Page 52

CHAPTER 52

REDLEY

I turn to face him, shocked he has the audacity to say that to me. He doesn’t know what love is. He can't even feel. How could he when he kills the way he does? He was raised by a monster, and not the type I thought he was, but the real kind with nothing good inside. Someone hungry and willing to destroy anyone in his path to satiate it.

What stops me dead in my tracks is the obvious wounds covering his scalp and the bruises on his face. It’s hard to tell if the shadows are making things worse with nothing but a gas lamp to see by, but I know for sure something terrible has happened to him.

My heart twinges, and I want to comfort him and make sure he’s okay, but then I remember not only does he not deserve it, but I’m betraying my entire family by giving it to him. Everything he stole from us is centered here.

“I love you,” he repeats, but I don’t dare take the words in. I already said he’s abused and battered my heart too many ways—an insincere marriage proposal, sex like I didn’t know existed, and now this? An offer of love. It’s too much, and I wonder if maybe he’s just as evil as his father.

“You don’t love me, and I sure as hell don’t love you!” I tell him, trying to make him understand this is over. It’s too far gone. “You and your father burned everything I had to the ground. You burned my home.”

“I couldn’t stop him, Red, but I’m so sorry.”

“You couldn’t stop him?” I ask. “I had just shot him. You wouldn’t have even needed to hurt him to stop him. You didn’t want to.”

He doesn’t dare deny it. “I’m done with him. I told him I was planning to help you.”

“Miserable fucking liar,” I spit. “You let him take everything from me just like you always have, because you are just as quick to take everything from me, and I swear to you, Wolf, that is not love.”

“I’m a miserable liar?” he asks, pushing into my space even more. “How about you? You said you don’t love me, you miserable little liar. Why don’t you try that again with feeling this time?”

I hate that some part of me knows he’s telling the truth. It’s not all of me. I’m not stupid enough to let all of me love him, but I am lying if I say he hasn’t taken hold of my heart. I don’t answer him. Instead, I choose to ask him something practical while I can. Part of me still believes he intends to kill me, and this is just a way to make the game a little tastier for him. He told me once I smelled like cake, so maybe this is the part where he devours me.

“Were you still planning to take everything from me?” That’s what matters most to me right now. Did anything that happened between us change his plans? If he loved me, was he going to stop hurting me?

“Depends on how you look at it,” he says, and the moment the meaning of his words registers, I turn around and rip out of his arms so I can run like hell.

My boots echo as they slap against the water, quieting as I reach the drier part of the cave. He’s right behind me, but his feet aren’t as heavy. I’m not playing this time, and neither is he. I know that if he were up to his usual self, he would’ve caught me already. Fortunately for me, I’m pretty quick, and he’s just a bit slower than normal.

The small opening in the cavern sits a few feet away. It’s nearly dark, twilight, and hopefully, I can avoid him in the forest rather than him avoiding me for a change. I drop the lantern as I shove through the too small opening, and it smashes on the ground.

“Red,” he shouts my name as he enters the antechamber, and it echoes so loudly. It vibrates down to my bones, but it’s too late. The night air is a bit too cold, and I curse myself for leaving behind the pack that carries everything I’d need to get warm.

I’m still wearing Wolf’s damn long johns, but at least I have the benefit of the thick coat. I was never stupid enough to take that off. My feet fly beneath me, and I’m not sure what to do because I found my destination quicker than I expected, and I also found Wolf.

He screams my name again, but I don’t dare think I’ve escaped him. The mountains can do strange things to sound. I’m still holding the diamond I found, so if I can get back to the trading post, I can get my truck. Daniel might not believe it at first, but it should be obvious with a little bit of testing.

It’s pretty stupid to trade a diamond the size of a small grape for a 1950s Chevy, but if Wolf is telling the truth about what I’ve got buried on my property, all I need to do is find the deeds myself, and I’ll have enough money to end the legend of the wolf on my own terms.

But where in the hell are the deeds?

As I weave around an oak tree, I hear rustling behind me. I don’t dare to look and check if it’s an animal or him. I just push myself even faster. The sense of being pursued climbs higher, pushing my heart rate to a painful beat.

He’s hot on my trail now. Heavy footsteps pound behind me, and his breaths saw in and out. I know he’s hurt and struggling, and I shouldn’t care about any of that.

“Leave me the hell alone,” I scream.

He doesn’t say anything back, but I feel the swipe of his fingers as they nearly tangle in my hair. I push myself harder, running faster than I ever have in my life. My arms pump, and when a fallen tree crosses my path, I jump, clearing at least six feet.

It’s not enough, though.

Heavy feet close in on me. I gag as my shirt tightens around my neck. I’m lifted off the ground, and it takes me a moment to realize that Wolf has grabbed me by the back of the jacket and is carrying me like it’s scruff on a puppy. I struggle to breathe as I fly through the air, but everything comes to a crashing stop when he drops me against the forest floor.

At our current incline, I roll. My body slams against the hard mountain rocks, sticks, and whatever else is protruding from the ground. By the time I come to a stop, lying flat on my back, every inch of me hurts as I pant.

Wolf is already there, jumping on top of me like I’m his prey.