Lib Novel Page 138
I toss the leaf away, and as I watch it fall, I see a flash of movement just ahead.
Blinking, I sit up straighter.
It’s Eve.
She seems to be moving quickly, constantly checking over her shoulder.
What is she doing out in the forest at this time of night?
And where is she heading with that panicked look on her face?
Chapter 26
Sophia Hope
I look around. I don’t see anybody else for miles. Nobody is following Eve, but she seems excessively paranoid.
There has to be a reason.
I know that if I jump to the ground and shadow her, she might catch on to me. But if I stick to the trees, she probably won’t look up.
I jump from tree to tree, trailing after her. She doesn’t shift, which disappoints me, but after a while, the area starts to look altogether too familiar. She’s heading toward the beach.
Right to where Rita’s cottage is.
A strange sense of foreboding fills me. I’m certain there will be members of the security team watching the place. If that’s where she’s going, how does she plan to give them the slip?
Sure enough, I see three men stationed by the edge of the forest. To my surprise, though, they’re not being vigilant. One of them is on his phone while the other two are playing a game of cards. Nobody is watching the dark cottage.
It will be easy for Eve to elude them. When she comes to a stop, I watch her cautiously. The men haven’t noticed her yet. She reaches into her satchel and brings out a small ball. As she covers her mouth and nose with her shirt, I instinctively mimic her.
She removes something that looks like a pin from the ball, then gently rolls it toward the distracted men. Nothing happens for a minute.
I frown. What is that thing?
I’m about to lower the edge of my shirt from my mouth and nose when I realize that Eve is just standing there, waiting.
I glance at the ball sharply. It’s lying there, perfectly still.
Instinct tells me not to remove the cloth from my face. I stand in the tree, watching in anticipation.
Moments later, the man who was on his phone drops to the ground, his phone slipping from his grasp. The other two follow suit.
My eyes widen in shock.
Was there gas in that ball? That’s the only explanation I can think of. Sleeping gas. Or poison. If that’s the case, I can’t linger here for long. Eve makes her way toward them, and I watch her kick one of them just to make sure he’s passed out. Once she’s reassured, she walks past them, her shirt still covering her mouth and nose.
Making sure I’m upwind of the gas, I stay in my perch and watch as Eve walks straight into the cottage through the front door, without a care in the world. My jaw tightens.
She’s not being subtle about this at all. The lights in the cottage get turned on, and I can see her silhouette moving from room to room. I don’t know what she’s looking for, but if there was any doubt within me about whether Eve is linked to Rita’s death, it is gone now. I don’t know if Eve is the Silver Wolf or not, but I do know she’s not who she claims to be.
I jump to the ground, stealthily make my way over to the cottage, and peek through the window. Eve is quite certain she has knocked everybody out, so she’s not being very careful. She’s in the kitchen now, rummaging through the cupboards. When she doesn’t find what she’s looking for, she walks over to the study. I sneak over to that window and peer inside. The study is already a mess, and Eve doesn’t help matters. She’s pulling open drawers, rifling through papers. I see one of Rita’s favorite crystal swans sitting on the corner of the desk; in her haste, Eve pushes it aside, and it shatters on the floor.
She just looks annoyed and moves on with her search. Meanwhile, anger burns within me. Rita is already dead. Why trash her cherished belongings? The look on Eve’s face makes my new dislike for her grow.
It also makes me wonder, if she really is the Silver Wolf, whether she will help Alex and his people willingly. The way she’s behaving right now—tossing things around, not caring about the damage she’s doing—makes me feel sick. Maybe it’s because Rita mattered to me, and seeing the home she built be abused like this upsets me.
When Alex and I were searching the place, I don’t remember him destroying things. Despite the urgency of the situation, we didn’t treat Rita’s belongings with disrespect. It hurts my heart to see the things she loved so much being thrown to the floor and smashed. I don’t care if this woman is the Silver Wolf. I’m going to sucker punch the bitch. One good sock to the eye, and then Alex can have her.