Page 37 of Shifter's Secret Baby

He had managed to change in the time since we had parted in the dining room, his all-raven attire slightly daunting against his black hair. His eyes glowed in the dimness of the backseat as I climbed in.

A small rush of excitement burst through me, and I grinned at him.

“Where are we going? What business do you have to take care of today?”

The vehicle began to move, and Ash didn’t answer me as I settled back against the leather seats. Instead, he reached toward the minibar to pour himself a drink. He gestured at me, but I shook my head.

“No, thanks,” I replied, marveling at his steady hand.

He was unfazed by this evening encounter, whatever it was, but I was curious as to why he was going at this hour. It seemed like an odd time to conduct business.

“Is it far away?”

Ash took a swig of his drink and shook his head, replacing the cap of the crystal decanter.

“No. And you need to stay in the car when we get there,” he told me again.

I offered him another smile. “How am I supposed to see you work if I’m in the car?”

He didn’t return my smile.

“You don’t need to see me work, Briar.”

“But I want to! I don’t even really know what it is you do,” I added, my brow furrowing.

Ash eyed me in surprise. “I think you do know what I do,” he replied gruffly. “You’ve lived in MacShire your whole life, right? And if so, you must have heard about me.”

“So, we are in MacShire?” I asked.

“Of course we are,” he answered. “Where did you think we were?”

“I don’t know. You never told me.”

Ash just grunted.

“And to get back to your question,” I said, “I haven’t heard of you. I only interacted with beings in a very small social circle. Because I’m a rabbit shifter—and apparently that means I’m quite valuable—Father needed to keep me safe and away from the troubles of the world.”

Ash began to speak, but he stopped himself. He was likely going to make another comment about my father failing to maintain my safety. I was glad he kept the comment to himself.

“If you’ve never heard of me, you’ve been to my house. You’ve seen what I have and what I am capable of doing when things don’t go my way. So, surely, you have some idea about how I conduct business.”

My smile faded slightly. “I mean…” I trailed off, afraid to speak my suspicions aloud.

Now, Ash sneered and turned away. “It’s better if you don’t ask.”

I fell silent as the streets whizzed by, the sky darkening until the country roads fell into a more urban setting.

The SUV slowed as we entered an industrial area, and instantly, my pulse quickened, my senses heightened. I didn’t like this place, wherever it was. I could smell the evil lurking in the shadows.

A flickering neon sign appeared.

Andrei’s Auto.

The gate in front of us was closed, barbed wire circling the top to prevent night prowlers or the like, but that didn’t appear to faze Ash in the least.

“Drive through it,” he ordered the driver.

Without question or hesitation, the driver plowed on through the chain-link gate as I gasped and fell back against the seat.

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