"Honestly? Yeah, I did. " He scrubbed a hand across his chin. "I don't know why, but I did. "
That belief had to have been implanted, too. Evin might be a trusting soul, but even he couldn't be that innocent. Not if he came from the same pack that I did.
"I gather they've been allowing you to talk to Lyndal when you report in every night?"
"Yeah. " Fury and desperation swirled through his voice, sharp in the darkness. "They've been given her a rough time. "
Which could have meant anything from verbal to physical abuse, but I didn't ask him to clarify because, really, there was no point. There wasn't anything we could do to prevent it right now.
"She's still alive, Evin. Hold on to that. "
"But she's pregnant. "
I briefly closed my eyes against the fury that swept me. They were bastards. Complete and utter bastards.
"I'd rather hold on to the hope of revenge," he added as his gaze met mine. His gray eyes were dark and his expression was pensive. "Will you help me get that?"
"If you help me get mine - and not just by giving me information. I mean tracking these bastards down and stopping them. Whatever it takes. "
"Whatever it takes," he murmured, and shivered. "I have a feeling you're far more used to that sort of thing than I am. "
"If you're a border guard, then you obviously can fight. That's what I need. I can handle the finer details. "
"Of that, I have no doubt. "
He touched his neck briefly, then jerked his fingers away. I thought about stopping the truck to undo the wire, but he didn't seem to be in great discomfort and I wanted to get as far away from those men as possible. I really didn't trust them not to have some form of backup plan in the event of things going wrong - like us escaping.
Evin added, "You know, I'm really surprised that they didn't just kill you. It would have been less dangerous for them. "
"But not as much fun. "
"If this is someone's idea of a good time, then they are seriously warped. "
"Yeah, he is," I said, and again heard that smooth, cultured voice telling me to enjoy the time I had remaining. Damn it, I needed to remember!
Pinpoint pricks of light appeared in the distance. There was a car on the horizon, and it was approaching fast.
Denny's backup plan, perhaps?
"What's the cell phone reception like up here?" I asked, flexing my fingers against the wheel. It didn't do a whole lot to ease the tension suddenly rolling through me.
"It's pretty shitty, actually," he said. "Why?"
I nodded toward the growing light points. "What are the odds of another car being on this particular road at this time of night? The road only goes to the whaling station ruins, and it's not exactly a good time to be viewing them, is it?"
"They had a CB radio in one of the other trucks - I heard them talking on it - but there's no way help would get here this soon. "
"Unless someone was already nearby. How far does the pack's land boundary extend?"
"I have no idea. "
We drove on, watching those twin specks of light grow brighter and brighter. Tension crawled through my limbs, and I was gripping the steering wheel so hard my hands were beginning to cramp. I flexed my fingers and forced myself to relax.
The lights flicked down to low beam as the car drew nearer. I pulled over to the edge of the road, allowing the other car plenty of room. He repeated the action and we passed each other quickly and without incident. I had a brief glimpse of a white face, dark hair, and sharp, arrogant nose and knew, without a doubt, who it was.
"Shit," Evin said. "That was Mike West. "
"There was another murder in town tonight," I said, voice grim. "I wonder why he's here and not helping Harris. "