Page 4 of Anders
That got a genuine laugh from Sarah, though Nick’s expression remained serious.
TheHeraldoffice is just down the street,he said.Two blocks east, can’t miss it.But it’ll be locked up this time of night.Were you planning to stay at the Desert Rose Motel?
The way he said it made it sound less like a question and more like a strong suggestion.Etta bristled slightly at the implied direction.
Actually, the company set me up with a rental house,she said, pulling out her phone to check the address.On Mesa View Road?
The reaction was subtle but immediate.Sarah and Nick exchanged a look she couldn’t quite interpret.The other diners, who had been pretending not to eavesdrop, suddenly found their coffee cups fascinating.
That’s…quite a ways out of town,Nick said carefully.Easy to get lost in the dark if you don’t know the area.Maybe you should reconsider the motel, just for tonight.
I appreciate the concern,Etta said, keeping her tone pleasant but firm,but I’ve got good directions.A lie, but she wasn’t about to admit that to these strangers, no matter how helpful they seemed to be trying to be.And I’d rather get settled in tonight so I can focus on work tomorrow.
The diner was starting to feel crowded, though half the booths were empty.Her skin prickled uncomfortably at having so many strangers in what suddenly felt like her space, though she couldn’t explain why she felt so territorial about a diner she’d just walked into.
Somewhere in the kitchen, she could hear two people whispering, though they were too far away to make out more than a few of their words:…have to tell Malcolm and Larissa…
…protocol for situations like this…
Another loaded look passed between the couple.Then Sarah pulled out her order pad and started writing.
At least let me give you my number,she said, tearing off the page and sliding it across the table.In case you need anything.Cell service can be spotty out there.
Etta took the paper, oddly touched by the gesture even as she wondered about the ulterior motive she sensed behind it.Thanks.That’s really kind of you.
It’s what neighbors do,Sarah said with another smile, this one reaching her eyes.Though you might want to stock up on some supplies before heading out there.The store closes in twenty minutes, but I can call ahead, ask them to stay open a bit longer?
The offer was tempting—she hadn’t thought about things like groceries in her rush to get on the road this morning—but something in her rebelled against accepting too much help too quickly.I’ve got some basics packed,she said.I’ll do a proper shop tomorrow.
Nick looked like he wanted to argue, but Sarah touched his arm again, and he subsided.Etta was starting to get the impression that was a common dynamic between them.
Etta finished her coffee and settled the tab with Sarah.As she walked back to her car, she felt eyes on her from every direction.Not just from the diner—from the shadows between buildings, from the barely lit windows of second-story apartments.The wild scent from earlier seemed stronger now, making her head spin slightly.
She got into her car quickly, telling herself she was being ridiculous.They were just being typically small-town curious about a newcomer.
That was all.
The fact that her hands were shaking slightly as she started the engine was just fatigue from the long drive.The way her skin felt too tight, like it was trying to reshape itself, was just stress and too much coffee.
The road to her rental wound up into the hills, the lights of town falling away behind her.The moon was rising, nearly full, casting everything in silvery light that made the landscape look alien and familiar at the same time.
That strange scent grew stronger as she climbed, and with it came an inexplicable feeling of…rightness?Like she was heading exactly where she needed to be, even though every rational part of her brain was screaming that this whole situation was weird.
Her rental house appeared exactly where the directions said it would be—a small adobe structure set back from the road, its walls pale gold in the moonlight.
As she pulled into the driveway, her headlights swept across something that made her heart stutter: a pair of eyes reflecting green in the darkness, too high off the ground to be a fox.
Maybe a coyote?Etta didn’t have any experience with those, but she’d been under the impression they were small too.
She blinked, and the eyes were gone.Just her imagination.Had to be.
But as she got out of the car, that wild scent hit her again, stronger than ever.And this time, something deep inside her responded.Something that felt like it had been sleeping for a very long time and was finally starting to wake up.
What the hell kind of town is this?
As she grabbed her overnight bag from the trunk, another part of her—a part she didn’t recognize and wasn’t sure she wanted to examine too closely—whispered an answer to the question.
Home.
