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The woman stalked off, speaking under her breath. Caroline didn’t pay any attention, though. She was too busy cracking the door open. Inch by inch, she eased it further open until she could look to the left, then to the right.
Caroline breathed a sigh of relief.
The man in black was nowhere to be seen.
Maybe she’d imagined it all along. With another deep breath, she ventured out into the street. She did her best to make her way to a busy location, but the streets of Paris were so winding that she took a wrong turn and ended up in an alley bordered by resident buildings.
There was no one around. She gulped and tried her best to ignore the cold slowly spreading through her limbs.
If only she spoke a bit of French, she could ask someone for help or some directions. The foreign streets were so unfamiliar that all Caroline could do was keep on walking until she spotted someone. Anyone. Just as long as it wasn’t the man in black.
With another cautious glance over her shoulder, she saw him.
He is actually following me!
Her heart jumped to her throat, and the cold in her limbs was replaced by a terrible numbness. She wanted to run, but could she run faster than him?
Probably not.
His thick red scar was an indication he lived a rough life. If only she could see into his eyes. Then, her reporter senses would kick in, and she wouldknow. She would just know if he meant her harm.
Was he really after her? Was she only distrustful?
Get it together, Caroline.
Her legs shook under her as she rushed forward. Finally, the long and narrow street ended onto a busier one where a few people walked around … a young mother with a carriage and an old couple walking hand in hand.
It wasn’t enough. None of these people could help her should the man choose to attack her.
“Bonjour,” she said to the couple and then repeated the greeting to the mother. Maybe … just maybe … if she were kind to them as she walked by, they would call the police if they saw the man attack her.
The old woman smiled warmly at her and began chattering away in French. Caroline had no clue, but she pretended to listen eagerly, smiling wide and nodding.
Hopefully, they’re not asking me questions.
The man noticed her conversation with the old couple and walked on. Caroline watched him go, heaving a big sigh of relief as soon as he was gone. She thanked the couple with another smile and nod. She couldn’t remember the French word forgoodbye.
Caroline had two choices. She could follow behind the man and hope he wasn’t waiting for her around the next corner, or she could run back down the long … deserted … alley and pray she could get away from him.
She took a long look at the alley and ran with everything she had inside her.
TWO
RYLAND
Ryland Wolverton pumped his legs forward but didn’t move an inch, staring intently out the enormous windows. Up here in his gym, he could see the entire New York City skyline. He could even see the Blood Moon Agency tower rising higher than the other skyscrapers surrounding it.
It gave him a thrill, as it always did.
The Wolverton pack was rich and powerful, and he was a part of that. He grinned as he continued to work out. Some of his brothers and cousins preferred to run out in the woods, and though his own wolf agreed, Ryland did like to take his runs while watching over the city. It was a good reminder that his name stood for something bigger and more important than him.
He pressedPlayon his phone, and his podcast sounded over the mounted speakers.
“I’m Caroline Knight,” the show began. As it always did, Caroline Knight’s voice gave him a thrill. He smiled through his exertion, imagining what the woman might look like. “This isKnight for Justice,” Caroline went on with a dramatic flair. “On today’s episode, we will cover the disappearance of Adele Green, a small girl from a small town.”
Ryland liked this particular podcast. Maybe it was because the woman who ran it didn’t do showy. She just told her stories, and that was it. Maybe it was the way her voice made him feel like they were close friends. Like he knew her.
He didn’t, but he liked the way her tone was always serious and sober, but he could tell when she was excited by a little detail. He could almost hear her smile. It was insane, of course, but he had a stressful job, and this was one of the things he did to unwind.
