Revelations (Brighton Wolves #1) Page 3

  He turned and took off through the trees, leaving Gwen alone in the woods. She looked down at the wedge at her feet and felt her heart twist in her chest. Her eyes saw nothing but the bloody shoe, and her mind raced with all of the possibilities. And none of them were exactly pleasant. Thoughts of kidnappings crossed her mind and refused to leave. Each scenario she played out in her head was worse than the last, and she felt her stomach start to roll. Before, she had tried her hardest not to think about anything bad happening to Ginny, but with this evidence right in front of her, she had to admit that something horrible probably had happened to her.

  Please, let Ginny be okay. I can’t lose her.

  Gwen waited impatiently for Gabe to return with the police, trying to calm her racing mind. She chewed on her thumbnail while she waited, pacing back and forth a stone’s throw from the wedge, making sure not to disturb the crime scene. She flinched at the thought of whatever crime had taken place. Frustrated tears threatened to spill, but she bit her lip to keep them at bay, trying to be strong.

  She found a flat patch of ground and sat down, folding her legs beneath her. Her gaze was drawn back to where she knew the wedge was, and she closed her eyes, trying to shut the image out. She could imagine Ginny’s fear and distress, and even her pain. What if the blood isn’t hers? Before the hope could even build, it came crashing down. Who else could it belong to? Ginny’s shoe is in the middle of nowhere covered in blood. It’s gotta be hers…

  Gwen’s eyes snapped open as she heard the rustle of leaves nearby. She got to her feet, knowing it was too soon for Gabe to be returning with help. She scanned the area, looking for any sign that she wasn’t alone, but came up empty handed. She almost dismissed it as her frazzled nerves playing tricks on her, but the sound came again, this time from much closer. Someone or something was making its way towards her, disturbing fallen leaves as it went.

  Gwen felt her heart slam up into her throat, beating a hundred miles an hour and gaining speed. Her mouth went paper dry as she tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. “Hello? Gabe?” She knew it wasn’t her brother, but she had to be sure. When she didn’t get an answer, she knew that whoever it was didn’t want to reveal themselves. Is it the same person that took Ginny? Did they come back looking for evidence they left behind and find me all alone instead?

  She heard a branch snap and screamed, whirling to see where the noise had come from. She came face to face with a wolf, and her eyes widened. Her mother had told her stories of wolves all her life, and because of it, she had developed an intense fear of them. She had never seen one up close except for at the zoo, and even though there had been a cage between them, she couldn’t stop shivering. And right now, there was no cage to keep her safe. Just her and a wild animal.

  This is what happened to Ginny. She got eaten by a wolf, and I’m next!

  The wolf didn’t move from its place near the wedge, but it was close enough to strike if it wanted to. It stared at Gwen with dark blue eyes that were so unnerving it sent shivers down her spine, but she fought to keep herself under control, knowing that if she showed any signs of weakness the wolf would probably attack. She stayed rooted to the spot, forcing herself to keep eye contact with the animal, but her nerves were shot and she was too scared to even think, let alone act.

  The wolf wasn’t particularly large, but its fangs were still sharp, and Gwen had no doubts it would be able to run her down and eat her if it wanted. Its gray fur was matted and dirty with mud and what looked like blood, but Gwen couldn’t be sure. The thought that it might have been hurt only made Gwen more scared for her life. Everyone knew that injured animals were more likely to attack, especially if they felt threatened. If Gwen was in its territory and it was wounded…

  “Gwen?”

  Gabe. She tried to shout his name, but her throat constricted, and all that came out was a tiny squeak. The wolf took a step forward, ears pricking up at the sound. Its eyes looked so sad and lonely that Gwen nearly went to it, despite her intense fear and her desire to be anywhere else. She quickly shook off those troubling thoughts, nearly slapping herself for being so stupid. Wild animals weren’t sad or lonely; they were killing machines. Unpredictable and untamable.

  “Gwen, where are you?”

  Before she could try to answer, a second wolf darted out of the nearby trees, slamming into the smaller gray one. Gwen screamed as the bigger brown wolf dragged the smaller one away, digging its fangs into the skin of the gray wolf’s back. The gray wolf yelped in pain, but was unable to fight off the larger wolf.

