Revelations (Brighton Wolves #1)

by Samantha Hoffman

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Gabe drove them into town, and Gwen couldn’t help but feel guilty that he had to always chauffeur her around. After everything went back to the way things were before, she promised herself that she would buckle down and get her license. That way Gabe could be free from being her nanny all the time, and she could be free to do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. It was the ultimate freedom that she had passed over, being uninterested in it at the time. But she was almost eighteen—nearly an adult—and she had been sheltered for far too long.

  They sat at a red light—one of the few in town—and Gabe glanced at her. “Okay, so where do we start? Got any bright ideas?”

  “Let’s start at the library. That’s where I first met Skyler.”

  “Sounds like a decent idea,” Gabe said, taking off as the light changed. He took the next right and pulled into the library’s parking lot, finding a space in the shade near the back of the lot. There weren’t many people around, which Gwen was thankful for. She was positive that Skyler wouldn’t show himself if he had an audience. The key to getting a meeting with him would be privacy.

  She got out of the car and began to walk around the parking lot aimlessly, not sure what her next step should be. Now that they were actually implementing her plan, she wasn’t sure how it should actually be carried out. After a few minutes of wandering around, she made her way to the side of the building that was shrouded in darkness, guessing that it would be the best place for Skyler to hide while he observed them.

  “Skyler?” she called, her voice soft as her eyes scanned the darkness. There was nothing out of place and no good spots for him to hide, so she turned around and went back to the car, feeling bummed that her plan was off to a rocky start. She slid into the seat beside Gabe, buckling in and facing forward, refusing to subject herself to the gleeful look on his face as he fought the urge to say ‘I told you so, Gwen’.

  “So, where to next?” Gabe asked, just a hint of glee in his voice. Her eyes flicked over to him and saw that he was staring straight ahead just like her, trying not to crack a smile. He was making a real effort not to say it.

  “Let’s try the park. We’ll both get out and look around for a bit. Maybe he was worried about such a small space?” She had no idea if that was true or not, but she had to say something to keep from feeling like an idiot. “If he doesn’t show at the park, we’ll try the café.”

  “And if he doesn’t show up there?” Gabe asked, speeding up to pass through a yellow light before it turned red. “What’s our next move?”

  “I’m not sure,” Gwen admitted. “We’ll just have to keep trying until we find him. If Roman told him to keep an eye on us, he has to be around here somewhere, or else he wouldn’t be able to tell him anything about what we’ve been doing or saying.”

  The park was fast approaching, and as Gabe parked, she already knew they wouldn’t find him here. It was a nice day out and there were several families and couples milling around the park, playing games, taking leisurely strolls, walking dogs, and having picnics. There was no way he was going to come out and meet with them when there were so many witnesses around. But still, Gwen got out of the car and started down the path with Gabe at her side.

  She felt like there was a spotlight shining directly on her, as if she were suddenly the center of attention. It felt like there were hundreds of eyes focused on her and only her, and she knew it had everything to do with Ginny. The townsfolk were still curious about her death, and it showed in the blatant staring and the hushed whispers. People didn’t just die in Brighton, especially in such horrible and uncertain circumstances. And since the police had no real answers, neither did the townspeople. All they had was wild speculation, and everyone loved a good bit of juicy gossip.

  Gabe’s hand lightly touched her back. “It’s okay,” he said, his voice quiet. “I want you to just pretend they’re not there. It’s just the two of us taking a nice stroll through the park on a beautiful day. Breathe, Gwen. In and out.”

  She did as she was told, breathing in and out until all of the prying eyes faded away and she was at peace. The two of them walked a nature trail that wound its way through the park, quietly discussing Skyler.

  “So, tell me more about this guy,” Gabe said. She could hear the distaste in his voice and almost smiled. “You think he’s trustworthy, but what makes you think so?”

  “I don’t know, Gabe. Call me crazy, but it’s just a feeling I have. We can trust him.”

  “Alright,” he said. “You’re crazy.”

  She elbowed him, but it felt like she had just driven her arm into a brick wall. She winced, rubbing her elbow as pain flared through it. Gabe chuckled as they continued down the path. When they reached the end of it and Skyler still hadn’t shown himself, they turned around and started the walk back. Gwen was trying to stay optimistic, but it was starting to slip away and she found herself seriously doubting her plan and herself.

  When they reached the car, Gabe climbed in and started it up while Gwen took one last quick look around the park. Many of the people had left in the last hour, but of all the people still remaining, none of them looked even remotely like Skyler. He should have been impossible to miss, meaning he either wasn’t really there, or he was just really good at blending in and going unnoticed.

  They made the quick trip to the café that they had visited a couple of times already, and they grabbed a booth in the back of the shop. She looked around and noticed that only two other tables were occupied, both by couples that seemed completely invested in one another. Her hopes soared as she realized this was their best chance at Skyler showing himself. She settled into the booth so that she was facing the door, wanting to know the moment Skyler finally decided to show himself.

  Quietly, Gabe read the menu to her, even though she had heard it a few times before. His words went in one ear and out the other, and she wasn’t really paying attention. As the waitress that had rudely waited on them before made her way towards them, she quickly told Gabe to just order anything for her. She didn’t even hear what he said to the waitress, refusing to take her eyes off the door. The rest of the shop had faded away, making it feel like she was in an empty store, listening to the sound of the clock above them ticking away the seconds until her life was about to be changed.

