“No…”
“Fine! Please, just sit and let’s talk,” Kael said, surprising the hell out of me. I think even Jace was shocked.
Wow. He did have some pride to drop.
Jace still gave him that unsatisfied look before plonking back into his seat.
Picking up his glass of wine, he grumped. “Make it quick.”
JARIS
Today was stressful but productive. I got to close some really nice deals, which meant more money and visibility. Not that I needed more money, actually.
Nerion was driving me back to the Pack house when I got a call from Luca-one of the representative from the Central Pack.
“Jaris. You said you wanted to know if anything came up in the course of the investigation, concerning the King’s death.”
“Yes? Have you found something?” My interest was already piqued.
Since I showed interest in the Alpha King’s Throne, they’d been treating me with more respect.
“We took our time cross checking the CCTV footage, and just this morning, we discovered something new. For better clarification, I just forwarded the footage to you.”
I eagerly checked my email on my laptop and played the video. Luca explained what I was watching.
“On the day King Thaddeus died, we had some men bring in supplies to the storage room. We do this twice a month. Now, if you look closely, among the men offloading the truck, there’s one with the black face cap.”
I could see him. He wasn’t the only one wearing a face cap, but he was the only one who consciously avoided the cameras.
“He keeps avoiding the cameras, so we can’t get a view of his face,” Luna confirmed my thoughts. “And even in the house, when they took the goods to the storage, he did well to hide his face.”
It was as if he knew where each camera was because he successfully avoided every one of them.
“Now, when the people were done and leaving, this very man was not with them.”
I watched the men get into the truck and leave.
Luca was right. The creep didn’t get in with them.
“So, he stayed back somewhere?” I frowned.
“Looks like he did. And on that very night, the King ended up dead.”
Fucker.
“Have you checked the cameras surrounding the other exits? Do we know when and how he left?”
“No. And we find it a bit strange that the cameras didn’t capture him leaving that day or the next. Initially, we thought he might be here somewhere. So we turned every room upside down, but there was nothing. He’s not here.”
Then, how did he leave?
“I think he knows something,” I tapped the screen.
“He sure does. We’ve already captured the delivery agency. Every one of the men that had been here on that day are here in our dungeon. But none of them seem to know anything about this guy. According to them, he showed up, asking for a quick job for money. They claim they didn’t know he had ulterior motives.”
I thought about it for a moment. “Keep them there. I’ll come over tomorrow and question them myself. See if we can get anything out of them.”
Luca paused. He probably knows it’d be hell if I get to interrogate them myself. But it was needed. I smelt something fishy. Something serious had to be done to uncover the truth.
“Alright, Jaris. We’ll be expecting you.”
I dropped the call but couldn’t get my eyes off the man on the screen. I let my finger graze it.
There was something about him. Something familiar.
I felt this unwelcomed chill run down my spine and forced myself to shut the laptop.
We have to find him.
LYRIC
By some miracle, Jace and Kael managed to have a conversation without throwing words at each other. Although, the hostility was still very clear.
I excused myself when they were deep into the conversation so I could call Alpha Zarek, but he didn’t take my calls. He didn’t have my contact, right? So, he shouldn’t know it was me calling.
At night, the kids came over to my room to spend some time with me. Marta was working in TCH through the night. So, they stayed with me for a long time, played and eventually slept over.
It was noon of the following day when Jace called and asked me to meet him somewhere outside Darkspire.
Unlike Jace, he didn’t sound cheerful but rather pissed. He ended the call as soon as he delivered the message, and I had to hurry over to meet him.
I parked my car next to his by the road side. He came out of his, same time I did.
“Jace. Is there-” My words were cut off when I saw how angry he looked.
If it wasn’t for the fact that I trusted him, I’d have retreated.
“What did you do, Lyric?” He growled.
What?
When he marched toward me, I finally found myself retreating until my back was against my car.
“Jace! What is wrong with you?”
“Answer me! What did you do!?” His eyes were like daggers.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t do anything!”
What was wrong with him?
He glared down at me. His eyes softened a smidge and it dawned on me. He wasn’t just angry. He was concerned.
“Jace, talk to me. What is going on?” My heart was thumping in against my chest now.
Reaching for his phone in his back pocket, he tapped on the screen a few times before showing it to me.
On the screen was a picture of me. Old me. With the scar.
I was confused.
That picture wasn’t taken. It looked like someone who was very skilled had drawn it. It looked exactly like the old me with my scar.
“While I was overseas,” Jace started. “I got a connection to a hunt group called The Agents. Their existence is not often talked about because they keep a very low profile. But they hold a strong power over the werewolf world. They know when things are wrong and punish those responsible. Most times, they kill them. They’re commonly known as the Executioners.
“I had to leave when I saw how demanding the job was. They’re dangerous, Lyric. And right now, they’re after you.” He tapped the screen. “The old you. They’re out to kill you.”
My mouth hung open in shock, fear eating me from the inside out.
Gods, please. It couldn’t be true.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.