Lib Novel Page 59
Panic didn’t suit me; it never had. So instead, I reached for the calm that had been drilled into me since my early days at Quantico. I observed him, the way his hands gripped the steering wheel, the slightest tightening of his knuckles. Whatever was unfolding, Nathan was leading us straight into it, and I had to be ready for anything.
“Talk to me, Nathan.” I kept my voice steady, even as I mentally prepared for a confrontation. “What’s happening?”
But he remained silent, the muscles in his jaw working as if waging a war with words he refused to speak. In another life, I might’ve found the mystery exhilarating, the darkness an adventure. But this was no game; this was the reality of falling for someone who lived in the shadows—a man whose every move could be a matter of life and death.
I didn’t know what he was going to do to me…but whatever it was, I was going to be ready.
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Abby
The engine’s growl died as abruptly as my sense of safety. Nathan’s black sedan stood still, an unwelcome shadow under the towering redwoods.
“Get out,” his voice was hard, unyielding, a command that echoed against the closed park gates that loomed in the darkness.
“Where are we?” My voice came out steadier than I felt, eyes locked on the dense forest that shrouded us in mystery and menace. “What are you planning to do?”
“Get. Out!” His shout cut through the eerie silence like a knife, leaving no room for argument.
My hand gripped the door handle, cold metal biting into my palm. I hesitated, but only for a moment before stepping out into the night, the chill of the air wrapping around me like an omen. Nathan didn’t seem to care about the late hour or the closed gates.
I did as I was told, my heart hammering against my ribcage as if trying to escape the fate I hoped wasn’t mine. My feet crunched on the gravel, the sound unnaturally loud in the thick silence of the forest. The night air bit at my skin, and a shiver ran through me, though not from the cold.
His movements were deliberate, each action chillingly precise. The glovebox popped open with a click that felt like a gunshot in the stillness. My breath hitched when his hand reappeared, the dim moonlight glinting off the gun he now held—a stark reminder of the world he ruled.
“Seriously, Nathan?” My voice cracked, betraying the fear I tried to cloak in bravado.
He ignored my question, opening the driver’s side door and stepping out with predatory grace. He stalked around the car, closing the distance between us. His presence was overwhelming, suffocating, and when his hand clamped around my arm, it was all I could do not to recoil in terror.
“Let go,” I snapped, jerking my arm away with more force than I thought I possessed. “I can walk on my own.”
“Then move.” His command was a low growl, a threat that promised consequences if disobeyed.
I knew better than to argue further. I knew he didn’t bluff, and I wasn’t about to test him now—not when the stakes were this high. So, I followed his lead, stepping into the embrace of the redwoods, where the secrets of darkness awaited us.
The forest swallowed us whole, the towering trees standing sentinel as we ventured deeper into their domain. Nathan’s footsteps were silent on the forest floor, a stark contrast to my own erratic tread. He moved with the certainty of a predator in his territory; I was the interloper here, a fact both fascinating and terrifying.
“Keep up,” he snarled without looking back, and I quickened my pace, my gaze locked on the gun in his hand.
My heart pounded against my ribcage, a frantic drumbeat echoing the unease that crawled under my skin. Yet, despite the gnawing apprehension, there was no room for hesitation. The choice had been made the moment I stepped out of the car, propelled by a mix of duty and an inexplicable trust that Nathan wouldn’t lead me to my demise—not yet, at least.
As we moved, dappled moonlight filtered through the canopy, casting ghostly shadows that danced across our path. My vision adjusted swiftly, the eerie luminescence rendering the mist that hung in the air ethereal and otherworldly. The sight should’ve been beautiful, but with Nathan’s gun a constant reminder of the danger at my side, it felt more like a prelude to some grim fairy tale.
I was trained for dangerous situations, but nothing prepared me for this—the stillness of the forest, or the man who seemed as much a part of it as the trees themselves. My pulse thrummed in my ears, a rhythmic reminder that every step took me further from the world I knew and deeper into his.
“Where are we going?” The question escaped my lips before I could stop it, a whisper lost among the giants around us.
“Quiet,” was all he offered in return, his voice slicing through the silence before fading into the night.
So, I followed him into the darkness, knowing full well the gravity of the path we walked. And whatever lay ahead, I sensed that walking away was never truly an option. Not now. Not with him.
We had barely covered half a mile when Nathan halted so abruptly, I nearly crashed into him. His black hair seemed to merge with the shadows, but his brown eyes held glints of moonlight, making them almost visible in the darkness. He turned toward me, and for a heartbeat, the forest held its breath.
“Take it,” he said, extending his hand toward me. I looked down to find the gun in his hand, his fingers clenched around the muzzle–offering it up.
My brain stuttered. “What the hell is going on, Nathan?” My voice was steady, but inside, I was a mess of frayed nerves.
He grabbed my hand, closed my fingers around the handle of the gun, put my finger on the trigger. Then, he stepped back, hands raised in a gesture of surrender—or was it something else?
“What the hell, Nathan?”