  Their drinks came a few moments later, and Gwen still hadn’t taken her eyes off the door. She sipped at her drink cautiously, tasting a fruit smoothie that she couldn’t identify. Mango something? Whatever it is, it’s good…

  The bell above the door chimed, and she knew before she looked that it would be Skyler. She smiled when he appeared, feeling a rush of pride coursing through her. She had been right. She had started to doubt her own plans, but as he stormed over to their table, she couldn’t help but smile. After all, she had been right. She had predicted that he would show himself, and he had. Even if they didn’t get their answers today, at least she had proved to herself that she was smarter and knew more than everyone thought.

  He slid into the booth beside her, turning his body so that he was facing her and his back was to the rest of the room. His eyes were narrowed, but behind the anger, she saw fear and uncertainty. Suddenly, she was having second thoughts about goading him into meeting them in public. “What the hell are you still doing in Brighton?” he hissed, his voice a dangerous whisper. “I thought I told you to leave. You should have been gone hours ago!”

  Gabe bristled in the booth across from them, his eyes narrowing and his shoulders going back, pushing his chest forward. He made a sound in the back of his throat, harsh and deadly, and it took Gwen a second to realize that it was a growl. It was like her brother had disappeared and been replaced with a rabid animal while she wasn’t looking. She hardly recognized the creature sitting across from her, even though it shared the same face as her brother.

  Skyler didn’t seem fazed by Gabe’s reaction. His eyes casually flicked to Gabe, before returning to her. “Gwen, you really shouldn�
��t be here.” His voice was almost a whine. “It’s not safe for you. I’ve told you that. What more do you want?” He glanced around quickly, trying to shift his body and make himself as small as unnoticed as possible.

  She smiled at him, feeling more confident than she had since leaving the house. “Skyler, what are you doing here?”

  He frowned, making a disapproving noise in the back of his throat. “Don’t play stupid with me. I heard your plan to get my attention when you left the park. I can’t believe I’m actually stupid enough to show myself to you, but I knew you weren’t going home until I did. So here I am. Now let’s get on with this.”

  “Skyler, can you give us any information that our family is still keeping from us?”

  “How am I supposed to know what your family has and hasn’t told you?”

  Gwen snorted, earning a smirk from him. “Don’t pretend like you haven’t been listening in on all of our conversations. You’ve heard it all. Now start talking.”

  “Have you thought that maybe your family is still keeping secrets to try and keep you safe?”

  “How does keeping secrets from us keep us safe? If anything, it puts us in greater danger,” Gwen argued. “If we don’t know what’s going on, we can’t prepare ourselves, and we can’t defend ourselves. We have the right to know about anything concerning us. Skyler…”

  He sighed.

  “What I wanna know most is why Roman wanted us so bad he was willing to kill for us. How does ruining our lives benefit Roman? There has to be a reason he targeted us instead of Grant and Geoffrey. They’re the true objects of his rage, aren’t they? He hated them long before Gabe and I were born.”

  Skyler hesitated. “I don’t think I’m the one to tell you that,” he said. “I’m sorry Gwen, but even I don’t know the whole truth behind their history. Roman doesn’t trust me that much and I doubt he ever will.”

  “But—”

  “Gwen, I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you want I don’t know. I know you want answers, but do you want me to make something up?”

  She wilted, her hopes dashed before they even had a chance to grow. This was it, her last chance to get some of the answers she wanted, and it had fallen through just like everything else. If Skyler couldn’t tell her why Roman was so desperate to have them, she wasn’t going to find out until it was too late. Her family was never going to tell her the truth, deciding to leave her in the dark for her own good, when all it would do was harm.

  “So, what good are you then?” Gabe asked, his arms crossed over his chest. He was no longer trying to look like an imposing monster, but Gwen could tell he was still wary of Skyler.

  “Skyler, please. You know something, I know you do! Please, you have to tell us.” She could feel herself beginning to grow crazy, but she couldn’t stop herself. She reached out and grabbed Skyler’s arm, pulling him towards her. “I can’t take anymore secrets. You have to tell us!” She was begging him at this point, and might have been on her knees if she hadn’t been sitting already.

  “I’m sorry, Gwen. I can’t give you the answers you’re looking for.”

  “Then you’re of no use to us,” Gabe said, his voice taking on a harsh edge. He pounded his fists on the table, getting to his feet so quickly Gwen was worried he would flip the table over.

  Skyler looked around frantically, and Gwen saw that they were attracting attention from the few people that were enjoying the café alongside them. His eyes were wide as he got up from their booth, quickly putting space between them. Before Gwen could even beg him not to go, he stuttered an apology and took off out the door, racing out of sight. Gwen stared after him, torn between wanting to chase him down and wanting to throw something.

  She and Gabe sat in silence for a minute, neither of them sure of what to say or do. Finally, they could take the stares no more. Gwen rushed outside to get some fresh air while Gabe took care of the check. She stood by the car, leaning against it as the shade protected her from the heat. She couldn’t believe how stupid she had just been. She’d had a chance to get some answers, and she’d acted like a total psycho and not only freaked Skyler out, but possibly prevented herself from ever getting those answers.

  I’m an idiot…

  Gabe joined her in the parking lot, unlocking the doors so she could get in. Without a word, he handed her the rest of her smoothie, and she sipped at it moodily as she stared out the passenger window. She turned her body away from Gabe, making it clear she didn’t want to speak to him right now despite the fact that earlier that morning she had been pleading with him to talk to her.

  As they pulled out of the café parking lot, movement caught her attention, and her eyes met with Skyler’s.