Hunted by the Wolf, Claimed by Three Bears

Chapter 10

Olivia POV

I glanced down at the red dress I’d decided on for dinner tonight, still unsure if this was the right thing for me to be wearing…or even doing. But I reminded myself it wasn’t a date, just two friends going out for dinner.

“I think I’m going to cancel tonight,” I muttered to myself. “I can’t do this. This is stupid.”

“No way, Mom.”

I jumped as Timothy’s voice filled the room.

“You look so nice. You have to go out. And Michelle is really fun, she has already played Snakes and Ladders with me.”

I forced a smile on my lips because I didn’t want my son to see how nervous I was. Michelle was a great girl. The neighbor’s daughter, who I was lucky enough to run into on my second day in Twin Lakes. She immediately offered up her babysitting duties should I need them. With her parents next door, I felt like I could really trust her with my boy. The fact that they instantly got along only made it so much better.

“Yeah, I know you guys are having fun. I’m just nervous.”

Timothy walked over to me and held my hand. The look he gave me was so sincere that I wanted to weep.

“But, Mommy, if you’re going to live here, you need to have friends too. I have Luke and Ben. I don’t want you to be lonely.”

My heart sank. Timothy really saw me in a way I wasn’t expecting. He noticed that I was lonely. Did he know I had been that way for a while?

I kneeled down so I could be eye level with him and tried to smile. It was getting harder and harder the more choked up I became.

“I’m not going to be lonely, sweetheart. Not when I have you.”

I grabbed him and pulled him in for a hug. I didn't want any of this to have a negative impact on him, but it seemed like I couldn’t keep him out of it all.

“You are my baby boy, and I will never be lonely with you by my side. I couldn’t be because you’re my whole world.”

“Mom,” he protested while wriggling away from me. “I’m not a baby anymore.”

I giggled, suddenly feeling a little lighter.

“I know you aren’t. But you are mine.”

Excited to get back to his games, Timothy took off running, calling out to Michelle as he went. I guess there was no way out of it now. He wanted to spend the evening with the babysitter, which meant I needed to get out of here.

Even if my heart was freaking racing, I had to make it out. If anything, it would give me another side of this town to experience. I really did want to get to know it better.

I said my goodbyes and headed out, the cool evening air whipping around me as I walked. I had to admit there was something even more beautiful about Twin Lakes when it was bathed in an evening glow. The trees seemed to stand a little taller, the houses glowed with more pride, the quaint, small-town feel intensified in a wonderful way.

I loved it here, I really did. So much more than anywhere else we had ever been. I already felt a sense of belonging, of wanting to make the most of the town, and not just for my son, but for me too. I deserved to be somewhere I could be happy.

“…I know, at the lake. Isn’t it crazy? Who would have thought…?”

I caught a portion of a conversation between teenage girls as I got closer to the restaurant. Intrigued, I slowed down and pretended to do a little window shopping so I could hear what else they had to say. They must have been talking about the lake house burglaries I read about this morning.

“The note is the worst part. I’m here, b***h. Imagine writing that on a dead body.”

I shook my head and picked up the pace again. They were talking about something else, I realized, not the burglaries. But that didn’t stop a lump from lodging itself in the base of my throat, because what they were talking about was too close for comfort.

Hearing the words “lake” and “body” in the same sentence had my brain going to a place I didn’t want to linger.

But what if it was Brady? Had he left a note on that body for me? I had no idea how he would have found me, but at this point, I wouldn’t put anything past him.

The restaurant was welcoming, and the waiter couldn’t stop smiling as he led me to the table where I was going to be meeting Hudson tonight. It would have been enough to make the nerves ebb a little if they were only about Hudson, but there was something more clinging to the atmosphere now. Whispered words that wouldn’t stop affecting me.

Lake… Body… Note…

It wasn’t just those teenage girls discussing it, it was everyone. All around the restaurant. It was enough to make me run home again.

The only reason I didn’t was because I felt like I was being encased in ice, unable to make any rational decision either way. Probably because this was something I was scared of, so to have it coming to fruition was too much for me to bear.

It couldn’t be true, could it? There couldn’t be another dead body in the lake. Brady couldn’t be killing women and chasing me down at the same time. It was just too stupid. Too much for anyone to handle. I’d escaped him—why would he come back?

Someone, maybe a waiter, brought me a drink. Cold water. I didn’t think I even said thanks, I was so lost in my thoughts.

“Olivia, there you are. Good to see you.”

I jumped at the sound of my name. I had all but forgotten I was meeting Hudson here tonight. I had to admit that his warm smile helped ground me in reality a little bit.

I rose to my feet and tried to force myself to grin right back. I knew it would look weird and strained, but I needed to make some effort. I didn’t want Brady to ruin more of my life—even if he was here and killing again just to torment me.

“Hudson, hi!”

My voice came out strained, and I cleared my throat before speaking again.

“How are you?”

He furrowed his brows.

“Hudson, huh?”

All of a sudden, something strange happened. Which was saying something because today had been full of strange things.

As Hudson stood in front of me, he also started to walk toward the table in a lighter grey suit.

Both Hudsons looked confused, which made me feel even more confused.

There were two of him, and I couldn’t stop from looking from one to the other repeatedly.

What the f**k was going on?

What the hell was wrong with this town?