Page 24 of Into the Light

I quickly changed the subject, feeling the need to break the tension that had enveloped us. Deep down, I couldn’t help but wonder if this unexpected connection between us would lead to something more, something I hadn’t anticipated in all my grief and confusion.

Chapter ten

“I think I want to go over to his rock,” Ember said as we walked out of the run-down diner and back toward the car.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

I had been there a few hundred times going over and scouring the entire place to see if there were any other clues. Since this was likely her first time back, I wanted to support her in ways I hadn’t been able to before this.

“Yeah.”

“Now?” I wanted to double-check that she was certain.

“Now.” Her voice was unwavering.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” I leaned back against the car we were standing next to.

“W-will you come with me?” she asked. I didn’t want to. Every time I had to go back, I always felt him next to me, and I hated acknowledging that was the last place he saw. Obviously, I’d do it for Ember because, shit, if she wanted me to walk to the other end of the world for her, I’d do it without thinking twice.

“Okay,” I whispered. “Want me to drive?”

“Please.” I jumped into the driver’s side as she went to the other.

“Wait,” she exclaimed. “Where’s Santiago?” She frantically looked around.

“He’s back at his apartment. I told him you’re with me.” She narrowed her eyes on me.

“How did you know his number?” I laughed again. I should tell her the truth because she deserved to know and I promised I would be the only person to never lie to her.

“I texted him the other night when you were at the Den.” I shrugged.

She grabbed my arm, and the moment her skin touched mine, a shiver crawled down my spine. I loved the way she felt and missed her taste from the one time I got to have her, and I tried so hard to replace the way she made me feel with others but hadn’t been successful.

“Tell me the truth, Rain.”

“I hired Santiago. When you left Isles last year, I hired him to watch over you.” Looking straight ahead, I pulled out of the lot, not wanting to make eye contact.

“You . . . what?”

“I hired Santiago from the Cartel. He was looking for a job, something that got him out of the daily grind, and wanted an assignment. I told Mr. Ortiz that Ash had hired him before he passed, and who was going to argue with a dead man? It was the only way to keep him on payroll, keep you safe.” I kept driving straight out toward the edge of Isles. It was silent for two blocks, and I didn’t dare look in her direction.

“That’s why he told me Ash hired him.”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you.”

Then I glanced back at her because I was damn well expecting a verbal lashing. “Thank you?”

“Yeah, for telling me the truth.” She folded her hands in her lap. “It’s all I ask, and it seems like a task most people find utterly impossible.”

“I’ll always tell you the truth. Always.” I promised, knowing it was damn well a promise I would uphold. Ash never told her the full truth because the truth underneath all those layers was terrifying even for himself. I’m not sure he even knew the full truth himself, because then he would have had to face it within himself. It’s scary to have to look at yourself in the mirror and admit that the person looking back at you is a stranger you don’t recognize.

I’ve been there. I’m there now. Because every damned morning, I look at myself in the mirror and hate the person staring back at me.

We exit Isles, and I check the mirror to make sure it’s just us. The one good thing that came from what had happened was that the Alpha house and the Den seemed to come to an understanding that neither of us were hunting until we figured out what happened to Ash. The Alpha house insisted they had nothing to do with him, especially not before the bonfire. Yeah, they wanted him dead, but only in a way that was legit.

“Are we . . . safe?” Ember asked, and I snapped out of my thoughts and back to her.

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