Page 33 of Dark Wolf Soul
A series of turns lands us in what looks like an industrial area. Warehouses surrounded by chain link fences capped in barbed wire line the back roads where we wind our way along. Finally, Grey pulls in at one of them. The guard house is empty, so we blow past it and come to a stop before a bay door that’s pulled shut.
The minute he parks, the warehouse’s side door opens, and a male figure swathed in shadows motions for Grey to hurry up.
He climbs out and hurries around to my side of the car, yanking my door open impatiently.
“Come on.”
“I’d rather wait here.”
“Not happening.”
“I don’t have shoes.”
He glances at my socked feet. “Your choice,” he reminds me.
Asshole.
I climb out, my heart thudding as he takes my arm and pulls me toward the door where the stranger waits. The only thing I can tell from here is that it’s not Vincenzo. More scenarios run through my mind, each one worse than the last. Maybe Grey’s rejecting his dad’s offer to marry me by having me killed off in secret. Maybe he got tired of keeping me at the apartment, so this is my new prison and new guard. Or maybe he’s selling me to the highest bidder of his enemies. Either way, nothing good can come of me stepping foot in a warehouse with two men at three a.m.
But before I know it, I’m through the doorway and standing before a tall, lanky male with wavy brown hair whose eyes flash with the promise of violence. My pulse speeds, making me wonder exactly who that violence is meant for.
“Hey, boss,” he greets Grey.
“Where’s the douchebag?” Grey demands.
“This way.” The stranger leads the way, and their footsteps echo over concrete floors as we start down an empty hall. “What’s she doing here?” he asks over his shoulder.
“I can’t leave her alone.”
“Not like she can get out of the tower,” the guy points out.
“No, but my father can get in.”
“Damn, the old man’s being a pain already, huh.”
“He can’t help himself,” Grey says.
The stranger snorts. “Sounds about right. Here we are.”
He stops before a door and gestures with a nod. “You ready?”
“Just open the damn door,” Grey mutters.
The stranger does as he asks then steps back. Grey lets me go and walks inside. I hesitate, but the sharp-eyed stranger is right behind me, pressing in close enough to send me shuffling forward.
The room is lit by a single work lamp someone’s brought in and plugged into an extension cord in the far corner. I’m surprised to see three others already waiting inside.
Two more men stand along the wall to my right. One is tall with cropped, dark hair, deep brown eyes, and defined biceps. The other is shorter with longer hair that hangs in his eyes, though there’s a definite resemblance between them.
“Razor. Crow,” Grey greets.
“Brother,” the taller, more muscled of the two returns.
The second is silent.
Grey ignores the fourth figure but I can’t help but stare. A girl, fifteen, maybe sixteen, huddles in the corner on the other side of the two men. Her shirt is torn open, and she holds her arms crossed over her chest to cover herself. She meets my eyes, and the fear that rolls off her is unmistakable. I look from her to the two guys standing between us, and my eyes narrow.
Without waiting for instructions, I shove past the two guys and walk up to the scared girl.
