Curse And Craving

33

His explanation made sense, but so had my own deductions. “It’s not my fault everything Ronan said lined up with what I witnessed. Maybe if you shared with me, I wouldn’t have to question your motives.” Before I knew it, he had whipped around and was back in front of me. “What do you think this is? Some kind of partnership? You think we should meet over coffee and discuss the investigation?” he bellowed in my direction. “We are the Wild Hunt! It’s our job to hunt down those responsible, not yours.” “That’s not what I—” I paused, my voice dropping to a hush. “I was only trying to figure out who I’m supposed to trust in all this.” “Ronan tells you I’m a monster, and you were all too ready to believe it.” “If I’d believed him, I never would have come down here searching for answers.” The truth of my statement struck me. I hadn’t realized until now that my gut hadn’t bought into Ronan’s claims. I hadn’t gone to the basement looking for evidence of Lochlan’s wrongdoings. I’d gone in search of validation that my instincts were right. That Lochlan wasn’t evil. “You want information? I’ll give you some. Ronan spent a decade planting the seeds to end almost a hundred years of peace in Ireland. Whispering tales and twisting men’s minds to set Protestants against Catholics, Irish against British, men against women, and fathers against sons. So many factions that after his machinations, the place was a war zone for centuries. When I discovered what he was doing, I confronted him, and he gave me this.” He brought his hand up to indicate the scar on his eyebrow. Now that he pointed it out, I realized how odd it was to have a scar when the Fae had healing powers. “It was a blade laced with a liquid lead polymer. The skin couldn’t fully heal. Had his aim been true, I wouldn’t be here today.” “How did the fight end?” I asked in a whisper. “The Erlking, our leader, broke us apart, but only after we had beaten each other to near death. I will never forgive him, and I will never forget.” “Why couldn’t you tell me that from the beginning? It would have been so much easier to understand. To trust you.” His head c****d to the side, and his arms crossed in front of his chest. Instead of answering my question, he posed one of his own slowly and deliberately. “Tell me, Rebecca, how did you get down here without my men stopping you or setting off our wards?” I had no answer to offer him. “Exactly. You've chosen to withhold information, just as much as I have.” He backed away again as the door opened. Michael, Liam, and the man who had been with Liam on the stairs came to stand just outside the doorway, their posture stiff and faces hard. Lochlan left the room, keeping his back toward me. “Get her out of here.” Michael stripped the gun from my hand, and the other two took hold of my arms. The execution of my sentence was doled out in silence. I was not worth their effort, and I had nothing to say in my defense. I was unceremoniously tossed onto the alley pavement. I couldn’t say I blamed them. I probably would have done the same had the roles been reversed. Accepting defeat, I tucked my chin and started toward the main road in search of a cab ride home. When I entered my quiet apartment, I didn’t turn on any lights. I went straight upstairs to my bed, where I curled up in the darkness. My actions weren’t unreasonable, yet I felt disappointed in myself. If Ronan was as devious as Lochlan claimed, could he have set up this entire sequence of events just to toy with me? Or perhaps he wanted to drive a wedge between Lochlan and me? Whatever his reasons, Ronan’s intent hadn’t been innocent. He knew he’d been misleading. Lochlan, on the other hand, had yet to do anything to cause me harm, and I had taken his help and thrown it back in his face. I could only hope that I hadn’t lost Lochlan’s favor permanently. I had to try to repair the damage that I'd done, but I also needed to give him time to calm down. Tomorrow, once we’d both slept on the matter, I’d go back and apologize. He might not accept my apology, but I wouldn’t know unless I tried. OceanofPDF.com Chapter Fourteen I WAITED UNTIL MIDAFTERNOON THE NEXT DAY TO TREK BACK TO THE Huntsman. I didn’t know Lochlan’s schedule, but it seemed likely that mornings for a nightclub owner wouldn’t be the best time to reach him. I was relieved to find the main club empty. I’d stressed all day about being turned away. Passing silently across the empty dance floor, I wound my way to the back hall and knocked softly on the closed office door. My heart mimicked the pounding bass that would be thundering through the club a few hours from now. “Come in.” His exasperated command resonated through the door. A trickle of relief helped dilute the potent anxiety coursing through my veins. I opened the door to find Lochlan at his desk. His penetrating azure eyes tracked my every movement, wary and frigid as a Belfast night. I felt too self-conscious to sit, so I remained on my feet and jumped in headfirst. “I’m sorry, Lochlan. I shouldn’t have spied on you, and I want you to know that I tried to come talk to you face-to-face, but the guys wouldn’t let me up. I let my frustrations get the better of me. The past two weeks have been difficult, to say the least.”