YELENA
I pulled into Tyler’s garage with my heart banging against my ribs like it wanted to jump out and run back home. The house sat huge and quiet, tucked way out where the city lights faded and the woods started whispering.
Tall pines pressed close to the walls, their shadows moving every time the wind blew. I killed the engine and sat there a second, trying to breathe normally.
Someone had followed me almost the whole way here. I kept checking the mirror, catching headlights that stayed too far but never turned off. By the time I reached his gate, they were gone. Still, the skin on my neck wouldn’t stop crawling.
I grabbed my bag, stepped out, and the cold night air slapped me. Somewhere deep in the trees an owl called, low and slow. Or maybe not an owl. This was close to the pre
