Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“Who did?” Ambrose asked.
“Them,” Finau replied frantically, throwing his arm out to the side. “Those men. Whoever they are. The ones Zeke was on about.”
“I thought none of you knew why Zeke was killed,” Chance replied, seeming to grow a couple of inches as he turned toward the Vampire.
“He mentioned things,” Finau said. “Just bits and pieces here and there. We all thought, you know, he was beginning to…” His words trailed off.
“You thought he was starting to lose his mind,” Danny finished for him, his voice devoid of emotion.
“It happens.” Finau’s shoulders slumped.
“Not to our brother,” Chance snapped.
“I realize that now,” Finau replied apologetically.
“Interesting how that happens,” Ambrose said bitingly. “Realizing the truth when you’re the one facing the fallout.”
“He didn’t have proof, and it made no sense.” Finau glared. “Who would go after mates? It doesn’t happen.”
“Until it does,” Erik said calmly. “Tell us what happened.”
“I came to give you this,” he said, grabbing a box off the table behind him. “I found my mate at the airport in Vegas. I—she—we were both on layovers, and we ended up missing our flights. We stayed there for a couple of weeks. I didn’t…I didn’t think it would matter to wait a few weeks.”
Erik took the box from him and carried it back to where he’d been standing. As Finau spoke, he pulled out a pocketknife and sliced the top open.
Mattie let out a noise somewhere between a gasp and a moan when Erik lifted out the contents of the box.
It was a tattered, multi-color quilt with no discernible pattern. Small bits of formerly blue yarn poked out at regular intervals like little gray bunny ears.
Tears filled my eyes, and I looked behind me, wondering where Charlie was.
He was going to lose it.
“Thank you,” Ambrose said, the words practically torn from him.
“I knew he’d want you to have it,” Finau replied, lowering his head in a slow nod. “My mate and I decided to drive here. We left Vegas three days ago. Yesterday, she ran into a gas station to use the restroom, and she didn’t come back out. When I started to worry, I followed her inside. The attendant was dead behind the counter, and the door was wide open.”
“Why do you think this has anything to do with Zeke?” Ambrose asked dismissively.
“I didn’t hear them kill the attendant,” Finau snapped. “He was alive when I paid for the gas five minutes before. They killed him and took her without making a fucking sound, Ambrose!”
“We believe you,” Danny said, shooting a look at Ambrose. “Now tell me everything you remember.”’
As soon as everyone was seated, the Vampire told them what time they’d left their hotel, how far they’d gone before they stopped for gas, what cars were in the parking lot when they’d pulled up, the back door of the tiny convenience store that had been left open, the tire tracks he’d found afterward. He described his mate like a goddess come to earth, and from what I gathered, she was barely five feet tall and voluptuous, with olive skin and short black hair. Her nails were painted purple. He seemed to think that was important for some reason, or maybe he was just getting lost in the details because he was so frantic.
Matilda sat close to Erik, barely paying attention as she ran her fingers over Zeke’s quilt. I wondered if she remembered how long it had taken her to make it for him all of those years ago. Zeke had told us that every time he found a rip, he’d brought it back to her to mend. A multitude of embroidery stitches were scattered throughout, like little scars that told the story of Zeke’s life.
“We were only two hours away,” Finau mumbled, rubbing his hands over his face. “Only two more hours. Why the fuck did I stop for fuel?”
“If it hadn’t been then, it would’ve been another time when your guard was down,” Chance said, the words and tone not quite comforting.
When Ambrose ordered Finau to take him through the entire thing again, Reese stood up from the couch across from ours and jerked her head toward the kitchen.
Ambrose’s hand tightened on my thigh before he rubbed his thumb across the top and let me go. I followed as she, Mattie, and Alice left the room. Instead of stopping in the kitchen, they walked straight out the door. Glancing at my bare feet, I debated for a moment before following. The cold ground felt good on my hot skin as I met them across the lawn under some trees.
“They hear everything,” Reese explained. “And I didn’t want to distract them.”
“We could’ve gone to one of the bedrooms,” Alice pointed out, raising one eyebrow.
“Right.” Reese clapped her hands. “Well, we’re here now. Do we believe him?”
Matilda scoffed and held Zeke’s blanket closer to her chest. “Yes.”