Page 75 of Shadow of Death

“Uh…” Didi said from the open door, where she stood with some clothing in her hands. Her mouth gaped open as she looked at Kicks and then me.

“Am I interrupting?” She fumbled with her pile.

“No. He was just leaving.”

Kicks took a step toward the door, pausing beside me for a second. His chest visibly rose and fell before he walked out. I didn’t know if he was checking for Varic’s scent on me or what, and I didn’t care.

I took the clothes from Didi and shut the door on her while she was still gaping.

When I turned, Widow Herbert was standing by the window.

It’s time to get out of here,she said.

“Yeah, it’s past time.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

I walked downstairs,where Varic and his men were waiting, itching to get out of this place. Every person I passed today was staring at me.

“You ready?” Varic said.

I nodded and walked out the door.

There were only two ATVs waiting out front, instead of three like last time. If I could somehow manage to get the keys to one, it could come in mighty handy. Or would it? Too easy to track. I might be better off on foot.

“Maybe a little showier this time? I want to make sure everyone in the area knows they can’t fuck with us,” Varic said as he jumped into the driver’s seat and nodded toward the passenger side.

“I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises, as it’s not completely predictable,” I said, eyeing up where his hand sat on the steering wheel.

Could I kill Varic today? If my wolf appeared, could I have him do it? No. I didn’t think I could do it, and not because I didn’t hate him. I just couldn’t chance causing the death of Kicks, whether he deserved my loyalty or not.

Maybe if I was still here after Kicks left… Then there’d be nothing left to hold me back.

We took off, and I looked around, making sure no one else had joined our group. No, still only two other men.

Don’t try anything until after you get to the place he’s bringing you,Widow Herbert had said.They’ll be more watchful on the first half of the trip. You also don’t want to try to escape on a bathroom break too close to the pack. The farther away, the fewer to chase. He’ll have to get back to the castle to get more people, and that could buy you precious time.

We’d talked about the best options for at least an hour last night. I mulled over every detail as we drove about an hour and a half away, finally stopping by a small seaside village.

There was a group by the pier in different stages of their craft. Some were out on small boats, casting nets. Others were unloading on the small dock, and more people, including children, were skinning and salting meat on the beach.

Several people glanced our way but then quickly turned their attention back to whatever job they were about, as if wishing they hadn’t seen us at all. The picture was beginning to fill in before anyone said a word.

“Harold! Varic is here for his cut!” a man yelled into a nearby cottage.

Watching these fishermen at work, it was hard not to wonder how much Varic stole from them. I thought of the fish stew I’d had the other night, and suddenly it wasn’t as tasty as I’d initially thought. Now here I was, taking part in this plundering.

“What are you planning? What’s the problem here?” I asked, trying to sound neutral even as I wanted to kick Varic in the balls.

“I haven’t decided yet, but I feel we need to keep them on their toes.”

Wonderful. He couldn’t even be a decisive psycho.

A man exited the cottage and headed toward us. He had a full head of red hair and a barrel chest. He didn’t look happy to see us, but the laugh lines on his face told an entirely different story.

“We’ve got your cut packed up and ready,” Harold said, and then nodded toward a shed. He disappeared inside and dragged out two crates.

Varic pointed to the crates, and his flunkies lifted the lid off on one, and then the other. He looked them over. “This looks light.”

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