“I'm here! I'm here.” Susan called out. “What's going on?”
“He's in the truck. Hurry. Please, hurry.”
Deacon opened the back door and all he could smell was blood. He stepped back as Susan pushed her way inside. “Not good,” she muttered under her breath. “We need to get him inside, need something to hold him straight.”
“Deke!” Vera tugged at his arm, he hadn't realized she'd come out of the house. “Get the kitchen table, break the legs off and we can hold him steady with a sheet.”
Deacon looked to where Adelaide stood, her hands over her mouth as she stared at the truck. “Adelaide...”
“I've got her. Go!”
Deacon didn't move because Susan stepped out of the truck, a grim expression on her face. She didn't have to say a word, he knew. They all knew. Adelaide knew. The cry that escaped her mouth was haunting and nowhere near human.
He had come to accept the love Adelaide had for Josiah, in his own way; seeing this raw outpouring of grief made him realize he hadn't had a clue. The bond between them had been as strong as the one between him and Vera. What would he do if he lost her?
“I'll get a sedative.” Susan reached into the bag she'd brought with her. “Addy, I'm going to give you something to calm you down.”
“No.” Adelaide sniffled loudly, wiped her eyes clear with her hands. “I don't want it. I want to feel this. I need to feel it. He's gone. Nothing can numb the knowledge of that.”
“Can you tell us what happened?” Vera spoke softly.
“Are Jake and Bug here? And Lake?” Adelaide ignored the question.
Deacon frowned. “No, why would they be?”
“They all disappeared, out of the blue, about three months ago. They left everything, even little Steven at Lake's mother's house. I figured that they had to travel light to get to you. Oh,” she sighed heavily. “I should have known something wasn't right. I was so stupid. I didn't see. That's what I do, I see and I didn't and everything... it's all...”
Deacon barely reached her in time to keep her from falling flat on her face. She was out like a light, the emotional toll obviously catching up with her. “I'm going to take her inside, put her in the downstairs bedroom. We can't leave him out here like that. He deserves better.”
“He'll get it,” Susan replied solemnly. “I do have one question, though. Don't get pissed, Deke, but how did Adelaide find us?”
“Vera?” Deacon looked over at his mate, waited for her to admit that she had told Adelaide where they were.
“I didn't tell, Deke. I knew that I couldn't because it was dangerous. I don't know how she found us.”
“Everyone inside, now.” Deacon looked at the darkness that surrounded the house. Normally, he felt a sense of peace from the forest and mountains that kept them separate from the closest neighbor, who lived three miles away, but tonight there was an ominous quality to them. Anyone could be out there.
<#<#>#>#>#
The sun rose and the day woke, but Adelaide remained asleep. It wasn't for lack of trying; Deacon had all but slapped her across the face. Any minute now, Lina and Shepard would arrive, and he needed something to tell them as to why the Leader of his old pack was dead in his yard and his sister in a trauma-induced coma.
At least no one had attacked them, which was something. He'd stayed vigilant, they all had. They were all still on edge. Deacon wondered if there would ever truly be peace in their lives. They'd made it six months; he'd started to think that they were in the clear, but now everything was back.
“They're here,” Susan came out of the kitchen, a grim expression on her face. “Lina just called. I silenced the alarm.”
“This might get ugly,” Deacon looked over at Vera. His first urge was to tell her to go and sit with Adelaide, but she wasn't going to even if it was the safer place to be.
“We've had ugly before,” Vera rose to her feet and slipped her hand into his. “We face it together.”
The four of them walked out onto the front porch. Deacon was unprepared for the sight of Lina sobbing next to the SUV while Shepard looked on with a solemn expression. The man looked over, acknowledged their presence by walking towards them. “You'll have to excuse Lina. Josiah was her brother. You probably weren't aware of that, few were. It is nice to see you all again, despite the circumstances. Josiah's death isn't the last of the bad news. Center City is burning, and I mean that literally.”
“How bad?” Deacon asked.
“Very bad. It seems that the town didn't take kindly to the different rules The Grievers abide by, or should I say the rules they used to abide by. Josiah was listening to the people of the town, lowered the price for protection and made a sizable donation to the library. From what we've been able to piece together, his second in command, Michael, didn't agree with his choices. There was a coup, and it was bloody. Michael has taken over The Grievers, and if he is the one who killed Josiah, he will take his spot as Leader.”
“Like hell he will,” Deacon released Vera's hand when she whimpered. His grip had tightened too much on her hand. “Sorry, Baby.” He turned his attention to Shepard. “I will not let him destroy the town and the pack.”
“Your loyalty is to us now, Deacon. Do I need to remind you of that?”
“Two members of the pack disappeared a few months ago, along with Bug's wife. They had a kid, just never picked the baby up from Lake's mother's house.” he heard his voice thicken with emotion and didn't try to hide it. “It was The Hunters, it had to be. There's no other reason that they'd have left that baby behind, no other reason.”
“I agree.” Shepard replied after a moment of silence. “Well, this is an interesting situation to say the least. We'll need corroboration that these individuals disappeared as you said.”
“Got it.” Houdini held up his phone.
“Thank you,” Shepard took the phone. “We'll head to Center City after we take care of Josiah.”
“Whoa, wait a second.” Vera looked over at Deacon and shook her head. “If we go back, Will is going to arrest you. You'll go to jail. That is not an option.”
“I don't think we have a choice, Vera.”
“This isn't a choice. This is suicide! This is insane.”
“Vera,” Shepard stepped forward. “I completely understand your concerns. There are ways to make evidence disappear. Trust me, it will all work out. If you'll excuse me, I'll make a few calls.”
“This is...” Vera began to protest again. Deacon wrapped his hand around her arm, pulled her back into the house. “You can not go to jail, Deke.”
“And I won't.” He replied as he shut the front door. “Shepard is a nice enough guy, but you can't go mouthing off to him. I know that you're scared. I need you to trust me. It might be crazy but it's what we have to do. Deep down, I think that you know that. I love it here but it's...”
“It's not home.” She finished his sentence with a sigh and a sad smile. “We have to go back.”
THE END
Table of Contents
Dedication:
Chapter ONE
Chapter TWO
Chapter THREE
Chapter FOUR
Chapter FIVE
Chapter SIX
Chapter SEVEN
Chapter EIGHT
Chapter NINE
Chapter TEN
Chapter ELEVEN
Chapter TWELVE
Chapter THIRTEEN
Chapter FOURTEEN
Chapter FIFTEEN
Chapter SIXTEEN
Chapter SEVENTEEN
Chapter EIGHTEEN
Chapter NINETEEN
Chapter TWENTY
Chapter TWENTY-ONE
Chapter TWENTY-TWO
Chapter TWENTY-THREE
Chapter TWENTY-FOUR
Chapter TWENTY-FIVE
Chapter TWENTY-SIX
Epilogue
The Only Witness: The Center City Series: Book One Page 25
