I used the wall for support and crept down the stairs. Pushing the dark thoughts from my mind, I followed the lit pathway. My lungs constricted from the thickness of the air. An earthy scent floated through the cold tunnel beneath the estate, making my nose twitch.
I sneezed several times in a row, covering my mouth to keep the stench from invading my nostrils. Stupid allergies. Navigating the passage, I followed the lights around each bend that wrapped around the house's length. The air was thick like fog below ground, so dense I could feel my lungs struggling to keep up.
I walked toward Arlo’s wine room and stopped dead in my tracks. A light inside the room illuminated, and my heart leaped out of my chest. Leaning against the wall, I let out a deep breath before I peeked through the glass walls encasing the wine bottles.
No one was there.
Afraid to waste another moment, I moved toward the end of the hallway, where I spotted the secret door. Almost there. I gripped the heavy steel door, pushing it to the left. The passageway ceiling was maybe four feet high, forcing me to bend down. I inched my way into the narrow tunnel and held my breath.
It was too dark.
Too small.
Like a closet.
As I moved toward the beach, the sound of water slapping the rocks grew louder. Something crawled up my arm. I covered my mouth with my hand to muffle my scream. Swatting at my arm, I flicked off the bug. The salty scent I loved hit me in the face. It reminded me of my first kiss with Luca. Taking it all in, I breathed in the delicious smell of freedom.
I glanced up at the mansion that loomed over the sea. Two guards stood farther back from the cliff with their backs to me. Hidden from the guard’s sight, I stayed close to the rock wall that bordered the Salvatore property. To get to The Hills, I had to follow the beach to Beacon Bay. I could take the back alleyway Aiden had shown me last year. It was the only way to slip out of Devil’s Creek undetected.
The wind whipped through my hair, blowing my curls in my face. My shoes kicked up sand as I jogged toward the wooded area at the end of the beach. I took a right at the giant boulder known as Finnegan’s Rock, where Luca and his friends partied in high school.
I power walked down the hiking trail, ignoring the hoots and howls, the crunching of twigs snapping. I could handle the animals with fur, but the ones with guns and a thirst for blood worried me more. Just in case someone followed me, I ran the rest of the way, pushing my body to the edge as I hauled ass through the streets of Beacon Bay.
Weaving through one dark alleyway after another, I found my way into The Hills. The house I’d shared with Aiden was up the steep incline, right at the center of Devil’s Creek. I stood in front of the modest Colonial-style home with lots of windows and blue shutters. The outdoor lights cast a soft glow over the front lawn.
I knocked on the door and gulped down my fear.
No answer.
What if Madeline was wrong?
I knocked once more. As I walked away, the door swung open, and paint fumes floated through the air.
Aiden.
“Can I help you?”
His voice rolled down my spine, burrowing deep into my bones. I spun around to face him, tears falling from my eyes as I gazed at my missing brother. His blond curls were longer, perfect spirals like when we were children. Once he’d hit puberty, he trimmed his hair short. A long scar dipped beneath his hairline and ran down the right side of his face—a new injury.
Nothing had changed, and yet…
Everything had, including Aiden.
My mouth dropped at the sight of him. “You’re alive?”
He held open the door wider, revealing the large foyer with the same dark hardwood floors and a long staircase that led to the second floor.
“Lexie?” Aiden stepped onto the front porch. “What are you doing here?”
Hot tears slid down my cheeks. “I thought you were dead. And you’ve been here all along? Is this part of some sick game? Did Luca know?”
Of course, he did.
Aiden moved toward me, and I took a few steps back. “I know what you’re thinking.”
I shook my head. “Why would you let me think you were dead? I moved back to Haven and lived with Mom and Dad. The past year has been hell for me.”
“You don’t understand what it’s been like for me. Things are different now. I’m not the same person.”
“No, you’re not.” I wiped away the never-ending tears. “Because the Aiden I knew would never leave me without warning. He would never band with the Salvatores to play mind-fuck tricks on me.”