Never Let Her Go by A.M. Strong

Author:A.M. Strong [Strong, A.M. & Sargent, Sonya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-EIGHT

Patterson arrived at the rental house on the dot of three. It was exactly as Bauer had described, sitting on a large plot of land several miles south of the city and remote enough that no one would notice her coming and going. Even so, she stopped on the road and observed the property for a few moments to make sure nobody was around. Bauer had said the owners lived in Florida, but she didn’t want any surprises.

After deciding it was safe, Patterson turned onto the driveway—which was actually just a winding dirt trail bordered by thorny bushes—and drove up to the house. There was a large empty barn at the home’s rear standing with its doors open, and she decided to park the van there, where it wouldn’t be spotted from the road. She pulled around and stopped, then made her way back around to the front on foot, leaving her possessions behind for now.

The house was a one-story ranch with a wraparound porch. There were four rocking chairs positioned to overlook the parched landscape. It wasn’t much to look at now, but she imagined that the view must be stunning come sunset since the porch faced west.

She took out her burner phone and checked the door code, then typed it in. Once inside, she checked out all the rooms. The layout flowed from the front with an eat-in kitchen and living room, complete with a stone hearth, to the bedrooms and bathroom at the rear.

Satisfied that all was in order, Patterson returned to the van and grabbed her belongings, including a bottle of copper-colored hair dye she had stopped and bought at a drugstore on the way there. She hauled everything inside, depositing everything in the smaller of the two bedrooms, which still contained a queen-size bed. More than enough for her needs.

That done, she made a more thorough investigation of the property. The bathroom had a wide walk-in shower clad in natural stone. It looked so inviting that she almost stripped off right there and jumped in. Next to that was the other bedroom with a king-size bed. The living room was tastefully furnished with a leather sofa and two chairs. A woven rug covered the plank floor, its bright Midwest colors adding a pop of contrast to the space. A flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall next to the hearth.

Compared to the hot and cramped van, this was the lap of luxury. She hurried back to the bedroom and undressed then made her way to the shower and stood under the hot water for a good twenty minutes, washing away the grime of two days on the road. She wanted to dye her hair, but it felt like too much work right at that moment, so she decided to do it later.

Afterward, she returned to the bedroom and pulled the covers back, then slipped beneath them without bothering to find her PJs. Phoebe and Bauer wouldn’t get there for at least another couple of hours, and she could barely keep her eyes open.

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