I can’t stop thinking about what Connor said.”

“About Chloe leaving the promotional shoot?”

“Yes. I need to know what he knows. I’m hoping I’ll get the opportunity to talk to him tomorrow.”

“He seems like a good source of information.”

“And I keep thinking about the mine also.” Olive shifted, and her arm brushed against Jason’s. Even that slight contact sent electricity through her system. “It seems like the perfect place to hide something.”

Jason was quiet a moment. “You want to check it out?”

The words she’d been waiting to hear . . .

“I think we have to,” Olive whispered. “Connor indicated Chloe was headed there before she disappeared. It only makes sense.”

“It could be where she is now.”

The possibility hung between them like a prayer and a nightmare.

If Chloe was in the mine, she might still be alive. But she also might not be alone.

“It’s risky,” Jason said.

“Everything about this place is risky. But we can’t just lie here and wait for something to happen to us too.”

His gaze locked with hers. “Okay. But we do this together, and we’re careful. If something feels wrong?—”

“Then we get out immediately,” she finished.

“Promise me.”

The intensity in his voice made her turn toward him, though she could barely make out his features in the darkness. “I promise.”

For a moment, they lay there in the dark. Olive felt hyperaware of everything—the warmth emanating from Jason, the way his presence made her feel both safer and more vulnerable at the same time, the way her soul longed for someone to share her life with.

“We should go now,” she whispered, though part of her wanted to stay in this moment. “While everyone’s drunk or asleep.”

“Let’s get moving.” Jason sat up, ready to start.

But the weird ache remained in her chest.

Because she didn’t really want to go to the mine.

She’d much rather stay here with Jason and pretend everything was fine between them. Like they could have a future together.

She’d been going solo at life for so long, and she hadn’t realized just how weary she’d become.

Not until now.

Not until Jason.

Olive and Jason slipped out of their tent like shadows, moving with practiced stealth.

The festival grounds were mostly quiet. She heard the occasional snore from nearby tents. A few stragglers still laughed obnoxiously near the stage—the frat boy, if she had to guess. Empty plastic cups littered the common area, evidence of a hard night of partying.

She’d also noted the men patrolling the area.

For their safety? Or to keep people in line?

She still wasn’t sure.

Olive and Jason had changed into black clothing and soft-soled shoes that would move silently over the rough terrain.

She couldn’t help but notice how the moonlight caught the sharp angles of Jason’s face, making him look both dangerous and incredibly attractive.

Focus, she told herself. Missing girl. Potential crimes. This is not the time to be distracted by how good Jason looks.

“You ready?” Jason asked.

She nodded. “Let’s go.”

They made their way through the camp, sticking to the shadows between abandoned buildings. The ruins of Grayfall looked even more ominous in the moonlight—skeletal remains of a once-thriving community, now serving as the backdrop for whatever sinister operation was unfolding here.

The mine entrance loomed ahead of them like a mouth ready to swallow whatever came too close. During the day, the place had looked merely abandoned. At night, it looked actively malevolent.

The entrance was larger than Olive had expected, easily wide enough for vehicles to pass through, and a fence with razor wire at the top stopped anyone from getting in.

“There.” Jason pointed through the fence. “You see that?”

Olive squinted into the darkness and saw what he was indicating—a faint glow emanating from somewhere deep inside the tunnel, too steady and bright to be natural.

“Someone’s down there,” she whispered.

They stepped closer, every sense on high alert. The old warning signs were posted on the fence. “DANGER: UNSTABLE STRUCTURE” and “NO TRESPASSING” were painted in faded letters that should have deterred anyone with common sense.

If Olive was smart, she’d turn back now.

But she couldn’t. She had a job to do.