Page 13 of Survive the Night
Otto couldn’t speak.
It wasn’t just that he couldn’t get the words out. The words were just…gone. In social situations, he tended to get quiet, but this was different. He’d never had this strong a reaction to anyone. This feeling was so intense that his brain had just given up. His thoughts had come to a screeching halt, and he had to concentrate on breathing. Words were simply not going to happen.
Sarah stared at him, quiet as well, her neutral expression not giving him any clues about what she was thinking. The longer the silence continued, the more frantically Otto tried to come up with something to say and the blanker his mind became. He had the terrible thought that something completely inappropriate would pop out, something about how pretty she was or how scared or how he wanted to keep her safe.
Otto stopped worrying about not saying something and started worrying that he would say something mortally embarrassing that would make her hate him forever. The seconds ticked by, the faint chatter coming from the kitchen and the low hum of the wind outside pressing against the house the only sounds. Neither looked away.
“Wow. This is awkward,” Grace said. “Otto, when I said you weren’t allowed to interrogate her, I didn’t mean to ban all polite conversation. You can, you know, tell her it’s nice to meet her or make some comment about the weather.”
She paused, and silence dropped over them again.
Otto tried to stop staring, but he couldn’t seem to pull his gaze away. He felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach, but not in a painful way, just hard enough to steal his breath—and apparently all higher brain function.
“That’s it.” Grace turned and headed for the stairs. “I’m getting Hugh. There are never any weird silences when he’s around.”
The mention of his partner finally knocked Otto’s brain back into gear. If Hugh saw him now, he’d never, ever, ever let it go. Hugh would tease him to the point of torture, and it would be Otto’s fault. He was acting like an idiot, all because he’d been introduced to an attractive, frightened, oddly fascinating woman.
Turning instinctively to follow, Otto realized that he hadn’t said a word to Sarah. He twisted around, but he couldn’t think of anything to say, so he just raised a hand in an awkward, clumsy wave that embarrassed him even as he was doing it. Sarah blinked and then slowly, cautiously, lifted a hand in response.
Unsure whether she was returning his greeting or mocking him, Otto spun around and practically bolted after Grace.
“What in the holy hell was that?” she whispered once they were on the stairs, hopefully out of earshot of both Sarah and the group in the kitchen.
Otto gave a small shrug. He honestly had no idea. What he did know was that the new arrival had burned her image into his brain. His gut gave a twinge, telling him what he already knew—his life was going to change.
Chapter 5
Alice—no, she reminded herself, it’s Sarah now—stared at the ceiling of her new bedroom. She’d startled awake in the predawn darkness, her heart thumping and her body clammy with sweat from a forgotten nightmare. Falling back asleep wasn’t going to happen. Even though she’d been living in her new home for four days now, the bed felt strange and the night sounds were different. The wind never stopped blowing here, constantly groaning and whistling as it slipped around the old house. It should’ve been soothing, that constant noise, but it made Sarah nervous. It covered all other sounds, like possible footsteps on the stairs or the creak of her door or the squeak of the floorboard right next to her bed. If someone broke in, they could use the wind as cover. She might never even know they were there until they grabbed her.
Sitting up abruptly, Sarah fumbled for her bedside lamp. Her heart beat quickly as the bulb finally flickered on, and she peered around the room, checking all of the shadowy corners for any sign of danger.
The room was empty.
Gradually, her breathing slowed, but she was reluctant to turn off the light. She glanced at the stack of library books she’d checked out the day before, but she felt too twitchy and restless to read. She needed to move.
Sliding out of bed, she shivered as her bare feet made contact with the cold hardwood floor. She moved over to the window, looking out over the side yard and the trees that stretched beyond it. It was dark outside, though, the moon not bright enough to illuminate much of anything.
It was too easy to see frightening shapes in the blackness, so she backed away from her window. Looking outside had made her feel more trapped, rather than less. She cast a longing look toward the closed bedroom door, wishing she could leave.
Why couldn’t she leave?
As the realization sank in—that she was free now, that she could walk out of her room if she wanted, that she could do pretty much anything—a flutter of excitement shot through her stomach, drowning out the lingering fear. She hurried to dress in jeans and a hoodie, pulling the clothes on over the leggings and long-sleeved shirt she was wearing as pajamas. After tugging on socks, she slid her feet into her athletic shoes.
Despite knowing that she wasn’t doing anything wrong, a bubbling, slightly anxious thrill warmed her blood as she reached for the doorknob. Ever since she could remember, she’d been locked in her bedroom at night. Sarah had never taken a nighttime stroll before, and her hand trembled as she pulled open the door.
More darkness awaited her, the gloom barely lifted by a couple of hallway night-lights. Although Jules had said that the small lights were for the kids, in case they needed to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, Sarah already knew that her new landlady had issues with the dark. Sarah understood. She had her own demons.
She made her way toward the stairs, walking as quietly as she could. The floor creaked and groaned with every step, making her grateful—for once—for the steady drone of the wind. She didn’t want to disturb any of her housemates, and she also didn’t want any company. Jules, Grace, and the kids were wonderful, and Sarah was grateful to Mr. Espina for sending her to them, but she needed to start doing things on her own. After all, this house and this town were just a temporary stopping place, somewhere to hide from Aaron and get her wobbly legs steady underneath her.
No one had popped out of their room as Sarah made her careful way down the stairs and to the coatrack by the front door. She hadn’t had a chance to shop for winter things yet, but Ty and Tio were happy to share their winter clothes with her. It was a little embarrassing to wear the same size as the thirteen-year-old boys, but she was grateful for the loan. It hadn’t snowed yet, but the wind was fierce, and it would have cut right through her hoodie.
As she reached for the front doorknob, her hand paused. Was she being dumb? Were her nerves jangling a warning because she’d been too sheltered in Texas, or were her instincts warning her of some real danger? A surge of anger at her father and Aaron zapped through her. It wasn’t normal for someone her age—an adult—to be so anxious about going for a walk alone. The sun would be rising soon, and her stomach was still turning somersaults at the thought of stepping outside.
Her resentment blazed through her, warming her and pushing her through the doorway. Once she was on the porch, she paused again, taking in her surroundings. The night was cold, the wind whipping around her. The evergreens surrounding the property shadowed the yard, making everything look even darker.
Now that she was actually outside, Sarah wasn’t sure where to walk. She glanced at the forest and immediately shivered. There was no way she was going to wander around the dark woods. She might be naive and sheltered, but she wasn’t dumb. The only other option was walking down the driveway, so she descended the porch steps and set off along the narrow dirt path.
