His dark gaze settled on my face. “I couldn’t, Ember. I… wasn’t supposed to keep going back, but…”

“But what?”

A door opened somewhere in the house, followed by the sound of footsteps.

Hayden reached out and brushed a curl off my cheek. My heart stopped. His hand hovered there. “Don’t roam off too far.” Then he walked off, leaving me standing in the open door.

In a daze, I stepped outside. The air smelled strongly of pine and maple. The sun was still warm for a late September morning. Tiny beads of sweat dotted my forehead as I made my way around the sprawling house.

It was ridiculously huge. The main part of the house stood three stories high. Single-story wings spread out from the middle, flanking each side like a cloverleaf. Only the long, winding driveway and small patch of front lawn remained clear. Everything else was nothing but shadows and thick, imposing trees.

Isolation.

Did Cromwell pick this house because of its location? I could scream and no one would hear me. I shuddered and forced myself to keep walking. A large garage sat at the edge of the woods, kitty-corner from the house. Inside were two Porsches—both black and shiny coupes. Behind them towered a really nice SUV and two more absurdly expensive cars.

Sitting beside the cars, my poor Jeep looked like a sad, unfortunate creature. For the first time since I woke up, a smile broke out across my face. I didn’t care if it looked ugly. It was mine—my way out.

I started toward it, but the sound of tires crunching over gravel drew my attention. Curiosity propelled me back to the front of the house. Was it the cowboy man? The boy who wanted to toss me around the kitchen? My steps slowed considering the options.

What I hadn’t expected to see was Mrs. Lewis’ Toyota creeping up the driveway. The Camry rolled to a stop; the car door swung open before he killed the engine.

I broke out in a dead run. “Adam? What are you doing here? How did you—what are you doing?”

Adam stepped out of the car, his glasses crooked, shirt wrinkled. He gave me a goofy smile. “Google Maps, Ember. It wasn’t hard to find Petersburg. Apparently, it’s well known for those rocks.” He pointed to the monster in the sky. “I’ve been driving all night. Had two energy drinks and a coffee, probably grounded for life, but I’m here. Alive.”

I stared at him, and then burst into laughter. “Adam, you’re in so much trouble. When your mom finds out, she’s gonna kill you.”

He shrugged. “Look, I needed to make sure you were okay. I tried calling you, but you turned your damn phone off. I thought you’d been kidnapped and stuck in a one-room shack in the mountains of West Virginia. Apparently, I was wrong.” His eyes squinted at the house behind me. “You’re stuck in an eighty-room shack.”

God, I wanted to hug him. I also wanted to strangle him. “Adam, how did you find this house?”