Page 92 of Obsessed in Blood
I would have to ask Colantha what she thought of the relationship between House Trelane and the shifters. It might be nothing, but something deep within me said it could be a game-changer.
ChapterThirty-One
The sun had barely risenwhen Devon drove out of the manor in one of the cars from the Family garage. It had been difficult to pull himself away from Cressa, whose warm body had nestled next to him the entire evening. He drove to the northeast side of town, near a busy industrial park. Two fast food restaurants were already busy with early morning workers. Devon turned into the parking lot of a nearby diner and found a spot close to the entrance.
He glanced around the lot but didn’t see any cars that might belong to Remus. A couple of minutes later, the shifter walked out the door with a brown bag under his arm and two to-go cups. He stopped next to the passenger side and placed one of the cups on the roof before opening the door.
Remus stuck his head in and handed Devon the other cup. He retrieved the one from the roof and climbed in. Once he was settled, he opened the paper bag and turned the open end toward Devon.
“Best breakfast burritos this side of town.”
Devon peeked in and took one. He sipped the coffee, surprised at the bold flavor. “This doesn’t seem your type of haunt.”
“I have a warehouse not far from here.”
“And you hang out at the diner?”
Remus laughed after swallowing a bite of burrito. “It’s owned by a shifter.”
“Now it all makes sense.”
They finished their breakfast and coffee in silence. On the way out of the lot, Devon drove by a waste can and tossed their debris. Their drive would take a couple of hours. It wasn’t time Devon wanted to waste, but it could mean lives saved if the shifter was willing to share what he knew about the cave.
Two hours later, Devon pulled into Middletown, a small mountain town northeast of Santiga Bay.
“Do you know where this shifter lives?” Devon pulled into the line at a drive-thru coffee hut.
“Yes, but I want to talk to someone else first. They’ll be at the hardware store.”
Once they had fresh cups of coffee, Devon found the hardware store a block away. The town had been rebuilt after a devastating fire a decade earlier and, being close to Clear Lake, attracted tourists interested in hiking, fishing, and boating in the nearby rivers and lakes.
“Do you want me to stay here?” Devon asked.
“Would you mind?”
“No. I understand the reluctance.”
Remus left his coffee and marched into the store with his usual stride that had several women rubbernecking. Even the men took a double take. Remus definitely stood out, and Devon maintained a constant vigil in case they’d been followed and he’d missed them.
Fifteen minutes passed before Remus exited the building, scanning the area as he returned to the car.
“Let’s go.” He picked up his coffee and took a couple swallows, keeping his gaze straight ahead. “Take a right at the next corner and drive. Cato’s about ten miles out of town.”
“Did that have to do with our visit, or was it something else?”
“I have a contact that keeps an eye on Cato and knows if he’s up for visitors.”
“You make it sound as if he’s in a retirement home.
Remus laughed. “He’s an extremely old wolf, but don’t let his age or appearance fool you. He can kill within seconds. He has periods of time when his memories of the island overwhelm him. A local healer drops off a special herbal tea blend when she gets wind of his troubles. It usually does the trick, but it can take a few days for him to be safe around non-shifters.”
“And today?”
“He’s been in one of his better moods all week.”
“It’s a shame we’ll be the ones to destroy it.”
Simone staredout the window from Devon’s office chair, the sun still making its way over the fir trees before spreading its rays on the flower beds. She’d tuned out the team hovering over maps and schedules in front of the fireplace. The cadre and Decker had been reviewing it for an hour before Braden and Elijah joined them. They continued to make minor adjustments on timing, costumes, and boat placements.
