AllFreeNovel
Share Us
How could they believe this was where Vex had lived?
We were getting curious looks from anyone we passed, and I tugged my hoodie further down, shooting a glance at Love and Ebony.
“Fuck!” I jumped out of my skin, my aura bursting out as a rat skittered from beneath a soggy cardboard box.
“Get a grip,” Ebony snarled.
I wrinkled my nose, straightening myself and shoving my aura down. “We have the wrong place.”
“Would you shut the fuck—?” Ebony snapped, something vicious in his voice, but he cut off as he almost ran into Drake, who’d finally come to a stop.
He was staring up at one of the tall buildings before us. Up a few worn concrete steps was a red door with peeling paint.
LOVE
We entered the lobby of the run down apartment building. Inside were a few ratty seats and a dusty coffee table.
Ebony was on his phone already, his eyes darting around the place. The phone rang a few times, and then I heard a muffled answer on the other end.
“We’re here,” Ebony said. There was a faint reply, and Ebony hung up.
I looked to him.
“Owner. She lives on the property. It’s our best shot at getting information.”
A few minutes passed with no sign of the owner. An alpha passed us in the foyer, dark eyes scanning us up and down as he slipped out the front door.
Rook was tense. “Did she live herealone?” he hissed. “With alphas like that, about?”
“I do give them their own floor,” an unfamiliar voice said, and I glanced over to see a wizened old lady leaning against the frame of one of the side doors. “They are a little more destructive, I tend to find, especially around these parts. Have to charge them a bit more for repairs.”
“Are you the owner?” I asked, crossing toward her and holding out a hand.
“Sure am.” She took mine, shaking it with considerable strength given her small frame. Her grey hair was tied up in a bun, and she held a cane firmly in one hand. “I’m Tammy. Now, what are you here about?”
“Vex Eden,” Drake said. “Do you know her?”
The woman’s bushy brows rose, and she took us in again with new interest. “Now what’s it to you?”
“She’s…” Drake trailed off, glancing back at me. “She’s our mate.”
“Is she now?” The old woman put her hands on her hips, glaring at us. “Thought you lot looked a bit too clean for this area. Where are you from?”
“Citrine—” Rook began, but I shot him a look.
Too late. “Citrine Hills?” She cackled. “I hear you fart diamond dust up there. And here I was, thinking the universe had lost its sense of humour.”
Rook looked a little put off, but the woman fixed her hazel eyes back on me.
“Is she alive?” she asked.
“She is, but she’s in trouble. She was taken from here a few months ago. We wanted to ask around, in case anyone saw anything.”
“I can do you one better,” the woman said. Then she hobbled over to the little desk and fumbled in a few cupboards. “I never did this for the money, you know? There’s just too much danger in these parts. So, when she never came back…” Tammy shook her head. “Well, I hoped…” She sighed, then tugged something from a box and handed it to me.
A key.
“She’s number eleven, on the second floor, here.” She bustled around the counter and ushered us up a flight of stairs.
