Chapter One

Avery’s POV

The engine died with a final, pathetic shudder that left only the violent roar of rain against the roof.

I sat frozen in the driver’s seat, both hands locked on the wheel, staring at the dark dashboard as if sheer will could force the lights back on. Nothing. The storm had already turned the narrow road into a black river. Wind shook the car hard enough to make the frame creak. My phone screen showed no signal bars only the cold white glow of an empty connection icon.

“Shit.”

I tried the ignition again. Dead. A third time. Still dead. Rain hammered so thickly that the...