Page 5 of Hollow Forest

My heart squeezed tight. Such a cute place….

But it wasn’t for me.

I took a gulp of the coffee, letting the pain from the burn fill me instead of dealing with the turmoil I felt inside. It was time to move on. I rose from my seat.

And nearly bumped into the pixie barista.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” she squeaked.

“It’s my fault,” I responded, even though she was the one who’d come out of nowhere.

She gave me a strange smile, crooked and full of teeth. “Samatha…Jones? You’re the one staying in the cottage?”

I faltered. A warning chimed in the back of my head. How the fuck did she know that? I hadn’t given her my name.

“That’s me,” I said tightly.

“Um, so this is awkward,” she rushed to say. “But if you want the job here, it’s yours.”

I nearly dropped my cup. “Excuse me?”

She waved her hand. “We could actually use another pair of hands, and you come highly recommended.”

That stank of horse shit. I clutched my drink tightly and counted to ten. On one hand, I needed a job—and fast! But on the other….

“Who?” I demanded.

“Who?” she chirped.

“Who recommended me?” There was no one in this blip on the map that knew me. Anxiety rushed through my veins. It was suddenly hard to breathe. Had I messed up? My new fake identity wasn’t in the system. There was no way for the authorities to track me this far north, even if I’d been sloppy. Which I hadn’t.

The barista worried her hands, tugging on the glittering engagement ring shining on her finger. “Um, it’s nothing. Just that you have the job if you want it. Or if you want to work somewhere else in town, there are lots of openings.”

I flicked a glance at her nametag. “Ivry. What’s going on?”

“Nothing!”

I took a step forward and leaned down. My words came out sharp and lethal. “You said you already filled the position. Now someone recommended me, and I magically have the job?”

“I said too much,” Ivry whispered, gaze darting about. “Seph is going to kill me.”

My stomach flipped. “Who the fuck is Seph?”

“Giuseppe—Joseph,” she clarified. “He sent out a group text to our family businesses that said you were to be hired on the spot, wherever you wanted to work.”

Giuseppe Ravello. My landlord.

A deep, cleansing breath filled my lungs. It wasn’t the law. Just a random local putting in a good word for me. I should have celebrated and seized the opportunity. But I had the distinct urge to hop in a car and get the hell out of this quaint, pretty little town. If my target wasn’t living his happily-ever-after in a mansion along the river, thinking himself safe behind the eight-foot fence with security cameras, I might have hopped on the next bus.

However….

If the landlord was talking about me, maybe it would be safer to relocate to a metropolis. Somewhere I could truly blend into the crowd. Then sneak back here to exact justice and fulfill my vendetta.

Liking the safety of that plan, I decided to leave.

“I’m good,” I said flatly, moving to step around her.

Ivry cut me off and put a hand on my shoulder.