Page 52 of Wolf's Forbidden Curse

Al gave this man a quick rundown of events and then asked if he’d seen anything or anyone suspicious that night. The man shook his head at first, and then his eyes widened in recollection. I held my breath. “Did you say that the people you saw in the video footage were dressed in all black?”

“Yes,” Al confirmed. “And they had hoodies or black hats because their heads were covered as well.”

The man nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I did see someone wearing all black last night.”

“You did?” Al said excitedly.

“Yes. She was walking out of the market, and I noted what she was wearing because…” he trailed off.

“Why?” I asked, stepping forward so that I could make sure I didn’t miss a word this sleepy man said. “Why did you take notice of what she was wearing?”

“Because she was such a pretty woman,” the man said, almost embarrassed. “She had this long auburn hair and a smile that would just knock you on your ass. I thought it was strange that a woman like that would hide under so many layers of black, especially in the summer, and when I went into the market, I asked my friend who worked there if he knew who she was. I’d never seen her in town before, but then again, I haven’t been getting out as much as I used to.”

“Did he know who it was?”

“Yeah, he said she’s new to these parts,” the man informed us, furrowing his brow. “I think he said her name was like Meredith or Miranda. Now I’m forgetting.”

“Melissa?” Al’s voice croaked. “Could it have been Melissa?”

“That’s it!” He snapped his fingers together. “Her name is Melissa. Now, I’m obviously not accusing this woman of anything, but she was wearing a black hoodie, black pants, and black gloves despite the weather. I’m not going to pretend like that isn’t a little odd.”

“It’s very odd.” Al took a step back, nervously wringing his hands. “Thank you for your time. You’ve been a huge help.”

“Not a problem,” he said. “Let me know if you need anything else. If you don’t find her by morning, I would happily help you canvas the area once the sun is up.” He closed the door, and Al turned to face me. He was white as a ghost.

“What is it? Do you know who this Melissa person is?”

“Yes,” he said, his body now trembling. “Except she told me that nobody really calls her Melissa. Mostly, she’s been introducing herself around town as Missy.”

CHAPTER 22

DAPHNE

The second time I woke up, I was able to gather my bearings a little better.

It still took a while for me to open my eyes, but in the interim, I managed to discern the fact that I was definitely in the back of a moving vehicle. There was an itchy carpet underneath me, and a bump in the surface caused my body to lay at an odd angle. I figured I had been tossed on the floor of the backseat with little care. There was a pain in my side, and my right shoulder and my temples were pulsating like I’d been hit in the head. All I could really hear at the moment was the sound of my own blood rushing through my body.

My hands were tied behind my back, and there was a disgusting metallic taste in my mouth. I had a piece of duct tape holding my lips together but no blindfold. Apparently, whoever took me cared less about me looking around than they did about me screaming for help.

I suppose that makes sense…

By the time I finally managed to peel my eyes open, I was met with only more darkness. I deduced that it was either still nighttime or whoever had taken me put something over the windows to block out the light. The car was moving, but nobody spoke. The radio hummed at a low volume, and I knew if I moved around too much, they would realize I was awake. I had to be still and quiet if I was going to glean any more information.

It was actually pretty easy doing nothing, seeing as I was bound and had most likely been drugged, making me dizzy and unable to move much anyway. I closed my eyes again, hoping that would help with the raging headache, but it didn’t. I felt worse than the night I went out drinking with Dorothy in Guatemala. The alcohol was cheap, and we were inexperienced drinkers, so we blacked out and woke up hours later on the floor of our friend’s kitchen. The hangover was so bad we were both sick in bed for days afterward and had to lie to our mom, saying we caught the flu.

Right now, the feeling in my head and body was at least ten times as bad.

Some amount of time passed, but I couldn’t say how much. To me, it felt like hours, but that was probably just the drugs talking. Either way, eventually, someone in the front seat started talking. It was a man’s voice—one that I didn’t recognize in the slightest.

“You’re sure this is legit?” the man said. “Because if we get this girl all the way up to Virginia and she’s not actually what you think she is, we’re fucked. And by fucked, I mean killed. That’s how these motherfuckers do business.”

“It’s going to be fine,” said the woman in the front seat. She was sitting right above me, and I nearly gasped when I heard her speak.

It was Missy—Al’s girlfriend.

“You don’t know these guys like I do,” the man continued. “You’ve dealt in exotic animals and other underground trades, but nothing like this.”

“Alright, then tell me about them,” said Missy. “I’m all ears.”

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