A Shifter's Curse, Raven Steele [the top 100 crime novels of all time .TXT] 📗

the same. I searched the old building until I found a can of gas. With his help, we dumped the toxic liquid everywhere, starting in the stalls where the humans had been kept. When it was properly doused, I led a thick line outside.

Ryder stood next to me, staring at the barn, sunlight highlighting the flecks of gold in his hair. I handed him my lighter. “You want the honors?”

He bent down, flicked the lighter, and hesitated briefly before finally touching the flame to the line of gas. It spread quickly, just like our rage had moments ago. We watched as the place where Ryder was tortured and human slaves were kept burned down.

When the destruction was complete, Dominic gave everyone specific areas of the city to search. I requested the area near where I lived, making it seem like I was just choosing something convenient. But no one knew the real truth. There was no point searching.

I knew exactly where to find the Greybacks.

Ryder drove us to my house and parked in the garage. He leaned back against the headrest. “I’m wasted.”

“But didn’t it feel good to destroy that place?”

A long sigh escaped his mouth. “A little, but it wasn’t all bad. I have good memories of that place too.” His lips turned down. “But the bad ones override them.”

I patted his shoulder. “Hang out here for a while. No point searching with the others.”

“Are you sure your roommates won’t mind?”

I waved away his concern. “Nah, it’ll be fine.”

Exiting the car, I grabbed Silas’ box, piled the briefcase on top of it, but left the rest to dispose of later. I didn’t have much time until my meeting with the Greybacks and wanted to use what I had left of it to gather my strength. Truth was, I was nervous to see them. I wasn’t sure Jackson would go along with my plan, especially since I’d shoved that pitchfork up through his jaw. That tended to break one’s trust.

Before I ducked inside, I searched for Samira’s car, but it was gone. Damn. She must’ve crashed somewhere else, her fancy hotel maybe. I really wanted to tell her about the briefcase. I knew she was worried about it.

We walked inside and found a note on the fridge from Lynx. She wasn’t home either. She had gone to her mother’s house. Weird. I would think that would be the last place she’d want to go.

After telling Ryder to scrounge up something to eat, I climbed the stairs, trying to think of a good place to hide the briefcase. A few minutes later, I found a tight spot in the attic, way in the back. I covered it with old clothes that smelled of dust and moth balls. No one would look for it here.

Back in the kitchen, Ryder handed me a muffin and a soda. Thanks to Lynx, there was always something to eat in the house. I swear I’d gained five pounds just from living here.

“Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?” Ryder asked. “I mean, I know I'm probably the last person who should be going, but I will if you need me to."

"I think I'll be okay. They want someone on the inside, just as much as I need their support. They won't hurt me."

I focused on the blueberry muffin in my hand, knowing I was probably telling a lie. Hell, I could be dead before nightfall.

"Will you at least text me when you get there and when you leave?”

"You got it.” I paused and looked over him. The dark circles under his eyes were gone, and his shoulders weren’t as tense. “Thanks again for your help tonight. I couldn’t have pulled it off by myself."

“It felt good to actually do something.”

I nodded, agreeing. It did feel good. I ate quickly, then checked my phone. My uncle had sent me news. So far, no one had discovered any Greybacks in the city or on the outskirts. And no one had heard a thing.

It’s like they just disappeared.

Which they had.

I texted Lynx to see if I could borrow her car again, but when she didn’t answer, I decided against it. I didn’t want to become that roommate. I’d already had to torture her. I figured taking her car without approval might be taking it one step too far.

Instead, I called Roma. While I waited, I carefully removed the duffel bag out of the trunk of Lynx’s car, in case she came back and had to use it. I stared at it, not sure what to do with its contents. I considered getting rid of the jars now, but I didn’t think I had time. Instead, I walked swiftly toward the trees and hid it behind the biggest tree I could find.

Roma was waiting for me when I got back. I slid into the back and handed her a slip of paper with an address on it. “I need to go here.”

“Hello to you too.” She smoothed out the paper to study it.

“Sorry. A little nervous, I guess.”

"You, nervous?” She shook her head and glanced at the paper again. “The old village of Doner Prairie. There hasn't been anyone up there for decades. Why do you want to go there?"

"I promised someone I would meet them. I'll pay you cash, triple your normal rate."

She eyed me in the rearview mirror. "Can you afford that?"

“I can today." I leaned against the window, closing my eyes to its sun-soaked warmth.

“Alright.” She forced the gear into drive and pulled away from the house. Like she usually did, she talked to me about nothing and everything, trying to entertain me with stories of her time backpacking in Europe, then she moved on to her brief stint with the Peace Corps. I tried to pay attention, but I was too distracted. My knee bounced up and down, and I worked my teeth over the flesh on the inside of my cheek. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

She met my eyes in the rearview mirror. "Are you okay?"

"Sometimes I think my ass is in my brain." I poked at my head. “I get these shit ideas.”

She didn't say anything for a long moment as she fingered a thin braid at the side of her face. Finally, she asked, "Why did you ask me to take you? You could've borrowed one of the Silver Claws’ cars."

"This isn't exactly the kind of meeting I want anyone to know about. Besides, I’ve begun to think of you as my good luck charm."

"I get that a lot.” She settled into a rare silence with an amused expression. After a while, she rolled the window down, letting in a cool breeze.

The air was heavy with moisture, the humidity higher than usual. It made my shirt stick to the back of the seat, and my thighs stick together uncomfortably.

Doner Prairie wasn't at all what I expected. I had imagined another ranch with fields and trees and maybe more than a few living quarters, but this was a ghost town. Literally. The buildings were right out of the late eighteen hundreds, like a giant set built for a western film.

Roma glanced out her side window. “This was one of the first gold mining towns in Louisiana.”

“I didn’t know there was gold here.”

“There was, but only a little. Townsfolk didn’t know that though. As soon as word spread there was gold, people flocked here. It was a booming place once,” she explained as if she had been there. “But after ten years and very little profits, the place shut down. Damn shame.”

I rolled my window down and inhaled. A dirty earthy smell greeted me, but it was laced with something else. Wolves.

"Park here.”

"In the middle of the street?"

"Do you see another car coming anytime soon?"

She pressed on the brake, bringing us to a stop. "I guess not."

“Wait here.” I exited the car and strolled down the middle of the street, eyeing the old buildings on each side of me. Sunlight streamed from the noon sky, illuminating every dark corner and alley.

Even though I couldn’t see anyone, I knew I was surrounded by wolves. I could feel their dark eyes watching me and smell their fear mingled with curiosity. Who was I to go against my own pack to warn another, especially an enemy? It was unheard of to betray one’s own. It made me dangerous.

Like a ghost, Jackson appeared at the other end of the road, stepping out from behind what could’ve been an outhouse at one point. “You have sixty seconds to explain yourself before we kill you.”