That night, dark had already fallen when I slipped into the back of another SUV with tinted windows. It was a different SUV this time. Again, Blazer awaited me in the backseat, and the same young guy was driving.
Again, Jude had called to give me my instructions. And again, I brought nothing with me.
We drove east, right out of the city… and through the next city and the next. After what had to be more than an hour-and-a-half of driving, somewhere just past Abbotsford, as far as I could tell, we ended up on a dark gravel road. There was no traffic. No houses. We pulled up in front of a dark minivan that was parked on the side of the road. A man leaned against the driver’s side, smoking.
The driver got out of our SUV, came around and opened my door for me, and led me over to the other vehicle. He opened the back door.
Inside, there were two people, seated facing one another. A man and a woman.
I got those creepy goosebumps all over my body once again.
When I hesitated, the young guy next to me said, “Hop in. He won’t bite. The teeth are just for show.” I glanced at him and he smirked, pleased with his own cleverness.
I slid into the seat next to Lex, and the guy outside shut the door. Lex wore his Kings vest and did not appear to be in a good mood tonight.
Shit, I wanted this day to be over with. Was I really here? In the middle of God-knew-where, in the dark, with a bunch of bikers? With no phone and no ID and no idea where I even was?
My nerves were pretty shot by now, and I mentally kicked myself for not just calling Dane. He’d texted me today to ask if we could talk. I told him I’d call him tonight, but I didn’t. I’d wanted some answers first.
But sitting here now, I really wasn’t sure if I was prepared for the answers I might get.
“Devi,” Lex said flatly. “How’s your day going?”
“Oh, lovely,” I said, trying to sound calm, when I was ever-so-slightly fucking terrified. “And how is yours?”
I looked at the woman sitting across from us. A statuesque blonde woman I’d met only once.
Dane’s aunt stared back at me but said nothing. She did not look like her day had been lovely. Not at all.
“Fantastic,” Lex said dryly. “This is my mom. Laurinda.”
“So I’ve been told,” I said quietly. “We met. Once.”
He flicked his chin at her. “Start talking.” And from the tone of his voice, I realized it was not me he was pissed at right now.
Her eyes met mine. “Devi,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
“She’s not sorry,” Lex said. “She’s sorry she got caught.”
“Caught… doing what?” I asked carefully.
“You wanna go ahead and tell her the story you just told me?” he asked her. “Because I’m not really in the mood to finesse it. You will not come off well.”
When Lex’s mother said nothing, just kind of pleaded with him, with her eyes, he looked at me. “It’s real romantic. We picked her up outside her boyfriend’s hotel. You know him. Rolf.”
I looked at Laurinda.
Rolf?Boyfriend?
All kinds of things flew through my mind. The bug planted in the penthouse. The USB stick that was left for me. Dane’s bodyguard had access… to do all that shit.
But… he was supposed to keep Danesafe.
“Your mom is dating Rolf?” I said, bewildered.
“Apparently. Strange coincidence, huh?”
“Strange…” I echoed.
