Cloaked in Secrecy

by T. F. Walsh

  When her lips broke away from mine, her smile caressed my insides. “So, I’m taking that as a yes.”

  “It was yes from the first moment I laid eyes on you.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  ALENA

  Darkness had spread across the skies with haste tonight, and the adrenaline pumping through my veins readied me for a battle.

  Father and Damir drove out of the parking lot. They edged the family’s beaten-up Beemer onto the main road and headed out of town toward the capital of Bulgaria—Sofia. Once I’d lost sight of them, I turned and bolted across the snowy grounds toward my trailer. Chairs were stacked outside the great tent, and wulfkin busied themselves packing the circus. I should have experienced some guilty feelings for not helping, but with the greater scheme of events, the only emotion stirring inside me was dread.

  After changing into black clothes, for camouflage, I grabbed my backpack and hurried back to Mila’s container.

  My dream replayed for the hundredth time in my mind, and no matter how I twisted the events to make sense of them, only one plausible explanation remained: it was up to me to rescue Nicolai.

  One way or another, by the end of the night, Nicolai would be free. I didn’t care what punishment Father dished out as long as Nicolai was safe.

  Mila, Nicolai, and I would cross the Danube River from Bulgaria into Romania this very night. And Enre … My mind stopped flat. He’d come with us, of course, but what would happen when Father and the whole pack arrived in Romania? My head ached as I contemplated how much worse the situation could become. After realizing Enre was actually a good guy, I couldn’t bear to have him butchered. But I wasn’t sure how to change Father’s mind.

  Pushing the concern to the back of my mind with every other problem, I dashed into Mila’s trailer, causing her to jump. Her wolf senses should have been keen, but every time I entered the small trailer, she flinched. Enre froze, as if he’d been pacing in his unlocked cage. Illumination from the fairy lights outside revealed the worry written across his furrowed brow.

  “What’s the plan?” he asked, pulling on his coat.

  “We wait by the police station. When they start moving prisoners for the transfer, we strike.”

  Enre stepped out of his cage, shadows dancing in his eyes. “We strike? Be more specific.”

  “They’ll probably be loading the prisoners into a bus behind the jail. Once we spot Nicolai, you pretend to attack them in your wolf form, and I will—”

  “Whoa … Back up a bit. Me in my wolf form? Was sacrificing me your plan all along?” His eyes widened.

  I hadn’t meant to wound him. “You’re not being sacrificed. You’re simply deflecting attention, causing a distraction. While you do that, I’ll dash for Nic and cut him loose.” I retrieved the pliers from my backpack and showed them to him. “I can’t think of a better way to do this.”

  “They’ll have lots of guards with guns when the prisoners board the bus. And they’ll just shoot me.” He rubbed a hand across his lips. “Not liking this plan.”

  I sighed. “I don’t either, but I want Nic free.”

  Enre walked past me, his elbow grazing my arm, and a new kind of tingle replaced the nervous ones. The wolf’s desire to have Enre folded around me. Not now.

  “Your brother boards the bus. Then we follow. Once we’re away from civilization, we pull out in front of the bus, forcing them to stop. Then we strike. This way, there’ll be fewer police and guns aimed at me.

  Rage built in my throat as I stuffed the bolt cutters into my back pocket. “Not going to work. What if the officers don’t get out of the bus when we stop them on the road, but they call for backup?” Pacing in a circle, I kept shaking my head. “No, we need to do this my way. We’ll get Nic out, return to the circus for Mila, then cross the border to Romania tonight, before the rest of the pack.”

  Enre’s mouth opened, but no words gushed out at first. “I’m guessing you’re not going to change your mind on that, huh?”

  “Nope.”

  “Then let’s at least take Mila with us. We can park away from the prison, and we don’t have to return to the circus. That delay might give them enough time to capture us here. It’s the first place they’ll look. We can make a quick getaway before every policeman in Bulgaria is put on alert to track us down.”

  The idea had merit. Why not?

