Page 10 of What the Shadows Hide
Goosebumps prickle over my skin as I move through the house to the front porch. Shielding my eyes with my hand, my gaze sweeps the driveway, the trees, and the ridge road below.
Empty.
No truck. No sound.
Only the steady whisper of the vines, like they’re keeping secrets I’m not meant to hear.
CHAPTER 6
Tristan
I tellmyself it isn’t surveillance.
It’s a safety check.
That’s the lie I choose as I idle on the ridge road, phone pressed to my ear, listening to the faint static of the open line.
Just making sure she’s all right after the storm.
Just making sure the access road’s clear.
Her voice cuts through the static. “Voss Estate.”
I don’t answer. The sound of it does something low and unwelcome in my chest. It’s too soft, too alive for this place.
Her voice comes again, a slight edge of something—fear, annoyance, or both—in it. “Hello?”
I breathe once, twice—then end the call before I make it worse.
The silence that follows is heavier than it should be.
When I look up, I can see her house through the trees. Sunlight pools against the roof like spilled gold. A shape moves across the porch. It’s Raine, her phone still in hand, scanning the valley.
Her dark blonde hair lashes in the wind like a flag, golden strands shimmering beneath the sun. She lifts a hand, shielding her eyes, her head turning slowly.
She’s searching forme,even though she doesn’t know it.
I climb inside, put the truck in gear, and let it roll forward until the bend hides her from view. The hum of the engine steadies my pulse, but only slightly.
By the time I reach the turnoff to the distillery, my hands ache from gripping the wheel. I tell myself again it was just a call, nothing more. People check on their neighbors all the time.
But I’ve never been good at pretending curiosity and control are the same thing.
Inside the warehouse, the sweet-burnt smell of mash hits me. Workers move like clockwork—hoses, barrels, copper stills gleaming under the lights. The noise should drown out the thoughts in my head, but it doesn’t.
Calder spots me from across the catwalk. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Just thinking,” I say.
“That’s dangerous for you.” He grins, then frowns when I don’t return it. “You went up there again, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t stop,” I lie too easily.
He studies me for a beat, then shakes his head. “Whatever this thing is with Raine Voss, end it before it starts. She’s not one of us.”
“She’s not a problem,” I say, but even I can hear the hesitation in my voice.
Calder folds his arms. “You sure? Because the last time you decided someone wasn’t a problem, Dad had to buy half the valley to clean up after you.”
