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“Is that it?” I ask, feeling out of breath from the rollercoaster of emotions that clip took me on. It was important to get the video, but much as I enjoyed seeing Blake kick those guys asses, it wasn’t worth leaving Natalie’s bed.
“Just shut up and keep watching,” Van grumbles. The edge to his tone has me re-focusing on the screen. Blake sits on the floor, looking worn out from the fight, but nothing else seems amiss. I’m expecting the police to arrive on screen at any moment.
Van doesn’t answer. I’m about to ask him what the big deal is when I blink, and my entire world tilts on its axis.
“Van…” Not believing what I’m seeing, I stare, open-mouthed, slowly climbing to my feet and moving around to the back of the sofa, as though putting distance between me and the laptop will make what I just witnessed easier to comprehend.
“I know,” he whispers. “You’re not alone.”
Exhaling loudly, I lace my fingers together, hands behind my head. I can hear Van is still there, waiting on the other end of the line as we both let what we just saw sink in.
He knows what this means for me.
“That’s what Mum meant: Zoe knows. I thought she meant it was her…” Van doesn’t interrupt me as I start muttering to myself. My sister’s in town today, with Blake. This is my chance to get answers. The feeling of frustration I’ve been carrying around as long as I can remember eases a little. Maybe I’m still a freak, but now I know there are others out there.
“And if Zoe knows…” Van comments.
What? My eyes fly open again and I stare in disbelief as more people enter the screen.
“That’s Max. He’s Blake’s right-hand man,” Van explains, not expecting me to have heard that name before.
So, that’s Natalie’s ex. Despite him helping Zoe, I hate the man on sight. He’s tall. And broad. I don’t care, I’ll beat him to a pulp if he comes anywhere near her. Hopefully he stayed at home today.
The frame jumps again, and Cooper appears. When a pregnant Hayley waddles inside, I groan. Of course. At least Cooper looks as unhappy as I feel about her presence at a crime scene, heavily pregnant.
Finally, a lightbulb goes off in my head. Nobody standing in that hallway looks shocked at what they’re seeing.
“No way. You don’t think…?” Clambering over the couch, I watch, dumbfounded, as everyone stares in through the small window of the treatment room. Max even laughs. “They ALL know. They all fucking know. How is this possible?”
Van is as shocked as I am, even though he’s probably seen this footage multiple times. “At this stage, I think anything is possible. Hell, maybe me and Tripp are the only normal ones.”
“And Natalie…” The image of the big dark shadow emerging from the collapsing guesthouse, fire blazing all around, dragging Marcus’s limp body flashes into my mind. It was her. I couldn’t let myself truly believe it until now, but, suddenly, it’s perfectly reasonable to think the woman I’m crazy about can change into a bear.
“Please don’t do anything stupid. This is obviously all connected to the attacks, and means whoever was behind it is potentially a lot more dangerous than anything we’re used to.”
Just like me.
Van’s sharp tone carries an undercurrent of concern. “Tripp is on his way. I’ll debrief him and then we’ll come to you when he’s gotten over the shock. Just hold tight.”
My body pulses with adrenaline. At long last I’m going to understand what’s going on inside me, and what happened that night. This means there really is a whole other world out there that nobody knows about. I suspected as much, hoped really, and I can scarcely believe what I just saw.
“I’m going to talk to Zoe and Blake. Find me when you get here and I’ll catch you up.” Staring around the small apartment, I frown. “You two can take this place. I’ll crash at the lodge.” Or Natalie’s, if she’ll have me.
“For fucks sake. Chase, please tell me you know that when we start this business, you can’t just ignore what we say all the time? We’re supposed to be partners.”
Grabbing my laptop, I shove it into my backpack, snatching some essentials and my go bag.
“I know, but this is family.” Hesitating for only a second, I make a decision to protect them all. “Delete it. Delete it all.” I tuck my phone against my shoulder as I step outside into the crisp, clear day. “And make sure no other version of you is going to be able to dig it back up again.”
Shutting the door behind me, I glance around, taking note of all the vehicles parked in the lot and the friendly faces of Grey Ridge locals going about their daily business. That unsettling feeling lingers. Before, I put it down to being a stranger in a small town, or my unfriendly disposition combined with not being around people for a while. Now I’m wondering if there’s more to it.
Van’s right. I have no idea who I might have pissed off by digging around in a place full of dark secrets and the dangerous people who want to keep them hidden.
CHAPTER 31
NATALIE
I rush around my room, shoving the things I’ll need for a few days away into an overnight bag.
