The Wrong Drive (Dark Valor)

Chapter 1

Emersyn

Thirty-two minutes to the cabin.

The radio blares an indie alternative song in my truck, and I tap my fingers against the steering wheel as I take in the desolate highway and snowcapped mountains in the distance. I check the time, knowing there’s a chance for heavy snow at some point today.

Lucky for me, all there’s been is light flurries so far. My driving abilities in snow are questionable at best—and of course, Adam didn’t feel like he could wait for me.

But…this is where my boyfriend grew up, and empathy isn’t exactly his strong suit. He can handle the weather, and therefore expects everyone else to do the same.

I frown slightly at the thought. Two weeks alone with him in the Colorado countryside is about to begin, all in the name of resetting our relationship—or something. Things have been rocky at best, and Adam was intent upon spending the time alone, saying we could bypass the holiday stress.

On the upside, I might actually get a white Christmas for once, since Oklahoma rarely gifts us with those. As I come to an intersection, my GPS chimes, breaking my thoughts and directing me to take a right, heading further north.

My phone buzzes against the console, and the music pauses with the incoming call. I see my best friend’s name, which is surprising. She should be at work right now.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Hey…” Catie’s voice has a drawl to it that I don’t like one bit. “Are you close?”

“Um, sort of. Thirty-ish minutes to go. Why? Is everything okay?” I glance up to the rearview mirror, seeing a truck a few miles behind me. It’s almost eerie, but the terrain is a beautiful mixture of desert peaks and mountains in the distance of southwestern Colorado.

“It is, but…I think we should talk before you get to the family cabin.” Something in Catie’s voice causes my stomach to sink, and I brace myself for the news as flurries turn to flakes on my windshield.

“What is it?” I ask, eyeing the wet spots on the glass growing. I hit the wipers, my heart thudding uneasily with the prospect of driving into bad weather.

“I was talking to Aaron, and well, I know the expectations you have for this trip…” Catie’s voice is suddenly very quiet, and I’m wondering what information she got from her husband—who also happens to be my boyfriend’s older brother.

I blow out a huff of air, and a strand of my naturally caramel-colored hair tickles my nose. “He’s not proposing, is he?” I brush it out of my face, my tone sarcastic as I let out a dry laugh. “Seriously though, I have zero expectations. It’s fine.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Em,” Catie urges.

“I know it’s not fine. You don’t have to pretend like it is.

I know you were hoping for something to change, and from what Aaron said, I don’t…

” She pauses or a few beats and then sighs.

“Ugh, Adam told him he doesn’t think it’s going anywhere, and this is just his last-ditch effort to show everyone he tried. I wasn’t going to call, but—”

“So, three years, and it’s not going anywhere?” I exasperate, shutting my eyes for a moment, just long enough to steady my pounding heart. I knew it. I knew this trip seemed out of left field, and here I was, assuming he was attempting to care. “He’s planning on breaking up with me, isn’t he?”

“He didn’t say that exactly,” Catie says, her tone rushed.

“Well, but it’s not going anywhere,” I snap, shaking my head as the tears well up in my eyes. “I just took two weeks off unpaid for this.” I feel like such a freaking idiot right now. This whole thing was all for show.

He wants the world to think it’s me not him.

“You can still go and enjoy it…” Catie’s voice takes on an air of false reassurance. “I mean, maybe it’s exactly what the two of you need, you know? It’s been a rocky year for y’all. Maybe it’ll change his mind.”

“Yeah, it’s been rocky because he never wants to answer my questions about commitment, and I’m tired of it.

I’m thirty-one, not twenty-one. I’m over the games of men who don’t know what they want, and here he is, telling me this vacation—which is causing me to miss out on time with my own family—is to help us reset.

Really, he just wants the world to think he’s the good guy before it’s all over. ”

“So tell him that?” Catie sighs, sounding borderline annoyed. “You can’t keep venting to me, and never telling Adam this stuff.”

“Right,” I mutter, rolling my eyes. She’s always trying to play neutral, given that she’s married into his family. “I’ll let you know how that goes.” My GPS chimes at me suddenly to turn, and I slam on the brakes, almost missing it.

Shit. The truck behind me blares their horn, and I cringe, shaking my head at my inattention.

“He was drinking when he told Aaron,” Catie continues. “There’s a chance it’s just more drunk Adam rambling. You know how he gets on the guys’ night out. Maybe he was just running his mouth.”

