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I kept my eyes fixed on Jensen. “What does she mean?”
He kept his eyes forward, hands tightly gripping the wheel. “When I was researching this place, I saw a comment from a woman who used to live at the farm next door to the Playground,” he said. “I stalked her profile and saw her commenting elsewhere that she and her husband have retired down in Florida. Apparently they’ve been trying to sell their old farm with no luck. I checked the local real estate site and found it. It’s still for sale, and no offers have been made. So it’s sitting there empty, and it should still have power and water. If not, it’s okay. I got supplies. Paid for with cash, of course.”
My brows shot up. “We’re going back there?”
“Not exactly. We’re going next door.”
A fierce chill gripped me. “I can’t go near the Playground,” I said, vigorously shaking my head. “Please. Anywhere else.”
Jensen looked over at me. “Just hear me out,” he said softly. “No one would ever suspect that you went right next door to hide out. They’d naturally assume that you’d want to get away as far as you possibly can. It seems counterintuitive to stay close. So that’s what we’re doing.”
“Like a reverse psychology thing,” Piper added.
“Oh.” My shoulders slumped, and my frenetic pulse began to slow. “That makes sense.”
Jensen briefly withdrew one hand from the wheel to gently pat my leg. “It’s okay to be scared after everything you went through,” he murmured. “But don’t worry. I’ve got you. I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I nodded and rested my head on the seat, sucking down deep breaths to calm myself. I should’ve known Jensen would never do anything to put me in danger. Everything he did was for me; to keep me safe and secure.
We turned into the long, winding driveway a few minutes later. The old farmhouse that stood at the end was a far cry from the enormous Georgian mansion on the neighboring property. Its whitewashed walls were faded and peeling, and the roof shingles had lost their original color, sporting a dull gray patina.
Despite the ravages of time, the place looked warm and welcoming, with a wide porch at the front that featured several cozy-looking chairs and a porch swing.
“Wait here,” Jensen said, glancing at me and Piper in turn. “I just have to make sure they don’t have an alarm system.”
He returned to the car five minutes later, one hand beckoning us to join him outside. “It’s fine,” he called out. “No cameras or alarms anywhere.”
“How are we getting in?” I asked, peering at the front door. “It’s locked, right?”
Jensen nodded. “I broke the glass on the back door. It’s practically a matter of life or death, so I don’t think the owners will mind,” he said, shrugging nonchalantly.
We trudged around to the back and headed inside. There were no personal touches in the place, like family photos or decorations, but the basic furnishings were still present. The living room was cozy and comfortable, with a brick fireplace, large coffee table, worn armchairs, and a sofa that looked like it had been reupholstered at least five times.
“We’ll set up in here,” Jensen said. “I’ll get the stuff from the car if you two want to keep looking around.”
“We’ll check out the water and power situation,” Piper said, nodding slowly.
I followed her down the hall to the kitchen. On the way, she suddenly tripped and flew forward. I reached out to grab her arm, saving her from going ass over teakettle.
“Fucking stupid thing,” she muttered, crouching to examine the folded piece of carpet she’d stumbled on. “The edge is all curled up.”
“Wait… peel it back,” I said, gesturing to the patterned runner. “I think there’s something under there.”
Piper grabbed the top of the runner and yanked it back. “Huh. You’re right,” she said. “It’s a door. There must be a root cellar here.”
She opened the small wooden hatch and peered inside. “Too dark to see,” she said, popping her head back. “We can look later. Jensen brought a burner phone for internet stuff, so we can use the light from that.”
Fifteen minutes later, the three of us were hunkered down in the living room, surrounded by the stuff Jensen had brought with him—bottled water, food, clean clothes, toiletries, blankets, a laptop, and power banks.
“I haven’t had time to edit the video yet,” he said, fingers flying over the laptop keyboard. “I’ll get onto that now.”
“Okay. It’s a good thing you brought all those power banks and blankets,” Piper said with a grimace. “It’s going to be freezing here tonight with no electricity.”
Jensen’s lips flattened. “I really thought it would still be connected. But we’ll survive,” he replied, gaze focused on the laptop screen. “At least there’s still running water and gas so we can have showers.”
“I have a question,” I said, lifting a palm. “About the writeup you’re sending to everyone along with the video.”
“What about it?” Piper asked, brows rising.
