Page 34 of Secretary's Obsession

We don’t know where we need to go to. So, it would be like pissing in the wind trying to hit a pinhead we dropped.

I don’t want to go in the car!

Listen, we don’t know where Dougal lives. So, we are getting in the damn car.

Scott yanked open the door and witnessed the driver's alarmed expression as he met his gaze in the rearview mirror. “What?” he snapped, too worried about George to care if he was offending anyone.

“You’ve left your laptop bag on the bench?” Miller pointed to it.

In all of Scott’s life, he had never shown such disregard for a possession before. He didn’t even debate with himself as he muttered. “It doesn’t matter, take us to the forest. The place where you would normally drop Dakata.”

This was a different place from where Scott usually got dropped. He only knew that because Dakata had made reference to how he had to trudge past Dougal’s. A place that Scott had never seen or been near, that he was aware of.

Miller coughed and nodded, not looking Scott in the eye. “Yes, sir.”

Whatever his issue was, whether it was Scott’s strange behavior or that he probably looked nothing like he usually did, Scott didn’t care. He just needed to find Dougal.

This was all just a misunderstanding. George just needed some space after Scott’s meltdown. They would talk about it in the forest like Scott should have done last night, and everything would be absolutely fine.

Lying will not change things. And we need to get out of this car!

Will you stop jabbering about the fucking car? And I’m not lying, just working to instill a little bit of fucking hope, alright!he snapped angrily.You should just concentrate on our link to George.

I am,his demon sniff-sobbed,I can’t feel him. Nothing, not a thread of his essence. How are we going to find him?

Scott had no answer, and back was the awful ball of fear growing deep in his chest that something was wrong. Really wrong.

Minutes ticked by at a pace that made each second they were in the car feel like an hour. When the car bumped its way down a potholed road before stopping by a group of large trees, Scott looked out the window.

Darkness had fully descended, and though the moon sat clear in the sky, the canopy of leaves left the forest dark.

“Wait here for me.” He didn’t wait for a reply as he got out, and his demon emerged. His clothes fell in ribbons to the ground, once more, none of that was a concern to Scott.

Their head lifted, and they scented the air.I can’t smell him, sense him.

His demon sounded like a wounded animal.

Then we search until we can.

His demon took off, running through the trees, scenting the air, searching for something that would take them to George or Dougal.

Their vision was good, but as the forest grew denser, they had to slow because it became impossible to see broken tree roots and rocks.We should be smelling something, shouldn’t we?

Scott wasn’t sure how long, or how far they’d gone into the forest, but he was sure of something, they were lost. This was not the place they needed to be. There was nothing to indicate Dakata had passed this way which was puzzling. The driver had brought Dakata to the forest more than a dozen times.

I told you not to get in the car.

Why?

Something didn’t feel right.

Then why weren’t you more specific?

His demon snarled and the sounds of a critter scurrying away followed. He swung around in the direction they had come, not answering.

I would have listened if you were clearer.

Yeah, right.

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