Read Secrets and Scars: A Gripping Psychological Thriller (Fatal Hearts Series Book 3) for Free Online

there.”
    “You could be right.” I breathed in dirt and tightened my arm around Owen.
    Together we shuffled inside, stepping over the stalagmites protruding from the floor, and keeping our heads low so as not to bump into the stalactites hanging from the cobweb-covered ceiling. The deeper into the cave we disappeared, the darker it got. But enough light penetrated the darkness that we could see each other. A scratching sound caused me to flinch.
    Don’t let it be a snake, please.
    Owen halted me with a squeeze on the side of my stomach where his hand rested. “We don’t have to go any deeper. Let’s make a home here.”
    “Okay,” I squeaked. I looked back at the entrance. The cave had swallowed us, enough that Alvin would not be able to see us immediately if he peered inside. Something snapped beneath my foot—a dry bone. I stepped back.
    Please don’t let it be human. Anything but that.
    Several more littered the cave, partially buried under dirt, twigs, and debris.
    “Hey, don’t be scared,” Owen said. “We’ll be out of here in no time. My foot should be ready to go by morning.”
    Morning? Another night in the jungle from hell? I flushed at my selfish thoughts. Owen was hurt and I was putting my fears ahead of his safety.
    Shame flushed my cheeks. “We can stay as long as you need.”
    “No more than one night. I promise.” He fished his pen knife from his pocket and flicked on the light, shining it around the space.
    My shoulders sank with relief. No snakes or other animals in sight. 
    “Home, sweet home,” Owen murmured. “Keep us from harm.”
    We spent the next few minutes making the cave more livable and less terrifying. We used foliage to sweep away bones, dead leaves, twigs, and muck from the space we planned to occupy. For the second time in my life, I helped create a bed from natural resources.
    Owen rested the flashlight against the wall of the cave and leaned back, his injured foot propped up on a stalagmite. I reached for the bag and removed a bottle of water, a tin of sliced pineapple, and packets of beef jerky. The encounter with the snake had been terrifying, but finding water was worth it.
    Once we’d split the food between us, we turned off the light and ate in the dark, just in case Alvin walked by and saw the light.
    My eyes didn’t leave the entrance, and I kept my ears open for any sound that slipped between the chirping crickets and scuttling small animals. No footsteps, no voices. Nothing. Eventually I relaxed. The cave seemed the safest place after all.
     

Chapter Eleven
     
    Owen lay on the makeshift bed with his hands behind his head. The faint scent of his cologne lingered in the polluted air.
    I lay next to him, feeling awkward but strangely safe. Yesterday, in the small shelter, we had to sleep with our bodies pressed together, but the cave gave us more space. Our bodies didn’t have to touch. Except we couldn’t move too far apart either, given we were sharing a blanket.
    The chill of the night penetrated the blanket and cooled my skin.
    “Goodnight.” I turned my back to Owen, wrapping my arms around my middle and bending my knees till they touched my stomach.
    Owen shifted in response, moving closer. Closer still. His body now touched mine. His breath tickled the hairs at the back of my neck.
    What was he doing? Was he looking for body heat? Would it be mean for me to move away?
    I waited, my eyes squeezed tight, and pretended I was sleeping.
    “Chloe,” he said, his whisper like velvet in the night. “Go on. Finish your story. Tell me what happened in your childhood. I’m ready to listen.”
    My eyes fluttered open, my bottom lip between my teeth. This might be our only chance to talk without distractions. The time had come to tell him everything, to air my dirtiest laundry—in a cave in Jamaica. Maybe tomorrow he would look at me in a different light, or maybe he would respect me for being brave enough to open up.
    “My real name is Kelly