Page 24 of The Woman in the Hollow
Up ahead, I saw the edge of the path as it circled toward the garden center.
But in my desperation, I forgot about the damn ropes on the side of the path.
It caught me at the shin, sending me falling forward.
The shovel flew out of my hands, landing somewhere off in the distance as my hands braced to catch my fall.
The underbrush nipped at my palms as the impact shot up my arms into my shoulders.
My breath hissed out of me as I scrambled up, barely getting upright before I started to charge forward again.
Close. So close.
I shot past the corn maze, half expecting someone’s arms to reach out, grab me, stab me to death as well.
But as I passed the build-your-own-scarecrow section, I saw two shadowed figures move out from the front of the garden center.
My heart seized.
My steps faltered.
Until one of the men turned.
Domenico.
“Dom!” I shrieked, but the sound only came out as an airy yelp.
Still, his gaze caught my movement ,and I watched as he tensed up and nodded toward me.
The other man turned.
Dante.
“Dante!” I yelped, rushing forward.
“Hazel?” Dante called, rushing toward me. “What happened?”
“There’s… a… body…”
“What?” Domenico asked as Dante grabbed my arm like he was worried I might collapse. Hell, I felt like I just might.
“You’re bleeding,” Dante said, his fingers gently grabbing my chin and forcing my head all the way up so he could inspect the damage. “What happened?”
“There’s… someone…”
“In the woods?” Domenico asked, moving closer. “There’s someone in the woods?”
“A… body.”
“There are a lot of bodies in the woods,” Domenico said, brows scrunching.
“A real one. He… he’s dead. He was… stabbed.”
Dante’s gaze went to Domenico’s. It seemed like an entire conversation passed between them.
“Was there someone else in there?”
Yes.