  Every nerve in my body tingled, and I recognized the wariness in Enre’s gaze too well. This was a massive risk based on my fickle dreams and Sonia’s readings. Geez, just thinking about the fortune-telling made this plan sound ludicrous. If tonight turned sour, it would be a catastrophe.

  “Look, I know I’m asking a lot. If we get caught, there’s a high chance we’ll get killed one way or another. Though, I don’t know who will get to us first: the humans, my father, or the Varlac. So I understand if you want to back out.”

  He stepped closer, his warm breath on my face. “And how will you manage on your own?”

  I shrugged. “I’ll find a way. If you join me, it needs to be because you want to, not because I’m forcing you. You can leave now, walk out of the trailer, and head home. I won’t tell a soul.”

  Enre didn’t move. He touched my cheek, sending a shiver down my spine. “If we’re heading to Romania tonight, we’d better get going.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  The next inhale jammed in my throat, and my feet weren’t doing any better, as they remained glued to the wooden flooring. We were really doing this. Pull it together. Remember Nicolai, the dreams, the stakes. When Father found out about my plans, which included Enre, he would murder me.

  Enre’s fingers pressed into my arm, his touch easing my knotted muscles. A hard expression slid across his face—tight jawline, body rigid, and distant eyes. I’d seen that expression on wulfkin many times, usually before they jumped into a fight.

  “Are you certain you’re up for this?” he asked.

  “Yes. I’m ready to go.” Wishing my voice sounded less shaky, I grabbed the cage keys from my pocket and handed them to Enre. “Take Mila and meet me on the other side of the empty lot, behind the circus. Give me a few minutes to retrieve the van.”

  Mila was already close to the cage door at the sound of her name. She whined to be released.

  “See you soon.” I hurried outside and shut the door behind me.

  The scattering of snowflakes was beautiful, falling through the glow of fairy lights in the distance. Wulfkin voices floated on the breeze, and my chest tightened, but I couldn’t allow one ounce of guilt to affect me, not now.

  Running around the outside of the trailers to avoid bumping into anyone, I soon reached Father’s RV and scampered inside. No one ever kept their doors locked, not in a pack family where everyone trusted each other. Once inside, I found all the spare keys for the vehicles located at the back of the third drawer of his bedside table, alongside several books. Voila. The extra-long one. With it in my hand, I hurried outside and shut the RV door behind me. Between two trailers in the distance, several figures moved, but it was too dark to see who it was. Hopefully, they couldn’t spot me in the shadows.

  “What are you doing?” The voice came from behind me.

  I flinched and spun to face Lutia, who was wearing a furry white coat that reached to her ankles. The shadows concealed most of her face, but I sensed her scowl. I’d never liked her. She was the kind of wulfkin who flavored her words with so much sugar, you choked on it. That was why Father always sent her on missions—to stop the constant arguments and drama she created amongst the pack members.

  “Why aren’t you helping the others?” I asked. Father had put me in charge in his absence.

  She shrugged. “Figured since I was going to get kicked out, it wasn’t my business to help.”

  “You know, a bit of sincerity is all it takes to make you a better wulfkin.”

  She scoffed and focused her stare at my fisted hand—the one holding the key.

  “What were you doing in ther
e?”

  That simple question made my pulse speed up. Had she seen me leave Mila’s trailer? Did she see Enre and Mila leave their cells? I didn’t have time for her meddling.

  “What do you want, Lutia?”

  Then I spotted it. Several feet behind her, in the shadows, the dark shape of a large bag.

  Following my gaze over her shoulder, she said, “I’m leaving.”

  “It’s against pack law to go without the alpha’s consent,” I said, my fist tightening around the key. “You bailing on us confirms you’re guilty of Enre’s accusations.”

  Every feature on her face twisted into an unrecognizable expression. “Be warned about Enre. He already gave his heart to Daciana. He doesn’t give up on what he desires.” Lutia retreated and lifted her bag onto her shoulder. “He’s using you to save his pack and his precious Daciana.”