  “Gwen! Where are you?”

  “Here!” she shouted, finding her voice at last. As the wolves disappeared into the woods, growling and yelping as they went, Gabe burst into sight. She ran to him on unsteady legs, throwing her arms around his waist and burying her face in his shoulder, sobbing. With him were two officers, as well as Geoffrey and Sandra.

  One of the officers went straight to the wedge, and the other stayed close, hanging back a bit as he watched Gwen and Gabe. When she had calmed down, Gabe pushed her away. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head and told him about the wolves. As she spoke, she noticed Geoffrey tense up, and he quickly left the other officer’s side and came over. “Gwen, are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?” When she shook her head, he sighed. “That’s good. The wolves in this area are a little notorious for being overly aggressive. I can only imagine what might have happened if we hadn’t been close.”

  Gabe kept his hand on her back, soothing her. She wanted to go home and crawl into bed and shut everything out, but she wanted Ginny to be there with her. She forced herself to turn and look at her uncle, her voice cracking as she spoke. “It’s Ginny’s shoe, isn’t it?”

  Geoffrey’s face fell, and he nodded. “Yes. She was probably walking home along the road when whatever happened took place. At least now the police have a real place to start. They have dogs on the way, but they won’t be here until early tomorrow morning. Hopefully they can pick up on a scent. For now, they’re telling me we have to return home and call it a night. Especially now that there’s been a wolf sighting.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t feel right, going home when we know something happened.”

  “They’ll find her, Uncle Geoffrey,” Gabe said. “We know the last place she was, and the dogs will pick up on her scent. It can’t be that old. You’ll see.”

  Geoffrey sighed. “I hope you’re right. Come on, we should get you back to the house. You need something to help you calm down.”

  He motioned for them to head back to the road, and Gabe helped Gwen while she steadied her legs. While they walked, Gwen’s mind was racing once again, but not about the wolves she’d seen. For now, those had been pushed to the back of her mind, where she would deal with their appearance later. Right now, she was focused on the look on Geoffrey’s face.

  He doesn’t think the dogs will find her, she realized. He has no hope this will help. How can he be so doubtful when we just found a huge clue and upped our chances of finding her? Why doesn’t he believe?

  *****

  Later that night, everyone sat around the dining room table together, but dinner was subdued. The empty spot that Ginny normally sat in stood out like a sore thumb, letting everyone at the table know that something was missing, something that might not ever come back. Gwen couldn’t help but stare at it all night, wondering where her cousin was at that moment, whether she was even still alive or if she had died the night she went missing. Her obvious absence was affecting everyone else, as well.

  Geoffrey and Grant traded glares throughout the entire meal, and Sandra pretended not to notice. However, their mother was very interested in their behavior, and Gwen could tell she was taking mental notes about it, just like she was. She really doesn’t know, Gwen thought, amazed. She’s as in the dark about this as we are, but it looks like aunt Sandra knows. What could have happened that was so bad he’d even keep it a secret from his wife?

  When dinner was finished, Gwen offered to help clear away the dishes, but Sandra shooed her away and she didn’t need to be told twice. She went upstairs to her room, but before she could even try and settle down on the bed, there was a knock on the door. She let Gabe in, and he sat down on the end of her bed, crossing his legs beneath him. She closed the door and sat down beside him, neither of them saying anything for a moment. Finally, Gabe spoke.

  “Are you really okay? I know how scared you are when it comes to wolves.”

  Gwen shrugged. The truth was, she hadn’t done much thinking about the wolves since returning home. Her mind had been entirely focused on Ginny, the wedge, and what it meant. She didn’t have room in her heart to worry about Ginny and herself, and frankly, Ginny’s wellbeing was more important to Gwen than her own. So she had pushed the wolves to the back of her mind, but thinking of it all now had her heart racing again.

  “I’m fine,” she lied. “Nothing happened.”

