AllFreeNovel
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Cole and I heave the moose hide out of the car, then I stand back as the man counts out some cash. He’s one of our regulars; a Sami craftsman who makes clothes out of the skin. Cole was called to clear up the roadkill a few days back, and now the hide is going to good use.
I cross my arms over my chest. I’m freezing. The snow is coming down much thicker now, and the wind is getting uncomfortable.
Cole finishes the transaction. The man thanks us, then looks at the sky. “You need to go home,” he says grimly. “The roads won’t be safe much longer.”
We both nod. It’s pretty clear that the storm that’s about to hit will be a bad one.
“We’ll have to finish off after the snow clears,” Cole shouts over the wind as we head back to the car. I nod, too cold to talk, and slide inside, slamming the door shut. Immediately, I notice a frantic beeping. The radio we have in the dash is going haywire. I pick it up.
“Hey—”
Riven’s voice barks down the line. “Come home. Now.”
“I know, I know. We’re not gonna get caught in the storm.” Cole sparks the engine, and we reverse onto the road. “We’re on our way back now.”
“I don’t care about the bloody storm,”he spits out. I frown, sitting up straighter. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve heard Riven sound this pissed. He always keeps it together in a crisis. Which means whatever’s wrong must be very, very wrong.
“Wow, man,” I say lightly. “Thanks for the concern over our safety. For a second there, I thought you cared.”
He huffs a deep breath. “It’s Daisy.”
Cole looks over sharply. “What about Daisy?” He asks, raising his voice. “Is she okay? Did something happen?” He taps the gas a little, speeding up.
“She’s been lying to us.”
“About what?”
“About everything.” We turn a bend in the road, hitting the forest, and the radio crackles in my hand as we lose connection. I look up at the sky. It’s darkening worryingly fast.
“Are we gonna be alright?” I ask Cole. “I’ve never seen a storm come on this quick.”
“We’ll make it,” he mutters.
We drive out of the copse of trees and Riven’s voice starts back up.
“Everything he said about her was true. Everything. He—”
I cut him off. “Look, man, we didn’t get any of that. Just hang on and wait until we get there. It can’t be all that bad.”
“No, I—”
“Cole is trying to drive through a blizzard. Shut up until we get there.” I slam the radio back into its holster.
When we make it to the cabin, the snow is coming down really badly, and the wind is picking up. We don’t have time to park the car in the barn; we have to abandon it in the driveway and stagger the few metres to the door. As soon as we step inside, I see Riv pacing up and down in front of the fire. He doesn’t even wait for us to take off our shoes.
“Sheliedto us,” he announces, spinning on his heel. “Her name isJenny Adams.”
“What?” I unwind my scarf, then push past him to the fire. “Can you give me a second to warm up?”
“Daisy,” he insists. “Her real name is Jenny Adams. She never lived in London. She didn’t work at the school she told us. She isn’t on break, she wasfired.”
I frown. “Wait, what? How do you know all this?”
“I spent the last twenty minutes talking to her boyfriend on the radio. She suddenly disappeared, and he was worried sick, so he tracked her all the way up here.”
I feel like I’m falling.
“Herwhat?” Cole growls.
