“Is he older or younger?”
“Two years older.”
“And you never had the urge to leave this place?”
“Would if I could.” She sniffs and doesn’t elaborate.
I almost ask, but then I remember I’m not supposed to get involved. Just by looking at this girl, I know she’s got a sob story, and I don’t need to hear it.
The world outside the car is a blur of white and gray, the snowflakes swirling in a frenzied dance. The road markings are impossible to see. I adjust my grip on the steering wheel, and in my periphery, I can see her looking at the tattoos on the backs of my hands.
“What’s up with all the tattoos?”
“I like body art. Most women like them too, but let me guess, not you.”
“Why would you say that?”
“You seem to be determined not to like anything about me.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Not one bit.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re lying. What does that one mean?” She points at my right hand.
“La mia rotta è fissata per un mare inesplorato.My course is set for an uncharted sea. It’s a quote from Dante.“
She gasps. “You’re literate?”
“I know. Shocking.”
She laughs, and warmth spreads through my chest at the sound. Ahead of us, a few cars crawl at a snail’s pace, their taillights peeking through the falling snow.
“I don’t think Darkwater Hollow qualifies as unchartered sea. Where were you before this?”
“New York. I—“
Fuck.
I wasn’t supposed to say that. Our story is that we came here from Vegas.
I slipped.
That’s never happened until now.
Blake turns to me. “New York? Why did you leave?”
There’s nothing left to do but backtrack and hope she forgets I ever brought it up. “I wasn’t there for long. Before that, I was inVegas. Sam, my business partner, and I worked at a construction company, but we both got tired of that place. So we decided to move somewhere quieter and start our own thing.”
We turn off the highway, and that’s when the car starts to slide.
CHAPTER 10
BLAKE
There’s a subtle shift in the car's steady hum, a gentle lurch that morphs into a sharp slide. My stomach drops as the car begins to skid, the tires losing their grip on the surface beneath us.
I clutch at the armrest, my knuckles whitening, eyes widening in alarm.