  “You know, you have nothing to fear from most wolves,” Gabe said, for probably the thousandth time. Any time they watched a movie about werewolves, she would be on the edge of her seat, biting her nails and trembling while Gabe would be laughing at the crappy special effects. She could never seem to find the will to laugh about an animal that could rip her throat open in the blink of an eye, especially if it had human intelligence like werewolves often did in the newer movies.

  “Did you come in here just to check on me? You could have done that before we got ready for bed,” she said, looking down at her fuzzy pajama bottoms. They were her favorite pair, mostly because Ginny had the matching pair. They were probably sitting in the back of her closet right now, where they might never be worn again. She tore her eyes away from the closet and looked at Gabe, waiting for his answer
.

  “I wanted to talk to you about something. Earlier in the woods, did you notice Uncle Geoffrey acting weird?”

  “You mean like he lost all hope the second he saw that shoe? Yeah, I noticed,” she said, her voice quiet. “I saw the hope in his eyes die, Gabe. He doesn’t think we’re going to find her alive anymore, I just know it. I don’t understand why, when the shoe is a good lead, but he thinks she’s dead. I wish I knew why.”

  “So it wasn’t just me that noticed it,” he mused. “I wasn’t sure if you picked up on it or not since you were so terrified. But I’m glad to know it wasn’t just me. Why do you think he has no hope?”

  “I’m not sure,” she said, chewing on her thumbnail again. “Maybe it has something to do with whatever they’re keeping from us.”

  “You make it sound like a conspiracy,” Gabe joked.

  “It might be,” Gwen countered. “You never know. Maybe Dad and Uncle Geoffrey had dangerous past lives or something, and Ginny got caught up in it.” When Gabe shook his head, Gwen frowned. “It’s possible!”

  “You’re insane. He probably saw the blood and his mind ran with the worst possible scenario. Hopefully he’ll come around when the search resumes tomorrow. He’ll see there’s still a chance we’ll find her, and things will get better. Maybe not between Dad and Uncle Geoffrey, but better about Ginny’s situation.”

  “I hope you’re right, Gabe. But I just don’t know. There wasn’t that much blood to worry about. I mean, yeah it was more than a little nosebleed, but for his mind to run with the worst case scenario…that’s a bit of an overreaction. It was like she tripped and hit her head on a rock, not like she got hacked to pieces by some crazy psychopath. I think Uncle Geoffrey knows something about her disappearance he isn’t telling anyone, something that has him even more worried than we are.”

  Gabe was silent, and Gwen could tell he was thinking about what she had just said. She could see the gears turning in his head, and she hoped he didn’t completely dismiss her worries. Finally, he sighed. “You could be right,” he admitted. “I don’t know what he could be keeping from us and the police, but it’s obvious there’s something going on. I highly doubt Dad and Uncle Geoffrey were ever involved in gangs or were spies or anything, but you might be right about secret past lives.”

  Gwen felt a sense of pride knowing that she had convinced her brother. Even though her mind did initially go to something as preposterous as gang affiliation or even being spies, there was still merit to her thoughts. Maybe they testified against someone bad or maybe they knew someone that held a grudge against them. She wasn’t sure what the details were, but it was obvious to her—and now to Gabe as well—that they were hiding something from not only the police, but the rest of the family as well.

  I wonder if Ginny knows why this happened to her or if she’s being kept completely in the dark?

  Gabe leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, breaking her concentration. She pulled away from him, her eyes going wide. Gabe rarely showed affection except when messing up her hair. When he saw the look on her face, he smiled and shrugged, getting to his feet again. “I figured a little affection couldn’t hurt at a time like this.” He made his way to the door and stopped, looking over his shoulder at her. “Everything’s gonna be okay, Gwen. If you need me, I’m here. You know that, right?”

  “Of course,” she said quietly, a smile forming on her lips. “You’re the most dependable person I know, even if you can be a dick sometimes.”

  “Go to bed, Dork.”

