by Melissa Haag
“Get rid of it,” Carlos said.
I started walking. Grey was a good distance away, and I waved him to move further. When I was an equal distance between the fallen man and Grey, I glanced at Carlos.
“Do it,” he said.
His dark gaze held mine. What if I hurt him? I swallowed my fear and pushed. This time, it worked. Carlos didn’t stagger or fall, but I did see his fingers twitch.
“Did you feel that?”
“No. There are others coming this way. We need to run.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. He and I ran back to the vehicles. It was obvious he was holding back so he kept pace with me. All the engines were running. Winifred was at the wheel of our vehicle.
“Kicked the hornet’s nest, did I?” I said as I slid into the backseat. To my surprise, Carlos joined me.
“Not too badly. There are only a few headed this way,” she said as she turned the car around. We followed the other cars back the way we’d come.
“How are you feeling?”
“Fine. Let Bethi know it worked.”
Winifred nodded.
* * * *
We drove forever. My butt went numb, and my patience wore thin. The clock on the dash flashed two a.m. Sure we’d stopped for bathroom breaks, practice, and slowed down for a fast food dinner, but we still continued to push further north as if trying to make up for the westward detour.
The Urbat alley remained a beehive of activity with many leaving their posts to follow us north. Though Bethi felt more assured by the response to our test, no one else did.
“Seriously, are we there yet?” I asked, letting my head fall back against the seat.
“Almost,” Winifred said.
Thankfully, she wasn’t sugarcoating it. We pulled into a motel parking lot a few minutes later. The neon light flickered like a horror movie, and the burned-out bulb of the yard light cast shadows on the long, narrow building. The weathered exterior doors to each room needed new paint—at least, on the bottom half.
“I changed my mind,” I said, looking out the window. “Let’s drive all night.”
“Gabby needs a break. She said this area’s been clear for a while.”
“Gee, I wonder why,” I mumbled as I opened my door. I waited for Carlos as he grabbed our bags from the trunk. The rest of the group shuffled toward the shady “office.”
“Not that I expect five star hotels or anything, but a single star would be better than this.”
“We’ll be safe,” Carlos said, coming to stand beside me.
I tipped my face up to look at him. “From the Urbat, yes. But I bet there’s a lot nastier stuff crawling around in those rooms.
“Come on.” He led me toward the office. The rest were just coming out with keys.
“The rooms only have one bed each,” Emmitt said as he held up a fistful of old-fashioned keys.
I glanced at the numbers on the doors. One through lucky number seven.
Carlos took a key and watched me. My guilty conscience had me wondering if he was expecting me to throw a fit.
“Well, come on, snuggle buddy,” I said. “You can protect me from everything that skitters away when the lights go on.”
I heard Michelle make a concerned noise. She looked less pleased than I did. Bethi, on the other hand, seemed to have no problem with the situation.
I followed Carlos to the door and peered around him as he turned the light on. The inside was far better than the outside. The room smelled fresh, was bright, and looked clean.
“Thank God!” I flopped onto the bed and didn’t move.
Fourteen
Something tickled my hair, and for a confused moment, I was certain I had a cockroach crawling on me. My eyes flew open, and I almost yipped in surprise when I saw Carlos not far from me.
As my mind tried to sort through the lingering dream and the recalled impression of our current motel, I noted other things. The sunlight that poured through the window. Carlos shirtless and on top of the covers. My bare feet comfortably tucked under the same covers.
I blinked at Carlos’ sleep-relaxed face as I tried to shake the dream that still clung to me. Ethan had visited me and a bittersweet pang remained.
In my dream, Ethan hadn’t said anything to me, just smiled gently and held my hand. We’d been sitting somewhere, but I couldn’t recall that detail, only the feel of his hand holding mine.
Something moved in my hair again, and I twisted to see what. Carlos lay with his arms behind his head, and his fingers tangled in the ends of my hair. I made to move away but saw his fingers delve deeper. Despite his closed eyes, he was awake.
