Page 84 of Tabitha

I take off in the direction we came, but the farther we go, the more concerned I get.

Because I can’t find a sign of River anywhere.

No way would he abandon us.

“Pierce, what if—”

“We’ll find him,” he interrupts, not even letting me finish the statement. He’s so confident, so sure of himself, that I relax marginally. He’s never lied to me before, and he wouldn’t start now.

Another twenty minutes of searching pass before the sensation of being watched prickles the back of my neck. I halt on the spot, then slowly spin in a circle, searching for what’s bothering me.

The guys immediately halt, going back-to-back, their weapons drawn.

It’s not until I see movement from the corner of my eye that I turn…and find my father staring at me from a few yards away. When the men catch sight of him a second later, automatically taking aim, I instinctively hold up my hand.

It’s been close to a decade since I’ve seen my father.

Logically, I understand that he would’ve aged, but I’m not prepared to see him looking like an old man. To me, he’s always been tall and imposing. Now, he’s scruffy, his shoulders stooped by time. A salt-and-pepper beard covers most of his face. He’s in rough shape, obviously having been living in the woods for some time.

But the most startling thing of all…he looks almost sane.

“Dad?” I wince at the quiver in my voice, and I’m ashamed by the way my insides quiver with the need to run.

“Hello, my little Tabby-cat.” He almost looks sad as he speaks, his eyes dampening before he blinks it away. “You need to go, leave this place, and never come back.”

I shudder at the familiar nickname, then pain twists through me at the rejection, his words cutting deep into my soul, and I harden myself against the hurt. I thought I was beyond allowing him to wound me, but I must have gone soft after being away from his brutal lessons for so long.

“I can’t leave until I finish my mission.” I lift my chin, refusing to let him know his words found a way beneath my armor. Just in case he thinks he can force my hand, I reiterate my point. “I’m not going anywhere without River.”

“Your man from this morning?” he asks, rubbing his beard, thentsks. “They took him—”

“Alive?” I take a step toward him, battling the urge to beat the answers out of him, even if he could kill me.

“For now.” My father looks almost apologetic. “You should leave him and go. They’re not after him.”

“No, they’re after her,” Bast interrupts, prowling closer to the old man. “Why?”

When my father winces, my heart sinks, and I clench my hands at my sides. “What did you do?”

“They’re after me,” he mutters, dragging his hands through his hair, nearly tearing out the strands. “They’re trying to use you to draw me out.”

A bitter laugh escapes me, the caustic sound harsh, even to my own ears. “Then they’re fools.”

“They are indeed, my Tabby-cat.” Humor sparks in his silver eyes, so much like my own that my chest aches.

“Why do they want you?” I demand, knowing he’s not telling me everything.

He rubs his temple, madness flashing in his eyes for a second before they clear. “They think I know the location of a stash of gold that went missing from the army over twenty years ago.”

“And do you?” I ask, curious in spite of myself, not really caring about the answer.

“If I did, it’s lost up here somewhere.” He taps his temple with a rueful smile. “The shot you gave me when you left seemed to clear my head a bit, but some things remain scrambled. While some days are cloudy, most weeks, I remain myself.”

I know I need the information stuck in the old man’s head, but the impulse to rescue River is like a compulsion that is getting harder and harder to ignore. “Then why go after me?”

“Because they think you can get the information out of the crazy old codger,” Pierce answers before anyone else.

I snort at the ridiculous comment, but when my father winces, my mouth drops open in shock.

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