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I methodically prepare two steaks, potatoes and asparagus. It takes me longer than normal due to my injuries, but finally I get everything cooked. I portion Caspian’s food and mine, with a third plate holding the larger of the two steaks on it.
I put one on the ground, “I’m true to my word, Dana. Here ya go.”
As she trots over, Caspian’s brows are pinched in confusion, “What word?”
“That, is for me to know and for you to hopefully never find out.” I wink at Dana as she saunters to her plate.
She huffs and digs into her steak with renewed enthusiasm.
Caspian sits across the island from me and looks at our plates, his brows still furrowed.
“Oh, drinks. How rude of me. What would you like? I have water, OJ -pretty sure he was guilty by the way-, and I have soda.”
Yay for humor as a deflective coping mechanism.
I turn to see Caspian staring at me with a raised eyebrow and an amused smirk, “I’ll take water, thank you.”
I nod, grabbing a glass, filling it with filtered water and some ice, before sliding it over to him. I snag a soda for myself, cracking it open and setting it next to my plate which has half a steak on it now.
I blink and point to the meat, “You didn’t have to-”
“Sit. Eat. We have plenty to talk about and the night isn’t getting any younger.”
I nod, doing as he says and dig in. The serious note to his voice brings reality crashing back and the weight of everything sits heavy on my mind as I slowly lift forkfuls of food into my mouth.
At least soon I might get some answers.
Chapter 15
Once all three plates are cleaned, we settle into the living room. I sit on the love seat, Dana sits on the floor against my legs, eyeing Caspian on the couch.
My heart flutters in my chest as he clicks the remote to turn the TV off and leans forward onto his knees.
“Where do we start? With the killing of my parents or with what happened the past few days?” The confidence in my voice completely feigned.
Caspian eyes me with an intensity that makes me want to squirm. “I think we should start with the basics. Tell me about yourself, what you have been doing that led you here up to the man from the house and what he said to you.” His voice is steady and the level of calm in it unsettles me.
I set aside my reservations about his questions on the premise that it’s been years since I left witness protection and started working. I suppose during that time I may not have had any updates to my file if I wasn’t deemed in danger or at risk.
I rub my temples and sigh deeply. “I’m sure most of this is in a file somewhere, but I will humor you. My name is Lara Ray, I am a scientist studying the surrounding lakes for various reasons. I work for the government with a team of individuals to do so. Individuals, who are probably freaking out by now. Shit, I don’t know where my phone is.”
Caspian shakes his head, I take the meaning as ‘Worry about messaging them later’.
I continue, “Right. Anyways, I first saw the man from the house on my birthday at the bar, the same night I saw you, actually.Then I saw him at the lake when I was gathering samples, that was before I fled from some guy with two different colored eyes who also wanted to know what had been said to me. The man Dana killed didn’t say much that made any sense. He mentioned a prophecy, he kept referring to his boss and mentioned some woman being right about something.” Caspian’s eyebrows pinch together slightly, but he lets me continue.
I pause and clear my throat in an effort to do my best Leathery Man impression, “The guy was like ‘You really must be blessed by the Gods to have found one of the keys so quickly.’ Whatever that means.” I roll my eyes and lean forward, wrapping my hands around Dana’s neck for comfort.
Caspian’s eyes flicker between Dana and me as he tilts his head, rubbing his beard as he thinks.
“And how did you come across the amulet?”
“When I ran from the guy with heterochromia, I ended up in some town and saw this antique shop... It was as if I had a literal need or was being pulled to go in. That’s when I saw the necklace and…” I trail off and rub the same spot where the pain radiated when I tried to turn away from the amulet.
“And what, Lara?” Caspian barks and startles me out of the memory. I don’t miss the tension in his jaw as I continue.
“And... I couldn’t leave the store without it, as in, I physically couldn’t. I tried to turn and walk away after seeing it, and felt excruciating pain here.” I rub the spot along my diaphragm with a frown.
My eyes flicker to meet his gaze before speaking again, “What is the significance, Caspian? What is the amulet and why did that asshole want it?”
