The Wrong Path - By Vivian Marie Aubin du Paris Page 0,67

and opened the door just enough to let herself in, finding sanctuary from the rain.

It was dark inside, the dull gray light from the heavy storm clouds outside barely lighting the room. She looked around uneasily, trying to locate some sort of light source. She finally spied a lantern on one of the work tables by the door and picked it up, turning the dial until it cast a hazy yellow glow around the room.

To her dismay, there were no indications Will had been at the barn since he had brought her. The place looked the exact same as it had the last time he had brought her. She had hoped for some sign—clothes or blankets in the corner on the couch, maybe—but there was none.

She headed to the couch anyway, setting the lantern down on the coffee table in front of it before curling up in the corner of the couch. She tugged one of the blankets from the back of the couch over her, shivering as her body temperature started to rise. How could Will stand to stay here? The rain on the outside of the barn was impossibly loud. Every sound she heard outside she was sure was someone coming to murder her.

She tried to picture Will staying here, as frightened as she was, but she couldn’t imagine it. Will probably just flopped back on that very couch, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep. He wouldn’t let strange noises frighten him. And if he did hear one, he would probably just get up and go investigate it.

The thought comforted her somehow, making her smile. She rested her head against the arm of the couch, which smelled vaguely of Will, and closed her eyes.

The sound of a car startled her. She looked up, shocked to see it was dark outside. She hurriedly set aside the blanket, her heart hammering against her chest as she ran to the window to see outside. She could only see headlights in the darkness, which went out even as she watched.

Her blood ran cold as she heard the footsteps slowly approach the barn.

If it were Will, he would have run up to get out of the rain, wouldn’t he? So then who was walking up with such slow, deliberate steps? Will had told her no one would come to the barn, but what if he was wrong? What if someone did know about the barn?

What if she were about to be in a lot of trouble?

She ran to the back of the barn, turning the dial on the lantern to extinguish the light. She hid behind the standing shelves, crouching low to the ground. The rain sounded impossibly loud on the roof of the old barn, as if it had somehow amplified within the last few seconds. Her blood rushed in her ears as she waited in trepidation for the person to enter. She heard the scrape of metal and wood as the barn door was opened. A figure stepped in, drenched with rain. He paused a foot inside of the barn and looked up, the dull light from the window barely lighting his features.

Will.

She darted out from behind the shelves, running to him. “Will!” she cried, throwing her arms around his neck.

He caught her with a slight step back, his arms holding her almost automatically. “Belle?” he asked, sounding bewildered. “What are you doing here? Whose car is that?”

She hugged him tightly, all the fear she had felt replaced with so much warmth and relief she could almost feel it exuding from her. “It’s my dad’s. I came to find you.”

“Your dad’s?” he repeated. “Where did it come from?”

“He’s had it for years. He doesn’t take it out of the garage.” She pulled back and looked up at him. His hair dripped onto his shirt, hanging in pieces around his tired, thin face. “Are you okay?” she asked him.

“I’m fine. You didn’t need to come here.” She nearly gasped when he pulled away from her, stepping around her to the couch. She watched as he knelt down in front of a trunk beside it and unlocked it, pulling out a long-sleeved t-shirt.

She tried to push down her hurt feelings. “I was worried about you,” she objected. “Ebony told me that you were missing.”

Will yanked off his wet shirt, scowling. “Of course she did,” he muttered.

“Will—“

“Belle.” He turned on her, the dry shirt still in his hands. “Thank you for coming. Really. But I came here to get away from everything.