Secrets of Blackwater Bay

ckthorn Bay like a heavy blanket, and the storm that had been brewing on the horizon finally arrived, lashing against the windows with sheet

to be-more fragile in some ways, but also braver than he had expected. He hadn't been able to shake the look in her eyes when she'd talked ab

Emma was going to need more help than she realized. This house-this town-didn't let go of i

that bette

the storm she was unknowingly walking into. The Hartley name had carried weight in Blackthorn Bay for years, but it wasn't just b

through the heavy silence. Jack's brow furrowed as he crossed

nswered, his

ther end, just the faint crackle of static. J

t, almost breathles

e immediately. His sto

e other end, barely audible over the crackle of t

re body going still. "What

p at the door, but he didn't say who he was. He said we needed to talk, but something about him-Jack, I just

keys from the hook by the door, already moving toward h

th on the other end, a shaky

e moment he stepped outside, but he ignored it, his focus solely on getting to Emma. Whatever had happened

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asy feeling hadn't gone away. In fact, it had only grown stronger, settling deep in her bones like a chill she couldn't shake. The house felt... wrong. There w

about his presence had been unsettling. He had known her name, had stood there on her grandmother's doors

that he'd been watching her eve

e walls. She felt ridiculous for panicking, for calling Jack, but the moment that man had appeared, her fight or flight instincts had kicked in-an overwhel

ered against the windows, the wind rattling the panes. She couldn't hear anything over

ning. Her grandmother's cryptic entries, the references to shadows and secrets-it had a

that had to do with this house, with their family. The journal had hinted at a secret that had to be

coming together. Her grandmother's death, the sudden inheritance of the house, the strange feeling that had settled ov

houghts. Emma jumped, her heart leaping into her throat. She fr

, its

eal Jack standing on the doorstep, his coat drenched from the rain. He ste

eyes scanning her face, his e

wavered slightly. "I just... I didn't know wh

dded. "I'm glad you called me.

in a rush. As she spoke, Jack's expression grew darker, h

he was?" Jack asked

to talk, but he didn't expla

here was something unreadable in his gaze. "I don't know who he is, but if s

t of his words settle over her. "

es narrowing. "I don't know. But I'm g

t leaping with worry, but he

far. Just

im, and she immediately turned the lock, her fingers trembling. Her pulse raced as she moved toward the window, peeking out betwe

h each passing second. She hadn't realized how much she had come to rely on Jack's calm, steady presence in such a sh

hat if the man had gone? What if he'd been nothing more than a strange visitor, some lost soul looking for a place to stay? But somethi

Her heart pounded as she spun around, eyes wide. It had come from the r

came again-this time louder, more de

to run, to hide. But she couldn't just stand there. She reached the end of the hall ju

hought cut through t

tled again, harder this time, as though whoever was on the other side knew how close they were to getting in. Fin

ears, her back pressed against the wall.

en, her mind racing with a thousand possibilities. Had he

ng. The storm continued to rage outside, the wind howling and the rain lashing

ightest sense of relief, she heard it-

ma.

ver the storm, but she heard it clearly. Her name, spoke

ma.

ind screamed at her to run, to get as far away from the house as poss

.. let

side of the door, pressing against the wood. The shadows seemed to stret

tch, the front door flew open, and Jack burst i

alled, rushi

she ran toward him, her breath coming in shallow gasps. "He

against the wall. Emma watched as he threw the door open, stepping out into the storm without a second thought. She fo

attering the trees and bushes, bu

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