“Yeah, maybe,” I say, but the frustration is still there. “I shouldn’t have agreed to come on this trip, and I definitely shouldn’t have assumed it could make things better.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, Em. I didn’t know about it until Aaron met me for lunch today—and you’re my best friend. Which is why I’m telling you to think about yourself for once. You deserve better, and maybe… Maybe you should call off the trip.”

“So, you’re saying I should break up with him?” I laugh dryly. “I just drove twelve freaking hours straight to get here. You don’t think you could’ve told me this earlier? What am I supposed to do? Turn around?”

“I just found out,” she pleads. “I’m sorry, Em. I really am.”

I run my hand over my face. “It’s fine. It’s not your fault. The signs were there. I know that. It’s not like I’ve been all that great of a girlfriend either. I always have one foot out the door anymore. I’m over it.”

Lies. I’m not entirely over it. A tear slips down my cheek as my vision grows blurry.

Using the sleeve of my sweater, I swipe at my eyes, smearing my mascara. The sick feeling of heartbreak is already slipping into my gut, and now I have to spend two weeks with a man who only cares about his image and not our three-year relationship.

“Maybe just talk to him,” Catie says softly, probably hearing my sniffling now. “And then come home. You can spend the holiday with us if you don’t want to face your family right now.”

“Yeah, okay,” I mumble, turning down a gravel road.

The destination will be on the right in twelve miles.

“I’m almost there though. I’ll let you go.” I sniffle again, and then clear my throat as Catie and I hang up. It won’t do my any good to be upset when I arrive—even if I’d love to crash my truck right into the side of his family’s fancy getaway cabin.

The radio starts to blare again, and I reach forward and punch the knob, turning it off.

I’m not in the mood to hear anything anymore.

I focus instead on the winding road, knowing good and well I’d be lost if it weren’t for Apple Maps.

I’m tempted to pick up the phone and call Adam, confronting him right now about everything, but God knows what that might lead to—and there is supposed to be snow moving in.

I just need to get there first.

I force long, deep breaths for the next ten minutes, and as I come to an intersection, I stop, taking in the desolation once again. I’m used to the middle of nowhere, but this is unfamiliar territory, and uneasiness slips up on me as the snow swirls around my truck.

It’ll be fine. I’ll just leave when the weather clears.

Unless he apologizes? Maybe Aaron got it wrong?

I let that thought run around my mind, just long enough for me to realize that the GPS is still stuck on the twelve miles to go.

Oh shit. How far have I gone?

I furrow my brow at the screen, sweeping up my phone and checking service. It’s not much, but I do have a bar. Biting down on the inside of my cheek, I unplug my phone from CarPlay and pull over to the side of the road. I fumble with it, exiting out of the directions and trying to reload them.

“What the hell,” I grumble under my breath as my phone screen freezes—and then won’t reload anything at all.

I glance up, and as I do, my heart does a flipflop in my chest. It’s really coming down now, and the visibility is suddenly minimal at best. I flip on my wipers as I try once more with my phone, growing more desperate.

Come on. I don’t want to have to call Adam.

But with my attempts working to no avail, I pull up my boyfriend’s phone number. I hit the call button and prepare myself for what’s to come.

“Hey babe, are you almost here?” His tone is painfully jovial, and I wish I could reach through the phone and punch him right in the freaking face.

“Yeah, I was—I am,” I say, staving off the emotions with my current predicament. “I’m only like fifteen minutes away, but my GPS isn’t working for whatever reason.”

He chuckles. “Not surprised. The service is hit and miss out here. Where are you?”

“Uh, great question,” I sigh, pushing my hair out of my face again. “I made a turn onto a gravel road, and then it said I had twelve miles to go—I didn’t get the road name or anything.”

“Okay, so just clock it on your dash. The gate is on the right-hand side of the road, and I think I left it open since it’s snowing. But you need to hurry. The weather is going to shit—and quick.”

I shift my half-ton truck into drive again and continue onward, grimacing as I break the news. “I’m honestly not sure how far past that point I’ve gone. I don’t know if I can rely on the mileage.”

He groans. “So you have no idea at all? What’s the last road you passed?”

I cringe. “…I don’t know.”

“Figures. So… Um, well,” he pauses. “If you’re on the county road, you should just continue west. Maybe start counting your miles now. The layout is kind of weird out here. There’s not a road every mile. When you get to the next intersection, tell me the road number, and I can help you get here.”