Page 35 of Nick
The town of Sunburst faded behind them, its collection of weathered buildings and sun-bleached signs giving way to the open expanse of the desert.The Jeep ahead kicked up a cloud, but Hannah kept her eyes fixed on her quarry, her senses sharpened.
The landscape rolled by, and the Jeep veered off the main road onto a lesser-traveled path, sending up a fresh plume of dust.Hannah eased off the accelerator, allowing the gap between them to widen further still.
It was a delicate dance, one she had mastered in her years maneuvering through the intricate politics of the pack.
But today was different.Today felt charged, electric with the possibility of change, of new alliances and old betrayals coming to light.Hannah’s ambitions tugged at her, promising to propel her to new heights.
As the Jeep turned once more, disappearing momentarily behind a rise of the mesa, Hannah prepared to follow.But she knew where they were headed now.
Hannah’s black sedan crept to a halt just beyond the rusted archway that marked the entrance to Sarah’s trailer park.From her vantage point, she could see figures emerging from the Jeep, Nick’s silhouette unmistakable even at this distance.
“Interesting,” she murmured, watching as Malcolm, Larissa, and Anders materialized from the twilight shadows.No sound carried to her ears, but their body language was telling enough.
Reunion or conspiracy?Hannah needed to know what they were planning.
Hannah slid out of the car and pressed herself against the side, her gaze never straying from the group.
“Come on, give me something I can use,” she whispered, almost willing them to betray their secrets to the open air.As the twilight deepened, she crept forward.Each step was silent, deliberate, the dust beneath her feet undisturbed by her passage.
She found a spot where the trailers formed a narrow alley, the perfect hideaway for an eavesdropper.She allowed her senses to extend outward, straining for snippets of conversation that might drift on the breeze, her sharp eyes fixed on the group moving ahead.Nick’s broad silhouette led the way, but the entire group seemed oblivious to the danger trailing them like a silent serpent.
“Keep close.”Nick’s low voice was thick with caution and an undercurrent of command that made Hannah’s lip curl.She could see his tall frame tense, muscles coiled.
How could so many of them think they were being sneaky as they all headed to Sarah Sanchez’s house?
Hannah’s features twisted into a snarl.
She fucking hated Sarah.The other woman was a mealymouthed little bitch yet so certain of her own superiority.She hadn’t always been that way.But she was now.
A single mother of a bastard child.
Hannah rolled her eyes.
Well.Sarah wouldn’t be able to hold on to that sense of superiority for long.
Here, out on the edge of town where Sarah lived, Hannah was about to strike gold.
She was sure of it.
The air was thick with the scent of sagebrush and anticipation, the latter all emanating from Hannah as she moved out from behind her car.She’d parked it near the entrance to the scrubby little trailer park where Sarah and Una had moved after Sarah’s beloved Nick had left her alone and pregnant.
Stupid little slut.
Hannah moved gracefully, her blonde ponytail swinging as she slid around the edges of the trailer houses.Each step was calculated, designed to keep her hidden yet close enough to catch snippets of conversation or, better yet, discover incriminating evidence.
They were planning something.
Hannah quickened her pace as the last of the stupid rebels stepped into the crappy house.She closed the gap just enough to overhear the strained murmurs of strategy.
Nick’s voice, a deep rumble, spoke of plans and contingencies, while Sarah’s softer tones said something about updates on their resources.
Hannah’s lips curved into a smirk; they were laying out Vincent’s downfall with every word they didn’t know she could hear.
Hannah’s anticipation thrummed in her veins, a pulsating rhythm that quickened with every step she took.
The rebels were foolish to think they could outwit Vincent, and even more so to believe they could conceal their plans from the pack’s prying eyes and ears.As Sarah’s soft voice joined Nick’s, Hannah’s excitement peaked.
Oh, how sweet it would be to pluck their secrets like ripe fruit, to lay their vulnerabilities bare before Vincent.
