Page 130 of The Darkest Chase

I slide my phone out and take a picture.

Something to remember this town if I leave.

When I leave.

Yeah, that’s coming.

It’s starting to get dark by the time we move on.

I start to get that tingle down the back of my neck again.

It tells me we’re close, and I slow down, creeping through the trees and holding my finger to my lips to keep quiet.

Sinking lower, I conceal myself more among the trunks, and she mimics me. Her footsteps are painfully loud as she follows, but she’s moving as quiet as she can, barely raising a whisper of noise.

There.

A break in the trees. More disturbed earth up ahead.

I motion for Talia to stay put as I slip closer, hiding behind a thick tree trunk and peering through the gap.

Right on target.

The ground slopes down to a small valley.

There are dozens of pockets like these through the hills, some densely wooded, some filled with ponds or creeks, and some clear. This one was clear-cut by logging ages ago, and it’s been untouched for so long that some of the saplings have started taking root.

Except those saplings are pulled up, piled along one side, stripped of their branches and waiting to be laid out to pave a makeshift road.

The usual cover of dead leaves has been swept aside, leaving bare earth.

The old logging trail looks reopened, too, the overgrowth trimmed back for a path just wide enough for a truck.

There’s no one there now, but just in case, I edge back silently and make my way to Talia. She’s tucked between two tree trunks, making herself small.

She watches me like a nervous deer as I draw closer.

“They’ve been here recently,” I whisper. “Cleared the area for setup. They’ll probably roll in and put down stakes tonight. We should find a good spot to camp and wait.”

Talia nods slowly. “Will this be different from last time, though? What kind of proof will give you a warrant?”

“Not sure yet.”

I take her hand, twining my fingers in hers and pulling her up before I lead her deeper into the woods.

We need to scout out a good camping spot.

Rolf’s paws whisper against the fallen leaves as he patters at our heels.

“Frankly, I could’ve taken down the Jacobins alone a while ago. Clue the guys in and set up a raid when they’re at one of these sites. Bring in Raleigh PD to surround them before they pull their disappearing act. Only, that would leave Xavier flapping in the wind, wild and free, and he’d just find someone else to take their place eventually. In all these years they’ve never given me any concrete evidence linking them to each other. All I can do is wait for my moment.”

Talia goes silent behind me, her steps dragging.

I stop, glancing back.

“What is it?”

She stops and stares down at her feet. “Cocaine. That’s how Xavier makes his money, isn’t it?”

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