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Darian jerks back as if struck and anger flashes across his face, “I haven’t done anything other than track where my brother is keeping her. She’s in a warehouse on the coast being held captive.” his whispers are nearly inaudible but his gaze flicks to the door.
My jaw drops as the realization hits me and I blink at him, “The threat to the warehouse?”
Darian nods slightly, his voice soft as he answers, “Was me, yes.”
My heart skips a beat, “And the note?” I ask, searching his face as he nods once.
My head is swirling as he leans closer, eyeing the locked door. His words are hushed but urgent, “We don’t have much time, Lara. My brother’s intentions for you are not what you think. You are gathering the keys while he holds your friend hostage. You understand what this means when you’ve found all the keys, yes?”
Images of Tammy being killed alone in a warehouse pop into my head and I look at Darian with a renewed sense of panic.
“And what happens if I leave? Won’t he just kill her then?”
“You are the key to him finding the other keys, he won’t kill her because you have leverage. We need to leave now though, otherwise he will simply drag you to where he suspects the other keys are, and your friend will die.”
I weigh the options present and though everything Caspian’s said has led me to believe Darian is the villain, I can’t help but feel like he’s been painted as such by the true wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“Before I go with you, I need you to tell me the truth,” Darian nods once so I continue, “17 years ago my parents were killed in a cottage. My father was killed in a wood cutting shed, my mother inside the house and both were burned to the ground. Tell me why you murdered them.”
Darian’s lips thin as his jaw clenches and pulsates, his mismatched gaze searches my mine for a long moment.
His eyes drop, “Those were not your real parents, Lara. They were not good people, and they had terrible things planned for you and many others. I will explain everything, just,please, we need to leave.”
He says the last few words, his eyes flick to mine and my entire being gets sucked in. Instinct tells me to accept his explanation as minimal as it is. We don’t exactly have the luxury of time and I give him a nod.
Fuck. I hope this is the right call.
He pushes to his feet and my eyes track the movement, accepting the hand he’s offering to help me out of bed. He’s even taller than I remember, towering over me by more than a foot and I swallow audibly.
Taking one step toward the closet, Darian gently stops me with his hand on my arm and my brows pinch together as I look at him.
He leans in to whisper, and I shiver as his lips brush against my ear. “I have some of your clothes at my place, so we can leave now. Val is waiting for us at the house.”
Ignoring that he’s already stolen my clothes, I tilt my head and whisper, “Val?”
Darian hands me my running shoes, and as I slide them on, he replies almost inaudibly, a smirk dancing across his handsome face, “The wolf.”
Dan is really named Val?
My mind is swirling yet again, overwhelmed with more information than it knows how to handle, and I rub my temples to soothe my aching brain.
Darian chuckles softly as he slings my bag over his shoulder, and just as I reach for my cell on the side table, his hand intercepts mine, halting me abruptly. “Don’t. I have a new phone for you at the house, this one has either a copied sim card or your original with a tracker on it, so if you bring it, he will just send people after you and directly to our door.”
I feel the blood drain from my face as I gape at him but quickly recover. My hand reaches up to touch the amulets along my neck before silently following Darian out the window.
Chapter 26
Shutting the window behind us, we venture into the dense forest.
The darkness is all encompassing, with occasional glimmers of moonlight penetrating the canopy, casting eerie shadows on the forest floor.
Navigating through the undergrowth, I find myself stumbling not once, but twice, as my feet trip over roots. My ankle twists on uneven ground and I sway, teetering too far to the side as Darian’s large hand curls around mine. He tugs me toward him and I manage to keep my balance, but to my surprise he doesn’t let go as he leads the way me through a smoother path free of fallen logs and roots.
How does he know where we’re going?
It’s not long before we come across a narrow pathway much too small for vehicles, but looks to be an ATV road or some kind of maintenance path. Tucked off to the side of this secluded trail in the distance, my gaze fixates on a sleek, gray and black motorcycle that stands like a sentinel, with its dark hues blending seamlessly with the surrounding shadows.
Oh my god, I’m going to die.