  “What would you know?” My chest flared up in a blaze at Lutia’s accusation. Was I his stepping-stone? I kept reminding myself that Lutia was a spiteful wulfkin prepared to do or say whatever it took to deflect attention away from herself. Except, what if Enre had said all the right words to me just to get his way? Then why did our wolves react this way … No denying it, he felt the lure. My head swam with confusion. Considering what lay ahead of me tonight, this kind of doubt was the last issue I needed. Damn you, Lutia.

  A smirk split her thin lips. “I know you and Enre are up to no good, but that’s none of my business. And what I do is none of yours.”

  My shoulders stiffened, a drowning sensation worming itself through my stomach. “If you leave, the whole pack will be instructed to kill you the moment they see you again, and Father will report you to the Varlac. You won’t be safe anywhere.”

  Shrugging, she turned away and strutted into the darkness, heading toward the main road at the front of the circus. Her voice wavered in the breeze. “If I stay, I’m as good as dead. I like my chances on my own.”

  It was my job to stop her. I could call the other wulfkin to take her before she got too far. But that meant delaying the rescue attempt for Nicolai and drawing unwanted attention to me. Crap. Enre and Mila were probably already waiting in the field behind my trailer.

  Lutia had completely vanished from sight.

  My belly churned with unease. I didn’t have time for her distractions. She’d be a problem for us to deal with later, when and if everything went to plan. I spun on my heels and sprinted to the edge of the circus where several of our vehicles were parked.

  Surprisingly, no wulfkin crossed my path on the way to our Dokker panel van. The engine roared to life. Maybe luck was on my side. Father loved this little van with its two seats in front and the empty space in back, so I’d need to keep it scratch free. While reversing, I spotted Sonia in the side mirror standing alongside the vehicle. Shit.

  Rolling down the window, I stuck out my head. “Just going on an errand.”

  Sonia cocked her head and walked over to my window, one of her eyebrows arched and her gaze filled with curiosity. Oh yeah, she knew me too well.

  “You going to stand there, staring at me?” My words, fast and fueled by adrenaline, came out more aggressive than I’d intended. “Sorry, I’m in a rush.”

  “For your errand?” Sonia rubbed her earlobe.

  “That chaos stuff you were talking about,” I said. “It’s hit all right, and it’s massive.” How could Sonia always appear so relaxed? Droplets of sweat tickled as they rolled down my back. “Don’t look at me as if I’ve done something wrong.”

  “Have you?”

  “Of course not.” Not yet, anyway. Running a hand down my face, I struggled to control my bouncing knee. What if someone spotted Mila outside? What if Enre couldn’t control her? I kept checking the side mirror, expecting someone to block me in.

  “Are you sure you want to leave?” The way she said the word leave made me think she questioned my plans or had seen something else in her tarot cards. But I couldn’t let doubt in or I’d never go through with my plan.

  “Well, I better go.” Guilt gnawed at my gut for not telling Sonia where I was headed, but I’d share it with her once this was over. Until then, I refused to draw her into my problems.

  “Okay then. Off you go.” Her hand flicked for me to leave, and she strolled away.

  Geez, talk about making me feel worse. Focus. Worry about Sonia later.

  I reversed the van until I emerged clear of the other parked circus vehicles. The snowfall had increased again as I put the gear into drive and merged onto the main road. My foot pressed the accelerator, and the engine grunted as it protested being woken up on such a cold night. It rattled and blew smoke out the tailpipe. Soon enough, I was on the backstreets, driving toward the lane facing the empty lot behind the circus. Darkness and the blowing snow made it difficult to see, but the closer I got, the more certain I was that Enre and Mila weren’t anywhere around.

  Attempting to strangle the wheel, I scanned the area, the empty land coated in snow. Anyone out here tonight would be easily spotted with the background of white. Farther behind the lot, the circus fairy lights cast dancing shapes on the line of trailers.

  “Hell. Where are you, Enre?” Had they been spotted or, worse yet, stopped by other wulfkin? What would I do then?

  Parking alongside the curb, I spotted movement near a dumpster on my far right. Two figures slipped out … Enre and Mila. They rushed over. I reached into the back and slid open the side door. Enre leapt inside, followed by Mila. I slammed the door shut and drove us along the wintery road away from the circus, my pulse in a frenzy.