I rolled toward him, trying not to stare at his chest.
“I dreamt of Ethan last night,” I said softly.
Carlos turned his head and looked at me, his dark eyes fathomless.
“I’m sorry he’s gone.”
“Why? You didn’t like him.”
“No, I didn’t. But you did. And I see how much it hurts you. I would do anything, even put up with another man in your life, to erase the pain I see.”
I hated when Carlos said stuff like that. I wasn’t emotionally ready to deal with it.
“Maybe that’s why he came to you last night,” he continued. “Maybe he was telling you he’s okay.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “He was letting me know he’s still waiting for me. He’ll be there on the other side, ready to hold my hand.”
Carlos remained quiet for a moment.
“I won’t leave you like he did.”
I scowled at Carlos and got out of bed.
“Given a choice,” I said as I rifled through my bag, “Ethan would have stayed with me.”
A hand settled on my shoulder.
“Let him go.”
“How?” I said, whirling to face him.
My budding anger fled at the sight of Carlos standing before me without a shirt. His gaze traced my face for a moment, then he stepped close. My breath caught as his hands curled around my arms. I could feel each finger pressing firmly into my skin. With slow deliberateness, he drew me closer until I was flush against his chest. A tremble passed through him at the contact. I wasn’t unaffected, either. I raised my hands to try to brace myself and win some space.
His thumbs skimmed over the skin of my arms, and his gaze fell to my mouth. Then I knew how he meant for me to let Ethan go.
My pulse leapt, and I struggled to come up with something to distract him.
“Aren’t you supposed to say some stupidly sappy thing to win me over first?”
“I could tell you I’d die for you,” he said in a low, measured voice. “But that would be cruel. I would never leave you alone like that. I’d rather die with you. So, even at the end, we’re still together. Do you understand? I don’t just want to be with you. I want to be with you forever.”
His hand rose, and his shaking fingers touched my cheek.
“He may be waiting for you on the other side, but I’m here...right now...waiting for you.”
He slowly bent toward me. My face flushed, and I felt a rush of yearning as his mouth hovered over mine. Conflicted feelings tore through me as he waited, watching me so closely. My attraction to Carlos was undeniable, but how could I feel anything like this right now?
I tipped my head down, away from the temptation and stared at my fingers on his bare chest.
“I know you’re waiting. And my answer hasn’t changed. I can’t.” I was still too raw on the inside to consider it. How many days had it been since I’d buried my friend? Now Carlos was asking me to let him go. Some part of me understood what he’d said. He wasn’t trying to pull Ethan’s memory from me, just my hold on our past. The hold that kept my chest aching hollowly and kept me from moving forward.
“I’ll still be here, waiting, when you can,” he said softly.
Why did he have to say that? The gentle press of his lips against my forehead along with the tremble in his hand nearly had me clenching my fists to
keep from reaching for him. Then, he stepped away and left the room.
I groaned and hit the bathroom door in frustration. Why did everything have to be so damn complicated? No, not everything. Feelings. Emotions. I hated them.
Grabbing my clothes didn’t erase the feel of Carlos’ skin from my hands. And shutting myself in the bathroom didn’t stop my wayward thoughts. I was frustrated with how I felt, the direction of my life, everything. I didn’t want to be alone anymore. But more than that, I liked Carlos. He was an amazing spar partner and easy to be around. Sure, his detachment might annoy me at times, but mostly because I envied it. Plus, I knew he wasn’t really detached. He’d let me feel how he felt toward me. I braced my hands against the sink and hung my head for a moment.
He wanted me, and I wanted him. I really did. And that was the problem. Wanting Carlos felt like I was cheating on Ethan. I stepped away from the sink and turned on the shower before stripping down. The water didn’t wash away the guilt for Ethan or the guilt for turning away Carlos.
