Eliza checks the compass we were given and points to our left. “That’s true north.” Then, she reads the rest of the riddle out loud. “If true north is false, and false is a lie, then south holds the truth–give it a try. But look not in one, for the answer is two. Both north and south will give the right clue.”
She looks up at me and shrugs. “Looks like we’ll have to split up. You take true north, and I’ll take south?”
I nod. “Okay. Meet back here in 10?”
Eliza nods. And with a little wave, we separate.
I head north, looking about for any of the other items.
After about five minutes, I hear a twig snap behind me.
I roll my eyes.
“Stay away from our side of the woods, Pe-” I freeze when I turn around, and instead of Peter, Lucas smirks at me, leaning against a tree.
“Stay away?” He presses his hand against his chest. “I’m hurt, April.”
I take an unconscious step back, my heart racing. “I thought you were someone else.” I glance around me, regretting separating from Eliza, wondering how long it’ll be before she comes looking for me.
“Why would you concern yourself with a useless last son when you could have“-he gestures to himself- “the heir who stands to inherit the most?”
I swallow. “I don’t care about that.”
Lucas chuckles and takes a step towards me. I take another step back, and a small curse falls from my lips when my back hits a tree.
“You don’t care about money and influence?” His voice takes on a low quality that makes my skin crawl. “Aren’t you just a breath of fresh
air?”
“I sh–should go,” I stammer as he comes even closer. “My friend is waiting for me.”
He chuckles roughly and braces his hand against the tree above my head. “But the fun hasn’t even started.”
His eyes slowly rake down my body, and although I’m wearing a long sleeve and decent shorts, the way he leers at me makes me feel naked.
I try to move, but his other hand braces at my other side, trapping me between him and the tree. Again, I’m reminded of Professor Lincoln at the coffee shop, and I have to clamp my lips together to stifle the instinctive whimper.
“I find camping boring, don’t you?”
I swallow the fear climbing up my throat and say nothing.
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13:05 Fri, Oct 3
Chapter 61
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“It would be more fun if I had someone to play with,” Lucas says, bringing one hand down and running it through my hair.
“What do you say, April?” He leans forward, aligning his body with mine. “Play with me?”
I close my eyes and say a useless prayer that this is all an awful dream. Lucas Ashford is not Elias Lincoln. This will not end with him getting fired and disgraced.
In this scenario, I don’t think anyone is coming to save me. I have to get myself out of this.
So I open my eyes and meet his gaze, trying to ignore how much his hateful eyes look like another pair of green eyes I adore.
“No.”
The look of confusion on Lucas‘ face is almost comical. I bet he’s never been told ‘no‘ in his life.
Fucking narcissist.
The look of confusion quickly fades, and a small squeak escapes my lips when he moves, pressing me hard against the tree with his body.
His eyes take on that feral quality, and my heart climbs into my throat.
“You’ll find, April,” he says lowly. “That no one tells me no.”
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