  Enre had already scaled the center console to get into the passenger seat. “What took you so long?”

  “Don’t even ask. You?”

  “Aside from Mila trying to chase a cat, and me running after her like a lunatic, we’re dandy.”

  With the winds picking up and the snow sloping at an angle, the steering wheel became difficult to control. At least the snow tires kept us from skidding if we moved slower than thirty-five miles per hour. My nerves were eating away any last remnants of calm as I contemplated returning to the circus. I struggled to inhale. Calm down, you can do this. Think of Nicolai.

  Darkness had claimed the city, and outside the glow of the streetlights lining the road, the houses and buildings vanished into a blurry background on either side of us.

  “I’ve never done anything this dangerous before,” Enre said while staring out his window, his gaze studying a hatchback vehicle overtaking us. It fishtailed farther ahead, struggling to remain on the road. The idiot turned onto a side street, still speeding.

  “Throw me at any animal,” he said, “and I’ll jump at the chance of battling it, but this is different. We’re meddling with humans, and it goes against everything we’ve been told.”

  “I know.” From the moment we joined a pack, the dangers of dealing with humans were drilled into us, along with the punishment—death by the Varlac. In fact, the Varlac threatened wulfkin with death any chance they got, and if I hadn’t seen their vile ways firsthand, I might have suspected they were empty threats.

  Varlac. One sat next to me in the van, and instead of planning my revenge, as I’d always anticipated, I yearned to crawl into his embrace and forget the world around us.

  Stopped at a red light, I said, “If you’re not comfortable with this, you’re free to go. No hard feelings.” Oh, the pain would surface if he abandoned me, but I had no right to force him into breaking the law.

  “I’m not walking away.” He glanced over.

  My heart beat a bit too quick. This whole attraction thing was going to land me in so much shit.

  Mila’s head popped out from in between our seats, nudging me as she attempted to get closer to Enre.

  He folded an arm across the back of her neck, drawing her closer to him. When she licked his cheek, he pushed her away.

  Mila released a protesting whine and sat back, her chin resting on the console between us, her hot breaths accompanied by constant
mewls. The moment Enre scratched her head, she calmed down. Yep, he sure had a way with the girls.

  A honk blared behind us, startling me, and I realized the traffic lights were glowing green. When we were driving again, only the occasional car passed us. The deeper we drove into the center of the city, the brighter the lights, the loftier the neo-baroque buildings, and the fewer the trees. Ruse was often called the Little Vienna, though with the buildings covered in snow, I couldn’t see the resemblance.

  We neared the police station, and my knees were bouncing again.

  Slowing our pace, I took a side street a block away from the well-lit station. When we reached the end, I swung left onto a back road overshadowed by tall buildings on both sides, and we were instantly facing floodlights in the far distance. I hit the brakes and killed the van lights. One policeman glanced our way and waved his hand for us to leave.

  “We’re too late. They’re loading the prisoners.” My pulse pumped. This was bad.

  Enre leaned forward in his seat, staring out the window.

  Police officers were marching the prisoners from inside the station into a small transit vehicle parked outside. It resembled an old bus, except this one had bars over the boarded-up windows. The accused were linked by a chain around their waists, ankles, and wrists. They shuffled as their heads bopped up and down with each step.

  My chest constricted as I imagined Nicolai treated this way.

  When it appeared no more prisoners were coming out, the police officers dispersed. Most headed back inside the yard.

  “They’re moving them earlier than Father said.” Panic gripped my voice.

  A police officer whistled and walked quickly toward us, his flashlight pointed in our direction.

  “Crap.” He would see Mila.

  Enre pushed open his door, and a gust of icy wind rushed into the van. He jumped out and smacked the door shut before circling around the front of our vehicle, hurrying to my side.

  Opening my door, he said, “Move over, I’m driving.”

  My gaze remained locked on the officer who was halfway down the street and closing in fast. Not that we were doing anything wrong. But in case tonight went wrong, I didn’t want a cop able to recognize us spying on the prisoner transfer.