CHAPTER 34
JONATHAN
Icalled again.
Voicemail.
I stared at the screen like it might change if I waited long enough. Then I redialed.
Voicemail again.
“Come on, Blanche…” I muttered, getting more impatient by the second. The apology I’d finally forced out into the world felt suspended now…unanswered, hanging in the air between us. Logic said she might not want to talk. After a fight like ours, space made sense.
But this didn’t feel like space.
This felt wrong.
I didn’t have proof. And Blanche had every reason not to answer. I’d hurt her with my words. But instinct whispered that this didn’t feel like distance from pain.
The cabin felt too small, too quiet around me. My father’s letter lay folded on the desk beside me, the words still echoing through my chest. I’d felt clear minutes ago…but not now.
Stepping outside, I went toward the glow of the reception cabin. Toward May.
The gravel crunched under my boots, loud in the stillness. The Hollow had gone into that deep evening hush. I jogged until I pushed open the reception door, the bell jingling.
May sat in the worn armchair near the stone fireplace, a mug of tea cupped in both hands. Firelight moved across her face in slow gold flickers, the flames low but steady, like they’d been burning a while.
Her head tilted up immediately. “Somethin’ wrong, Jon-boy?” she asked.
“I can’t get a hold of Blanche.”
May went still. Her posture sharpened, something old and knowing settling there. “Call Megan,” she said.
I blinked. “What?”
“Her friend. Megan,” May continued. “If Blanche isn’t answerin’ you, she might. Maybe she’ll know where she is.”
I moved without thinking, pulling up the guest contact info. Megan’s number had been listed weeks ago when she’d booked Blanche initially.
I punched in her number.
She answered on the second ring, breathless. “Hello?”
Cold slid down my spine. “Hi—Megan? This is Jonathan Wolfe. From Juniper Hollow.”
A small pause. Then, surprised, “Oh! Hi—wow, okay. I didn’t expect that.”
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “I know this is random…and an awkward way to meet someone.”
“No, it’s fine,” she said, a note of relief slipping in. I heard traffic, a car door shutting. “Honestly, I’m glad it’s you. Um, have you heard from Blanche?”
My stomach dropped. “No…that’s why I was calling. She’s not answering my calls.”
“Oh gods,” Megan said. “We had plans tonight, and she didn’t show…which is not like her at all. And she hasn’t answered me all evening. I’m outside her building right now.”
My stomach dropped. “You have a way to get inside?” I asked, tone low.
“I have a spare key,” Megan replied. “Stay on with me while I go check.” I heard her moving now with more urgency. Her footsteps, quick and uneven.
A knock. Then harder. “Bee?” she called, breath tight. “Bee, are you home? It’s me.” Silence. Then the rattle of keys. A door opening.
Then more silence. A quiet that stretched far too long.
“Megan?”
She didn’t answer right away.
When she did, her voice had changed. Lower. Tighter. Controlled in a way that indicated she was trying not to panic.
“She’s not here.”
My grip tightened on the phone.
“But someone has been.” A pause. I heard her move further inside. Something being pushed away, like furniture.
“Does it look like she packed?” I quickly asked, thinking maybe Blanche was more upset than I knew.
“No, I mean someone else has been here. Her place is trashed. Open drawers…stuff’s on the floor.”
“What else do you see?” I asked, closing my eyes. Fuck, this wasn’t good. I should’ve never left Graymore. I should’ve stayed.
“It looks like someone was searching for something.”
Erik. My mind didn’t even hesitate.
“Besides, she wouldn’t just leave,” Megan said, fear threading into her voice now. “She’d call me.”
The air in the cabin felt thin. Like the walls had pulled in without me noticing. May sat without moving, listening intently.
Megan’s breathing hitched. “Jonathan…what’s going on?”
Before I could answer, my phone vibrated against my ear.
Another call.
I glanced at the screen.
Blanchette.
My heart started pounding viciously.
“Megan, hold on—she’s calling,” I said, already switching lines.
I answered immediately. “Hey, where are you? Megan and I have been worried…”
“Hello, Jonathan,” Erik said pleasantly. “I have a new proposal. One more interesting than money…one that I’m sure you won’t refuse.”
Every muscle in my body tensed.
“Where’s Blanche, you filthy fucking stray?” I asked, my voice clear with anger already rising deep within me.
“Language, Jonathan. Insulting me is not going to help you get you want.”
A measured pause stretched between us. He was using his leverage over me. Waiting to see if I’d lunge…or heel.
“Are you going to sit,” he went on softly, “and behave?”
I said nothing, biting my response down.
“Good boy.” His condescending tone made my fist nearly pulverize the phone, my beast prowling in my chest. “She’s fine. For now.”
My pulse pounded in my ears. “If you lay even a digit of your filthy—”
“Oh, please. Stop being so fucking dramatic,” Erik cut in. “What do you think I am? An animal? I prefer negotiations, not savage theatrics. Calm down.”
I stepped outside the cabin without realizing I’d moved. The forest air hit my lungs, sharp and cold, night settling over the Hollow like a held breath. Like mine. “What do you want, Erik?” I asked.
There was a deliberate pause on the line. “I get bored of repeating myself. Sign the deed. Transfer the land…and Blanchette and the money are yours.”
My gaze lifted to the trees, to the darkening line of Juniper Woods.
My father’s words echoed in my head. I was being asked to bargain away all of my father’s dreams, the legacy he left for me.
Give up my past, my future with the Hollow that I was trying to slowly repair, rebuild, along with my life.
For a human. One I’d fallen for. I knew what made sense logically, but it didn’t align with my heart.
“I’ll bring the girl,” he finished. “You bring your conscience. See you soon.”
“Wait,” I growled. The line went dead. Matching the silence around me.
Behind me, the cabin light glowed warm and small. May stood in the doorway, facing in my direction, already knowing.
And for the first time in my life, I understood exactly how far I was willing to go when something mattered to me more than anything.