She laughed. She rather liked this side of Eli. He could be funny when he wanted to be and also more relaxed and settled. Even her she-wolf noticed it, perhaps in response to his wolf’s unguarded state.
But there was still a part of him she hadn’t been able to reach. A door that stayed firmly shut no matter how close she got to it. And while she wanted to give him space, she was beginning to worry.
“So, we’re going home soon,” she said, keeping her tone casual. “And I was wondering about something.”
“Yeah?”
“We’ve been to all the places you and Sloane and Matty used to hang out. But where did you go when you were by yourself? Like, the places that were just yours.” He had already seen one of hers—the secret rooftop at Blood Moon, overlooking Times Square. She longed for him to share that with her, something that could just betheirs.
“I don’t have any places.”
“Surely there was somewhere?—”
“No.” His blew out a breath. “You don’t want to know. Not any of that,” he added, finally sensing what she was trying to ask.
“But what if I do?” she insisted.
“Trust me. You don’t.”
She pushed herself up on one elbow, looking down at him. “That’s the problem, Eli. I don’t know if I can trust you.”
His expression hardened. “What the hell does that mean? You think I’m going to hurt you?”
“No. Of course not.”Not physically.
“Then what do you mean?”
“You won’t open up to me. I feel like you’re keeping something from me.”
“Like what?”
“Your mother, for instance. What happened to her? You shut down that day Sloane talked about your life before Boston and you’ve changed the subject twice when I tried to bring it up. Everyone we’ve talked to, even Matty and Patrick, don’t seem to have a clue either. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked. “You don’t have to know.”
“I know I don’t have to.” She hated how her voice broke at the end. “But what if I want to?” The subject obviously was a sore one for him, but maybe what he needed was to talk it out before it ate him alive.
“Drop it, Olivia. Please.”
But she couldn’t, not anymore. “But?—”
“I said drop it.”
It was the same tone he’d used with Sloane that day in the office. The sting of his words made a knot twist in her chest.
His phone buzzed on the nightstand. He grabbed it, his irritation still visible as he answered. “Yeah?”
Whatever was said on the other end erased the annoyance off his face and replaced it with something far worse. He sat up, every muscle in his body going rigid.
“When?” His voice was flat, but something bubbled beneath the surface. “How long … yeah. Yeah, I understand.” He hung up and stared at the phone in his hand.
“What’s wrong?”
“That was your father. Garret escaped.” He was already out of bed, pulling on his jeans. “From the holding facility. No one realized until just now. He’s been gone for at least two days.”
Her blood went cold. “Oh my God.”
“And there was a fire at the Lone Wolf office. “
