Page 206 of Crucible
Taken aback by the misplaced malice that must feel like an unexpected backhand slap, Aurelia whirls on Thorin with her hands on her hips. “Excuse me?”
He eyes her. “You heard me.”
“Yeah, I did, but I’m not sure what your problem is, Thayer, so either spit it the fuck out or back the hell off.”
His conflicted gaze travels to me over her head, and I know he’s replaying our talk earlier while Aurelia was asleep. When I shake my head, he scrubs a hand down his face, wisely choosing to keep silent instead of letting those doubts resurface.
“Thorin’s just crabby, Sunshine. He didn’t mean it.” Seth pulls her into him, and she lets him while keeping her hurt eyes on Thor, who refuses to meet her gaze.
“Seth,” I say, coming to a decision. “Take Aurelia downstairs while I let the Sheriff in.”
“No need,” Aurelia pettily replies. “I can see myself out.” She pulls away from Seth, and as she passes me, I catch her arm. “Do not make a sound, Goldilocks. I mean it. Not a fucking peep.”
I brace for her to curse me out, too, but then she nods and tosses one last dirty look at Thorin before disappearing down the stairs into the basement.
The three of us wait, collectively wincing when we hear my bedroom door slam closed. If we’ve learned nothing else about our girl, it’s that when Aurelia is pissed off, the three of us feel the effects for days. I move for the front door and open it just as the sheriff turns away to leave.
If Kelly showing up here unannounced wasn’t enough to raise our alarms, seeing the eight armed men, who arenothis deputies, standing behind him like statues definitely flips our collective switch into defense mode.
It takes me a second longer to realize it’s not just Zeke we’re hellbent on protecting.
It’s Aurelia, too.
The grim-faced men are all dressed in black tactical gear, and I can tell right away that they are professionals.
“Ah! You are home. I was beginning to worry these old ears were failing me.” The sheriff chuckles, but none of us return it aswe size up the men behind him and wait to see why the fuck he brought them here. The sheriff picks up on the tension and says, “I’m aware you don’t welcome visitors, but this is important, and it couldn’t wait. Can we come in?”
“Youcan.”
The less experienced mercenaries shift nervously when I reveal the gun tucked inside my waist while the other half meet my stare head-on.
None of this makes sense. Mercenaries aren’t Isaac’s style. Why pay a premium for professionals when he has brainwashed sheep to die for him for free?
We did our fair share of damage to his flock when we rescued “Zeth,” but this still feels extreme. And if it wasn’t for our unwelcome guests, I’d laugh at how quickly Aurelia’s name for Ezekiel and his most troublesome alter had caught on. I can even guess what she’s calling Zeke and Bane in that fascinating mind of hers.
“You can put that away, son. It won’t be necessary. These men are part of a private security firm and came a long way tospeakwith you three. Nothing else.”
“Why?” Thorin asks while slipping past me to stand on the front porch.
“Well…” The sheriff looks behind him at the mercenaries, and I know that despite what he claims, they make him uneasy, and I realize why when he says, “They were hired by Marston George.”
“Tell me this is not fucking happening,” I groan as soon as the front door closes behind us. The sheriff and the men Aurelia’suncle hired had just taken their leave, and now the three of us are frozen in place, wondering how the fuck we’re going to get out of this one.
The sheriff had come all this way to introduce us to the men that will be searching our mountain with a fine toothcomb for Aurelia. He knows it wouldn’t have ended well if we’d come across them ourselves. The mercenaries also came with a hefty offer from Marston George for us to act as their glorified tour guides. We, of course, sent them packing with an offer of our own—to go fuck themselves.
Our hostility toward perfect strangers had baffled the sheriff, but he knew better than to ask us for answers we’d never give.
Nothing worth having is ever easy, and damn if Aurelia isn’t making us work for her in more ways than even she knows.
Thorin fakes a sharp cutting motion across his neck, silencing us, and then he waves us out onto the deck in case Aurelia is eavesdropping from the basement. The moment the upper deck door is closed behind us, he tips back his head and roars, “Fuuuuuuck!”
“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Seth says from his causal lean against the railing. “Let them look around. They won’t find her, and then they’ll be gone in a few days.”
“Marston George has access to his niece’s endless resources. With or without our help, he can hire a hundred teams and drag the search out for years if he wants to, and trust me,he will want.”
“That’s fucking stupid. Does Aurelia’s uncle really think she could have survived out here on her own?”
“No. He definitely thinks she’s dead, but the fucker wants a body to prove it.”
