The tires made a loud crunching sound on the wet gravel as the big SUV stopped in the driveway. Out here, two hours away from the city, the air felt cold and smelled like wet dirt and pine trees. This was Blackwood Manor. It was Alexander’s private house, and he kept it completely hidden from his company records.
The house was not a modern building made of glass. It was an old, dark stone house built a long time ago, with small windows that looked like tiny eyes watching everything. All the trees near the house had been cut down, and a high fence with electricity running through it surrounded the whole yard.
Clara stepped down from the high seat of the car. Her boots sank a little into the damp dirt, and the freezing air made her chest hurt. Behind her, Arthur got out of the car, coughin
