The Mechanic

Hazel came to Winifred for a fresh start.

New town. New job. A quiet life where nobody knew her name or her history.

Then her car breaks down on a dark Montana road, and Wyatt Drake shows up.

He's the town mechanic. Silent. Intense. The kind of man who fixes things without being asked and watches without being noticed. He tells her to lock her doors at night and drives her to work like it's already decided. He makes her feel safe in a town full of strangers.

She doesn't question it. She should.

Wyatt knows exactly what he is. He's spent years in therapy learning the language for it — obsession, fixation, control. He knows the warning signs. Knows what he's capable of. Knows he should stay away from her.

He doesn't.

What starts as proximity becomes possession. What looks like protection hides something darker. And the choices Wyatt makes to keep Hazel close are ones she never agreed to — and doesn't know about.

She thinks she found someone who finally sees her.

She has no idea how right she is.