Free Gone (Gone #1) by Stacy Claflin

barn and the farmhouse. It felt good to stretch her legs, and she hadn't realized how stale the air in the cell had been until she got out into the fresh, country air. She gulped it, even though her lungs burned.
    They walked in silence. Macy had so many questions, but didn't want to risk getting thrown back into the hay room. At least until she had some food, and maybe even a shower. Both sounded like luxuries.
    When they reached the house, Chester opened the door without unlocking it. He indicated for her to go in first. She walked in without looking at him. Smells of cooking food assaulted her, making her feel hungrier and yet a little nauseated.
    "Doesn't it feel good to be back at your grandparents' house?" He closed the door. "Some things never change, do they? I swear, this place is the same as when I grew up here." He looked her over. "They certainly wouldn't approve of how filthy you are. Let's get to your room and you can clean yourself up. I need to put the blackberry pie in the oven, anyway. Do you remember where your room is?"
    Was he crazy? Macy shook her head, still not looking at him.
    "I thought you might have forgotten. They're right. We need to visit more often. They miss their only grandchild. They're due back soon, so I'm glad you finally came around. I don't know how I would have explained you being in that barn." He shook his head. "Follow me."
    He went past her, down the hall, and stopped in front of one of the last doors. "Does this ring any bells?"
    Macy shook her head again, keeping her gaze off him.
    "We're going to have to work on your memory. I'll have to pull out our old family albums. It might hurt to see pictures of your mom, especially after what happened. I know your grandparents are going to ask about her. We're going to tell them she decided to stay in Paris. Can you do that?"
    She nodded.
    "Say it."
    Macy took a deep breath. "Mom stayed in Paris."
    "Good." He opened the door, showing what was obviously the room of a teenage girl.
    Macy's eyes lit up despite herself. It was gorgeous, and most importantly, the bed was huge and looked really comfortable.
    "Find yourself some clothes, and I'll show you to the bathroom. You probably don't remember where that is, either." He sounded irritated, as though it was a huge inconvenience to give her the tour of a house she had never seen before.
    She walked past him into the room. As her gaze passed over the two windows, she noted that they were bolted down. Had he turned the house into a prison, too?
    Opening a drawer, she picked out a shirt. She went through the rest of them, until she had a complete outfit. She looked down at what she was wearing. The dirty clothes would probably have to be burned.
    "You done yet?" He tapped his toes.
    Macy nodded, still facing away from him. She turned around and left the room, following him to the bathroom. It had a large tub, without a shower. She was going to have to take a bath. She couldn't even remember the last time she had taken one.
    "Towels and everything you need are in there. Try not to take too long, because the food will get cold soon. I know how much you hate cold food, Heather."
    She cringed at being called Heather, but figured she would have to get used to it for the time being.
    He closed the door, and she turned around and locked it. She looked at everything in the cozy little country bathroom. It was all exactly what she would expect from a farmhouse bathroom. She turned the water on, got it to a comfortable temperature and jammed the plug into the drain at the bottom.
    Macy looked down at her clothes again. She would have to get rid of them, not only because they were dirty beyond cleaning, but also because the psycho certainly wouldn't let her hang onto anything from her real life. She had to peel everything off, as it was all sticking to her skin.
    Macy threw everything into the garbage. She stepped into the tub, but immediately jumped out. The water burned her frigid skin. She checked it