  He closed the door behind him, leaving her room in near total darkness. She lay back against her pillow, staring up at the ceiling above her as her mind wandered. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen tomorrow, but she silently prayed to anyone who was listening that Ginny was located safe and sound, with no permanent trauma to show for her ordeal. She has to be okay. The other option is too terrible to even think about…

  As she closed her eyes, she heard a lone howl in the distance, and she immediately sat up, her eyes going wide. The animal sounded close—way too close for comfort—and Gwen hugged herself tightly as the call came again. It wasn’t the call of a hunter though, she was certain of that. It was the call of a lonely and sad creature, one that might have been lost or injured. Her mind flashed back to the small gray wolf in the clearing, the one with the sad blue eyes, and she wondered if it was still alive after its run-in with the larger wolf.

  More wolves picked up the call, and a symphony of howls began. It was a powerful and mystical sound, one that had the blood pumping in Gwen’s veins despite the terror she felt. Something in their calls reached out to her, connecting with her on a level far too deep to understand. She almost went to the window and opened it to hear them better, but she thought twice about it and stayed rooted to the spot.

  She fell asleep that night listening to the sounds of the wolves outside her window. It wasn’t until morning that she noticed the sad wolf had stopped howling and hadn’t joined in with its pack mates.

  Chapter Three

  When Gwen woke in the morning, she dressed for the day in jeans and a tank top, along with a sensible pair of sneakers. She was planning on joining the search again as soon as possible, and she wanted to be properly prepared. She knew she should have been wearing some kind of sleeves in case she came across poison ivy while in the woods, but she was expecting it to be sweltering all day and was willing to take the risk if it meant she could search longer without having to stop due to the heat. She was going to stay out as long as they would let her.

  She stumbled her way down the stairs, still bleary eyed from a night of tossing and turning. The wolves had kept up their song all night long it seemed, and just when she was about to fall into a deep sleep, the noise startled her awake. She wouldn’t have been surprised to find she’d gotten only a catnap that lasted an hour or two, not any real sleep. Her eyes felt heavy, and she yawned loudly as she sat down at the table. There was a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of her, along with a mug of orange juice and a bowl of fresh fruit in the center of the table.

  She poured herself a small glass of orange juice and began to nibble on her bacon. Gabe joined her a moment later and began inhaling his food, earning a disapproving glance from their mother. Karen shook her head and went back to picking at her grapefruit, but she didn’t tell Gabe to slow down. Gwen was surprised at how much their mother had backed down over the last twenty-four hours, becoming a much more lenient woman than she usually was. She normally would have yelled at Gabe and forced him to wash all of the dishes for his poor table manners, and Gwen had to wonder if her newfound control was due to the already tense atmosphere in the house.

  Gabe finished up the last of his breakfast, downed a glass of orange juice, and turned to her. “Hurry up. We’ve got somewhere we need to be.”

  Karen and Sandra both stopped what they were doing and looked at them. “Where do you think you’re going?” Karen asked, a hint of frost in her tone.

  “Somewhere,” he said lightly.

  “That’s not an answer, Gabriel,” she admonished. “Where are the two of you going?” She looked over at Gwen, waiting for an answer, but she only shrugged.

  “I don’t know,” she said truthfully. She looked at Gabe, a frown on her face. “I thought we were joining the search party.”

  “We are,” he said patiently. “Later. Right now, we have somewhere important we have to be.” He got to his feet. “Uncle Geoffrey said we could take Ginny’s car since we don’t have one of our own and I figured Mom wouldn’t let us take hers.”

  “Gabe, you’re not leaving this house until you tell me where you’re going!”

  Gabe stared at their mother, his face completely neutral. The only thing that gave away his annoyance was his tightened grip on the back of his chair. “I figured since everybody else wants to keep secrets, why not keep one or two of my own.” He grabbed a set of keys from the hook near the front door, not bothering to glance at either Karen or Sandra’s shocked faces. “Come on, Gwen. We don’t wanna be late.”

  Gwen was surprised by her brother’s hostility, even if he wasn’t being mean about it. Our talk last night must have really gotten him thinking. Now that he’s positive they’re all keeping something from us, he’s angry about it. She gulped down the rest of her juice and grabbed a piece of buttered toast, following him out the open door without a second look at her mother. And he should be. In a time as hard as this one, nobody should be keeping secrets.