Page 110 of Mystery in the Mountains

“Have you heard of it before?” Esther turned to her.

Bridget nodded. “But I’m not sure where. I saw it on a sign somewhere.”

“Like a billboard?” Sunny asked.

“No.” Bridget closed her eyes, trying to recall. “It was . . .” Her eyes flew open to Sunny. “It was at a construction site.”

“Where was it?” Esther asked.

“I saw it on my way back from the ren faire I did in North Carolina. I saw it . . . close.”

“Where?” Abe asked.

“This church is bad news. Like, really bad news,” Esther said.

“This church is a part of Bradford Wilkes. He’s the one who is trying to buy my house.”

Bridget gasped. “I saw it on the other side of the mountain.”

“Our mountain?” Abe asked.

“Yes, down near Route 16.”

“Let’s go,” Abe said as they all made their way downstairs.

Sunny grabbed the lockbox. She wasn’t sure why, but she couldn’t help but think if she was dealing with the coal company, she might need the proof they had promised to leave them alone.

Chapter

Thirty-Nine

ASHER

Asher struggled against the chains bound behind his back. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but considering he and Abe hadn’t done a patrol on the back side for who knows how long, it wasn’t looking good.

Part of him wanted to hope Sunny could find him, but that thought terrified him.

It terrified him because he wasn’t sure that she would even look for him. She had promised to not leave him again, but he was having trouble trusting that. But the flip side terrified him even more. What if she was still here? What if she tapped into their connection to find him?

The idea of Sunny there with him without being able to protect her was way worse than her leaving him.

While he wasn’t exactly sure how it worked on her end, if she was anywhere in the Hollow, he could feel her and find her. If she could, what would he be dragging her into?

And why wasn’t his magic working? As he sat here, all the moments when he’s sensed something being off, he did nothing. He’d assumed it was Sunny’s return, but this was much more.

The night of the full moon, when the forest had come to life, he had thought it was because of the sheer powers of him and Sunny, but maybe it was something different. And he would wager these two warlocks who had chained him to the wall had something to do with it.

“Let me go!” he bellowed again as he struggled against the chains once more.

The warlock had his feet kicked up on the desk, picking his teeth.

The phone on the desk rang.

“Yeah?” answered the man.

“Boss,” he said, straightening up. “One second, let me go get it.”

The man stood and walked out of the trailer, leaving the door wide open.

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