“It’s in thecar.”
Everest’s last message was on myphone.
My phone was in mybag.
“Can you give it tome?”
August grabbed it, then hooked the long strap over my shoulder. After closing the door, he gripped my elbow again and guided me toward the illuminated ditch. The first thing I saw was the overturnedvehicle.
Everest’sJeep.
The second thing I saw was Liam’s deepglare.
“What the fuck were you thinking bringing her here, Watt?” hebarked.
The firefighter beside Liam peered up. The truck’s beam made a small hoop gleam in his ear. In spite of his helmet, I recognized Rodrigo, the dark shifter who’d spent most of the meeting scowling atme.
“I made him bring me,” Isaid.
Car doors slammed, and two more people approached: Frank and Eric. Frank did a double take when he spotted me. Obviously no one had expected me tocome.
Eric grabbed onto the bent guardrail and hopped down the vertiginous shoulder. He slipped but didn’t fall. Putting his weight in his heels, he took careful steps toward the remains of my cousin’scar.
Of mycousin.
Frank exchanged a loaded look with August. The elder was probably trying to get August to keep me from going closer. Before he could heed the unspoken instruction, I shrugged him off and made my way to the ripped metal railing, brushing past it. I eased myself down the side of the rockyknoll.
Liam stepped in front of me, blocking my view of thecar.
“You shouldn’t be here,” hegrowled.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” I snapped, my voice all at once tight andtoneless.
“What happened?” Eric asked, and I thought he was asking between Liam and me, but the bald elder was staring atRodrigo.
“Looks like he either missed the turn or went over onpurpose.”
He thinks Everest committed suicide?I opened my mouth wide but regretted it, because the air was laced with the acrid reek ofdeath.
“Cause of death?” Frank asked, traipsing down the steep flank beside August. The elder almost fell, but August caught his arm and steadiedhim.
“A piece of metal went through his windpipe,” Lucas said. He was crouched as though searching for debris among the rock and tufts of dust-flecked grass, but I saw his nostrils flare. He was trying to catchscents.
Bile lurched up my throat. I pressed my knuckles against my lips to keep them locked. Once I had my nausea under control, I said, “He didn’t killhimself.”
All the men looked atme.
“And you would know this how? Did youchatwith him again?” Lucasasked.
“Bite me, Lucas,” I growled at the same time as Rodrigo said, “Again?”
Liam crossed his arms. “Why do you assume it wasn’tsuicide?”
More car doors slammed shut, and then two beefy blonds stepped in the beam of the truck and surfed down towardus.
“Hey,” Matt called out, his voice gruff. When his gaze landed on me, his honeyed eyebrows quirked in bewilderment. He quickly moved his eyes toward the Jeep. I watched his expression, waited for it to turn pained, but there was no pain. Had he not cared about Everest? Had anyone cared about mycousin?
No wonder Everest hated thepack.
