“I could ask you the same thing,” Mateo replied with his eyes narrowed. “I warned you to stay away.”
“I’m just doing my job,” I shot back, meeting his gaze. “Why are you so determined to keep me in the dark? What are you hiding?”
His jaw clenched. I thought he might lose his temper. But then he stepped back. “You’re playing with fire, Laura. You have no idea what you’re getting into.”
“Then why don’t you tell me?” I challenged, taking a step closer. “What’s happening in this town? Why is everyone so afraid? Why does it feel like everyone’s protecting you?”
Mateo’s eyes flashed with emotions I couldn’t decipher—anger, frustration, perhaps fear. But instead of answering, he turned and started walking away.
“You can’t just keep running!”
He stopped but didn’t turn around. For a moment, I thought he might leave without speaking, but then he said, so low I almost didn’t hear him, “You need to leave, Laura. Before it’s too late.”
With that, he vanished into the shadows.
The rest of the day was a haze of frustration. More interviews with townspeople resulted in the same vague responses. It felt like everyone was in on a secret they refused to share.
By evening, I was no closer to answers. Exhaustion weighed heavily as I returned to the motel. But as I lay in bed, my mind kept drifting back to Mateo. There was something about him, a pull both irresistible and terrifying.
I was convinced he was involved in whatever was happening in Rosebrook.
But what could it be?
Why was he so intent on keeping me from discovering the truth?
As I drifted off to sleep, one thought lingered in my mind. I was running out of time. But I had to be cautious. Mateo had warned me. And deep down, I knew he was right about one thing.
I was playing with fire.
And if I wasn’t careful, I was going to get burned.
No matter how hard I focused on my investigation, my mind incessantly drifted back to those penetrating eyes, that low, gravelly voice, and his uncanny ability to meld with the shadows whenever I approached. It wasn’t merely curiosity. It was a deeper, more unsettling sensation I wasn’t ready to confront.
I wasn’t supposed to feel this way, about a stranger, and certainly not after everything I had experienced.
But this wasn’t just physical attraction. There was an invisible force drawing me towards him like we were linked by an unseen thread.