By not accepting Carlos’ kiss, I was sure I’d hurt him. Yeah, he’d said he understood my hesitancy and that he would be patient, but I wondered if he truly understood. I wanted him to understand. It wasn’t him. It wasn’t even Ethan. It was me.
I sighed and turned off the water and started drying off. Pulling on clothes over my damp skin was a pain, but I knew I needed to woman up and talk to Carlos and try to explain. If I didn’t hurry, I’d change my mind.
Just as I yanked open the bathroom door, someone knocked on the outside door. Panic, not my own, washed over me. Something was wrong. I ran to the door.
Gabby stood there, her eyes wide, with Clay right behind her, looking concerned.
“Carlos...” she said.
My heart seemed to seize in my chest.
“Carlos what?” I grabbed her arms and pulled in her panic. Clay grunted as she sighed.
“He’s a few miles from here. He went for a run. There are seven Urbat closing in on him. Grey is heading toward Carlos now.”
I glanced behind them and saw the rest of the group in the parking lot, staring off to the south.
“Carlos knows the Urbat are coming and that Grey is, too. And he knows Grey won’t make it in time.”
“Wait. What do you mean in time?” I asked, focusing on Gabby once more.
“The Urbat will catch Carlos.”
I saw red. This wasn’t going to happen. Not again.
“Phone,” I said, holding out my hand.
Gabby quickly pulled out her phone and gave it to me. I turned and searched for Jim as I started walking. Our eyes met.
“Keys.” I held my hand in the air, and he threw them to me.
“Isabelle, stop,” Winifred said.
“Make one move to stop me, and you all fall down,” I said without pausing my progress.
I opened the door to the SUV and looked at Gabby.
“Call me and direct me.”
I closed the door as I started the engine; then I wheeled the big boat of a vehicle around to the direction they’d been looking. Gravel flew, and the tires squealed when I hit the blacktop. A car honked at me because of my wide swing, but I ignored it and accelerated. Seconds later, the phone rang. I put it on speaker.
“Where?” I said, talking loudly so she would hear me over the roar of the engine.
“Keep going. I don’t have a map, so I don’t know how close they are to the road you’re on.”
I went from zero to one hundred in no time and kept it floored.
“You’re almost to Grey,” she said after a few moments of silence. “And they’ve reached Carlos.”
“Where, Gabby?” Carlos is strong and fast, I thought to myself. He’ll be fine. He isn’t Ethan.
“You’re halfway there.”
My foot was already pressing the pedal to the floor. Ahead, I saw a bend in the road.
“The road’s curving left,” I said.
“No...that will take you further...”
I eased off the gas.
“Jim’s got a map up on his phone. Keep following the road. After the curve, there’s a road to the right. I think you’ll want to take that. I won’t know until you’re closer.”
I took the curve going sixty.
“Keep talking, Gabby.”
“The right should be coming up.”
I flew past the faded marker on a gravel road and slammed on the brakes. The tires made a god-awful noise. Thankfully, there was no one behind me. I’d barely come to a jolting stop when I slammed the SUV into reverse and added to the blue smoke hovering in the air.
“Got it,” I said as I cranked the wheel.
“Go, Isabelle,” Gabby said. “Grey’s almost there, too.”
I gunned it down the road. Something ahead and to the left caught my attention. Not far into the trees, men and wolves fought, a sphere of piled, thrashing bodies. I could guess who was at the center.
“Slow down,” Gabby said. “To your left.”
“Got it.”
I skidded to a stop, threw the SUV into park, and shoved open the door. All movement stopped as both wolves and men turned to watch my approach. Carlos roared from somewhere under the pile of bodies. A wolf flew. Then another.
The rest backed away before Carlos could touch them. One wolf remained, his teeth sunk deeply into the spot where Carlos’ neck met his shoulder. Carlos, on his hands and knees, tried to lift his head.
One of the men moved toward me as if to intercept me.
I held up a hand.
“Stop.”
Whether because of my impatient tone or my angry glare at Carlos, the man halted.
