AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her headache was gone and replaced with a new fear. How am I going to survive this? She didn’t know how long she could keep up this deception. If Ethan decided to question her on the spot, her defense would crumble down in an instant and she’d sing like a canary.
She bowed her head and put her hands on her lap. Anxiety crept into her like a sneaky thief, cold sweat on her nape. Where are we going? What will he do to me when he finds out the truth? Her stomach knotted so hard it gave her nausea. She couldn’t imagine what would happen to her if Ethan found out the truth. He’d kill her for sure. A big, tall man like Ethan would have no trouble snapping her neck as if it were a twig.
Oh, God. If I die, who’s going to save Jesse?
She couldn’t face the prospect that she failed her mother.
Mom, I fucked up.
Unexpectedly, Ethan covered her hands with his as if he wanted to comfort her.
It surprised her.
When she looked up to him, she found he was watching her, his gaze oddly warm. So, he didn’t suspect anything? Seriously? Serioooously? That was kinda too good to be true.
Graystone tore down the road that was cloaked by midnight like a demented Nascar driver. The SUV took them to the outskirts of the city. She closed her eyes, thinking about Jesse. Right now, her brother was locked in his cell under a remote facility somewhere, whose location she hadn’t been able to memorize. Cain’s goons had put a blindfold on her whenever they took her out.
Is he hungry? Do they feed him something at least?
She truly hoped they didn’t torture Jesse. She blinked her eyes so she wouldn’t cry. Crying was for suckers. For the weak. She had to be strong for her brother. Jesse had lost his twin and his mom and dad in a blink of an eye and even though he had never said it, it had been hard for him, too. Sookie and Jesse only had each other.
It’s you and me against the world, Jesse. Alone.
Half an hour later, Graystone stopped at the shoulder of the road, pulling behind a parked sedan. Ethan told her to get out. They changed vehicles. Graystone didn’t go with them. He stayed in the SUV, while Ethan drove the sedan.
Then they went on their separate ways.
She thought Ethan was covering their tracks pretty well if he didn’t want to be found out. Sitting on the passenger seat, she observed the situation. Ethan still didn’t speak a word other than telling her to buckle up. His face was serious. Grim, even.
Her skin pricked with uneasiness. The same feeling one gets when one stands next to a deadly animal in a cage. One knows it can’t get out, but if one stands too close to the cage, tempting fate, anything can happen. And at that very moment, Ethan was dangerous. She could feel it deep in her bones. She knew he was nice to her. So far. But the instinct to flee from him grew with every second. It took a strong will to squelch that urge.
Did he regain his memory?
Did he find out she was a fake?
She clasped her clammy hands together, praying to God for a big miracle.
Ethan exited the highway and drove toward a preserved park and land that hadn’t been developed yet. The road turned into a narrow street, then became an unpaved dirt path. Sookie held the side of her seat as the car glided uneventfully from the bumps and rocks. When the path ended at a rusty gate bearing a Do Not Enter sign, Ethan stopped the car and motioned her to get out. He gave her a flashlight.
She obeyed without a peep.
Even though the moon was bright, the woodland was quite dark. After Ethan shut off the car engine, she could no longer see her surroundings. She turned on the flashlight, wondering where he was planning to take her. The trees swayed gently by the midnight breeze, casting shadows on her puny source of light. It felt like phantoms were dancing in the background, ready to sweep in and devour her. A shiver crept to the base of her skull. This whole ambiance was freaking creepy.
Ethan grabbed his bag and slammed his car door shut without bothering to lock it. “Are you okay to walk?” he asked solicitously. He navigated his way with ease; he didn’t need a flashlight at all. He seemed fine walking in the dark. Then again, a wolf was supposed to have excellent sight.
“Yeah,” she answered meekly. “Where are we going?”
“A safe house. I have a cabin by the lake.” When she stumbled on the uneven ground, he grabbed her hand and led her onto a hidden path beyond the rusty gate. He noticed that her shoes weren’t meant for trekking in the woodland. Without a word, he shouldered his bag and then swept her off her feet, lifting her in princess carry.
“Ethan!” Sookie wasn’t expecting this. He supposedly had just recovered from a life-threatening accident. “What are you doing? Put me down.”
He replied with a grumble. “You’re too slow.”
“I can walk by myself just fine.”
“Nice try. You’re falling all over the place. We won’t get to the cabin until morning with your snail pace.”
“But—“
