He parked in an alley across the street from the bookstore and got comfortable. She needed space. The detached look on her face last night proved that. She had a lot to process. He punched the dashboard anyway. The sting of the blow distracted him from his edginess. He wanted to be by her side, comfort her. No matter how much she seemed to have needed it last night, she still pushed him away. He thought they had an understanding. They kissed…several times. That had got to mean something, right? The confusion she made him feel was gonna kill him. He’d felt it the day they first met.
Selena arrived for work just as he’d made the decision to drive away. He let go of the key in the ignition as she trudged with heavy feet toward the entrance. Why she felt the need to work a shift at Ormand’s with everything going on baffled him. She should be home, laying low. For a second, the thought of kidnapping her until all this blew over crossed his mind. But where was safe? The Maestro would eventually find them. Still, he had to do something.
Not a minute later, he was out of the car, walking across the street. He ran through the reasons why he was at Ormand’s. The best he could come up with? He needed a book. Smooth. He had a sinking feeling the longer he stayed in Newcastle the lamer his moves got. He was hella rusty. A book? Really?
And what did he have to be nervous about anyway? Yet when he reached the door and saw her face, he froze, hand on the handle. How could she look worse than she did last night? His heart lurched. She had bags under her eyes. Her curls hung limp around her tired face. And she hardly had any color on her cheeks. And there was nothing he could do about it. Dammit! Stomach twisting with worry, he kicked the wall by the door then turned on his heel. The last thing she needed was him making her feel worse. He crossed the street back to his car.
What are you doing?
Sebastian’s question startled him. “Jesus, mutt, some warning would be nice,” he said.
You look bad.
He didn’t know where Sebastian was exactly, so he couldn’t get a read on his expression. Yes, hellhounds had expressive faces. Speaking of faces…he frowned at the bookstore.
“You should see Selena.”
I know. He paused then said, I should not have told her about Katarina.
“It would have come out eventually. I blame Hilliard.” He leaned his head back on the leather seat and sighed. “Maybe better that she heard part of it from you. I would have lied my ass off.”
Sometimes, for someone with your kind of power, you can be so weak.
A comeback formed in his throat but he wasn’t feeling it. They had no time to joke around anymore. Worse? A part of him agreed with Sebastian. All his life, Dillan devoted himself to being the best at what he did. He trained hard. He learned all the text. All the blood, sweat, and tears, but the second it mattered most, he choked.
You did not choke.
“What did I say about getting out of my head?”
Sebastian huff-sneezed, which always told Dillan the hellhound was annoyed. That he could handle. Pity he couldn’t. Then a thought hit him.
“Hey,” he said in all seriousness, “where are you? The sun’s still out. Shouldn’t you be keeping a low profile?”
I believe I have found the Maestro’s lair.
He sat up and leaned his hands on the steering wheel. Their first lead since finding out about Bowen. “So you’re in Greenwood?”
Yes.
“I didn’t think your range reached that far. Is this something we need to talk about?”
I have considerable talents. He bark-laughed. Something to discuss another day.
Dillan snorted. “So?”
From the powerful smell of decay and sulfur, I believe this is the place.
“Do you need back up?”
Stay where you are. Selena needs to be watched. I will call you when I have more information.
And like a line going dead, Dillan’s head went all quiet. Sometimes he forgot just how powerful Sebastian was. Most of the time, he got the feeling the hound held back. He rolled his eyes to the ceiling of the GT and sat back. He crossed his arms and watched the bookstore. Sebastian was right. Now more than ever Selena needed to be watched. If the Maestro had another card to play, it would happen soon.
Chapter Forty
Selena
Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Ormand’s closed early. In fact, the second I came in to make up for the shift I blew off yesterday, he kicked me out. I didn’t ask, not really feeling like working anyway. On my walk back to the diner, I worried over what to do next. The way I saw it, I had two choices: talk to Kyle or talk to Dillan—both important and impossible to avoid.
When Sebastian walked me home last night, I’d hoped they would have left. My heart dropped when I saw them sitting on the porch. Of course they had waited. No matter how much they pissed me off sometimes, they were still good guys. I told Kyle we’d talk, so I had to make good on that promise. But when I saw Dillan standing there, I couldn’t speak. I finally knew what I was and the guilt of what I had to ask him to do overwhelmed me.
As I walked, random thoughts flowed through my mind, like the time I’d watched a butterfly leave its cocoon. Or the time Penny and I chased kittens in Hay Creek’s barn. Or even the time I was so mad at Kyle that I punched him. I didn’t even remember what the fight was about. How long until I didn’t have these memories anymore? How long did I have to create new ones? I shook my head to clear it of all things morbid.
I detached myself from thoughts of Bowen. No amount of perspective changed the fact that he’d never freestyle across a pool again, and that I’d never get a chance to make things right between us.
I’d seen Dillan’s car outside the bookstore. He was watching out for me. While I appreciated that he had to do it, I wasn’t ready to talk. He didn’t try to stop me from walking, so I called that a win.
A block from Maggie’s, a car pulled up to the curb. I ignored it and quickened my steps. Getting kidnapped had no place in my bucket list of things to do today.
“Selena,” a familiar upbeat voice called out.
My heart leapt to my throat and beat there for a few seconds before it found its way back to my chest again. Tripping from suddenly stopping, I straightened and walked over to the black Camaro. I bent over the open passenger side window to get a better look at the driver.
“When’d you get a car?” I asked, feeling a mix of worry and happiness.
Penny grinned mischievously and said, “It’s my sister’s. Come on, let’s take a drive.”
“I’m on my way to grab a bite. Wanna come with?”
“Not hungry,” she whined. “I just wanna drive, Selena. Come with me. Please.”
I thought twice about getting in the car, but the opportunity to get some answers from her tempted me. After hesitating for one more second, I opened the door and hopped in. She waited until I buckled my seatbelt before pulling out into the road.
“So,” I tried to sound calm over my racing heart, “where are we going?”
“Just driving. I wanna get out of here, you know?” she answered flippantly.
“Since when?”
She didn’t answer.
We drove past Maggie’s and the movie theater. The commercial buildings started thinning the farther away from town we got. Pretty soon wide open grasslands replaced buildings. The silence in the car got so heavy that, at any moment, I expected my ears to start ringing. Penny being this quiet disturbed me.