One of the wolves transformed from wolf to man. He stood with his legs braced apart and crossed his arms as he smirked at me.
“Go ahead and pull a stunt like you did on the road. He’ll die.”
After giving the man the briefest of glances, I returned to glaring at Carlos.
“You read fiction and go for a run the morning after I pissed off Doofenshmirtz here? How did you not see this coming?” I asked, waving a hand at the seven men around him.
Carlos said nothing. I felt only a small twinge of pity for him at the moment. I was too full of the group’s anger and aggression that I’d been slowly siphoning since I’d stopped the car.
“Fine,” I said between clenched teeth. I stalked toward Carlos.
“Isabelle, go,” he said with his head still hanging low.
“I don’t think so. I have something to say.”
I reached him and bent, gently touching his cheek.
“You promised.”
Growls sounded behind me as the men realized I wasn’t angry with Carlos. I grinned, then twisted to come up swinging.
Something flew through the trees and crashed into three of the wolves coming at me. The new wolf tore into those Urbat while I tore into the four who were trying to rip into Carlos.
My knuckles cracked and bled with each furious swing. I kicked out and solidly found my mark. The half-formed man bent as if in slow motion then collapsed to the ground, wheezing. Behind me, I heard Carlos move.
“Stay...” I ducked under a man’s swing.
“out of...” I came back up with a jab to his throat.
“my...” Swinging wide, I caught another in his ribs as he tried to feint around me.
“way, Carlos.”
The half-formed man fell. Suddenly, everything was quiet.
“Wouldn’t dream of interfering,” Carlos said softly behind me.
I looked around and found all the men on the ground. Grey was still in his fur, standing over one. Blood covered his muzzle.
“Thanks, Grey.”
“He wants to know if you’re all right,” Carlos said. He reached around me and touched my fisted hand. I hadn’t realized I was still clenching them. His fingers skimmed over the skin just below my bloody knuckles.
“I’m fine.”
“Grey’s going to the SUV and getting some clothes
. Gabby says things are clear now. Before we go, you need to get rid of what’s left.”
How did he know my skin still tingled with anger and aggression? It wasn’t much. I waited until Grey walked away, then moved further into the trees for extra protection before pushing it out. When I turned, I saw Carlos—really saw him—for the first time.
His face was swollen, and he had bruises around his neck. Bloody bite marks covered the base of his neck and his shoulders, his shirt was torn, and he was missing a shoe.
“You big, dumb fool,” I said in a burst of frustration.
He shuffled forward until he stood just before me. I could barely look at his face. Fear was pummeling my frustration. Images of what could have happened tormented me.
He reached up and gently wiped his thumb on my cheek. Once I realized I was crying, it just got worse.
“It could have been you, too,” I said.
He wrapped me in his arms.
“Never. I’ll keep my promise. I’ll stay with you.”
I cried, and he held me.
One of the men moved on the ground behind us. The sound brought my head up from Carlos’ chest. The man weakly shifted his hand from his side, bringing it up level with his shoulder. His pathetic attempt to lift himself landed him right back in the dirt.
My tears evaporated with my anger.
I pulled away from Carlos and went to the man. He attempted to right himself again and ended up on his back. It was the same guy from the road. Tilting my head, I considered him. There was no fear, only anger and resentment.
I squatted beside him, ignoring Carlos’ soft warning to stay away.
“Don’t like being my bitch twice, do ya?”
The man said something rude.
“Now, why would Blake send you after us when I told you I was coming for him?”
He didn’t say anything, just stared at me with his jaw clenched.
“Maybe you didn’t tell him. Or maybe he sent you because he doesn’t want me coming to him, but I doubt that. He sent fifty men to try to catch us. So why only seven this time? Unless...someone’s not being a good boy.
“Here’s what I think. I think you lost your temper the last time we met and convinced these idiots it was a good idea to chase one of us down. Not smart. You’re going to be in trouble when Blake finds out.”