Page 59 of Twisted Truths

He fixes me with a look. “Are you sure you won’t go off half-cocked and get yourself into trouble? Come on, Nash. Be smart about this. Stay here. I’ll help you clean out their house. We’ll do it together. Zara was my sister, too.”

“I’ll let you know when I’m ready to go through her room,” I tell him. “I have to do the rest myself.”

His shoulders slump. “Yeah, okay, if you’re sure. Let me grab my keys.”

I follow him out to his car, and we sit in silence as he drives out to the farm. The closer we get, the tighter my chest constricts. My knee bounces restlessly, and I rub my palms against my suit pants, pressing them against my thighs like I can pin the panic in place. It doesn’t help.

At the gate, I climb out and unlock it, pushing it open before getting back in the car. Levi remains quiet as he drives towards the house.

“Do you want me to come in?” he asks when he pulls to a stop.

“I’m good,” I say, not taking my eyes off the front porch, where Paul lost his life in the most brutal way. The crime scene tape is gone, but the memory of it still plagues my waking nightmares. “I just want to get some sleep.”

“Yeah, of course.”

I grab my bags and climb out of the car, then lean down to talk to him. “Seriously, Lev. Thanks for everything you’ve done. Tell Paige I’ll come over tomorrow night for dinner.”

“Will do.”

I watch the lights of his car as they drive away, then release a heavy exhale and switch on my phone light so I don’t trip asI make my way up to the front door. Skirting around the brownish stain on the wooden boards, I swallow the bile rising up the back of my throat. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

My hand shakes as I insert the key and turn the handle. The door creaks open like something from a horror movie. I half expect someone to jump out at me. They don’t, but I also wasn’t expecting light spilling from underneath the door to the sitting room. The window to the sitting room is at the back of the house, which explains why Levi and I didn’t notice when we pulled up. The low murmur of voices coming from the room is almost drowned out by my heart hammering in my chest.

Who the fuck is in the house?

My phone burns in my back pocket.

I should call Shane.

Or Levi.

But my curiosity gets the better of me. Whoever it is has the balls not to hide. Could it be kids? A dare?

Spend a night in the murder house of Barrenridge.

Yeah, I’ve heard the rumours going around town from some of the high school kids.

Leaving my bags at the front door, I creep down the hallway, avoiding the floorboards that always creak.

These kids are going to get the scare of their life. It’s in pretty poor taste to be breaking in here the night of the funerals. I’m not in the fucking mood.

When I reach the sitting room without having given away my presence, I take a deep breath before shoving open the door.

A small shriek causes my heart to fucking stop when I spot the two people sitting on the settee, finishing what looks like a bowl of pasta.

Hadley’s green eyes go wide, her face pale in the dim light coming from the lamp in the corner.

Gabriel freezes mid-bite, the fork hovering awkwardly near his mouth.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask, my voice sharper than I intended.

Hadley flinches, but Gabriel meets my gaze head on. “My parents kicked us out.”

“So, you broke into this house? Onthisnight? Fuck me, Gabriel, I only buried my fucking family today.” My eyes narrow, a chilling realisation hitting me. “How do you even know about this place?”

He hears the accusation in my tone. “I picked Zara up from here before she moved to the Circle.”

My hands fist at my sides. “Oh, yeah? And did you follow her back here when she left?”