“What?” Chloe asked.
“They probably did place cameras,” I explained. “Remember what Carter said about his father’s tendency to take photos and videos.”
The disgust on her face morphed into rage. “I’m going to enjoy killing that sick motherfucker,” she growled. “I may even keep a memento of my own.”
“You’ll get your chance,” I stated. “If I don’t get to him first.”
She blinked, the anger draining away. “What about Brayden?” she asked. “When you told me he seemed off in Dallas, I thought he was being his usual creepy self, but if he was like he was today, I can understand why you and Calder freaked out. I’ve never smelled anything like it before. It was as if he were angry, jealous, and horny all at the same time.” She paused. “But when he looked at you, all I could smell was hate.”
“I don’t think what he feels for you is a harmless crush, Chloe. It’s almost as if he’s obsessed.”
Chloe rubbed her arms and I saw goose bumps break out on her skin. “And did you see how quickly he shut down when his dad touched him?” she asked.
I nodded.
Chloe stared off into the trees, her eyes unfocused as she thought. “I feel like there’s something bigger happening here, but I can’t figure out what it is. My instincts are telling me it’s all connected; the death of my parents, Darrell’s sick hobbies, and the Kirkpatricks, but I just can’t see how.”
“I agree. Something big is brewing. When we see Carter again, we’ll ask him what he knows about the Kirkpatricks.”
She glanced over her shoulder at the cabin. “I hate the idea of him watching us.”
“I do too. We may not be able to remove the cameras without tipping him off, but we should be able to figure out a way to impede the view of one or two once we know where they are.”
“But he’ll still be able to hear us,” she said, pacing and rubbing her arms. “Fuck, I hate this. I hate waiting. I hate not knowing if Carter is going to double cross us or not. And I hate the fucking idea that Darrell is going to watch us and listen to us, probably while he’s jerking off, the sick bastard.”
I stepped in front of her and put my hands on her shoulders, my thumbs stroking the sides of her neck. “Just a few more days, maybe a week, and we should have the evidence to take to the Tribunal. I know that they’ll rule to take Darrell and his officers into custody and try them for their crimes. Once that happens, this will be over and we can go back to Dallas.”
She stared at me for a moment, biting her bottom lip. “You’re right. I’m just so angry I want to beat the shit out of something.” She kicked the bag of food she’d dropped on the ground, knocking it over. “And I’m hungry as hell but I refuse to eat the shit Darrell brought.”
“Well, at least there’s something I can do about that,” I said, wrapping my arms around her. I told myself the hug was meant to comfort her, but, in truth, it was for me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chloe
Lachlan was rightabout the cameras. We found three. One was in the bathroom, hidden behind a picture on the wall. There was no way to cover it. The lens faced the door rather than the toilet and tub, but I hated knowing it was there.
The second was in the kitchen, inside a fake plant on a shelf that contained someone’s poor attempt at making the place homier. Since I’d cleaned the cabin several times after my arrival, I made a show of complaining about how everything got dusty in the country and using a cloth and polish on all the wooden surfaces in the little house. When I dusted that particular shelf, I made sure to turn the plant away.
The final camera pointed directly at the bed. It was concealed in the lamp on the table by the sofa, just feet from the foot of the mattress. When I realized it was there, it pissed me off to no end. Darrell could have hidden the camera in other places in the room that would have encompassed the entire floor plan. Instead, he’d hidden three, one with the intention of filming us doing whatever we did when we were in that bed.
The angle of that camera was conveniently changed when I “cleaned” the cabin, pointing toward the kitchen and dining area rather than the bed.
The most difficult part of the situation was watching everything I said and did. It put me on edge, my mind in a constant state of awareness. Though shifter senses were sharper than a human’s, we still needed our downtime. Keeping my guard up twenty-four hours a day would wear on me.
When my phone dinged that evening, I was relieved to see it was a text from Carter’s burner phone. It contained the same coordinates that he sent me for our first meet and the wordmidnight.
Forcing a smile on my face, I walked over to the couch where Lach was stretched out, watching a video. “Aw, look at the picture Ricki sent of the pups,” I said cheerfully.
Lach’s eyes flicked over the screen, taking in the text. From where he lay, the cameras wouldn’t be able to catch the words on the screen or his short nod. “They’re getting bigger every day,” he replied.
I glanced at the time on my phone and saw that it was nearly eight. Only four more hours until we could meet Carter and put an end to all of this.
As if sensing my restlessness, Lachlan reached up and snagged my hand, pulling me down onto the couch with him. “Let’s watch a movie.”
In the end, we watched two movies. Though I was still distracted by our upcoming meet with Carter, I found myself relaxing against Lach. He lay on his back on the wide couch, with me tucked against his side next to the rear cushions. I wondered how many more chances I would have to sprawl across his body like this. I tucked my nose against his chest, inhaling his scent. He talked about both of us returning to Dallas earlier today, but I wasn’t sure if he even realized what he was saying. Or if he truly meant it.
After our conversation about Lachlan getting to know me, I’d allowed myself to hope that perhaps our relationship would develop into something more. But when he told Brian that he didn’t want to take another mate this afternoon, I knew he was telling the truth by his smell alone, never mind the sincerity that rang in his words.
