Riley's Torment, A Moon's Glow Novel #2 (7 page)

“Wow! I had no
idea that you were suspicious.”

“I asked Joe a
few times if there was anything he had to tell me, and he always
answered no. So, I thought that maybe I was wrong. It’s a relief to
finally know for sure why he’s been pushing me away.

I had felt the
same way when I learned the truth about Nate.

We grew quiet,
listening for sounds that would be helpful to figure out what was
happening. Charlotte got out four more times, just moving around
the car. She never spoke to us, and we would tense up waiting for
her to make a move, but she didn't. We couldn't figure out what she
was up to. Finally after what seemed like hours, she opened the
trunk.

"Come on, I
don't want you making a mess in my car.” She grabbed my arm,
digging her nails into my skin, and yanked me out. She slammed the
trunk on Lauren; her muffled scream had me tensing in Charlotte’s
grip.

We were at a
rest stop next to a lake on the side of the road. The sun was
shining bright, but the chill from the lake bit at my skin. I was
still only wearing my short-sleeved sweater. The rest stop was
deserted, so any hope of getting help disappeared.

"Why are you
doing this?" I asked her as she shoved me to the small building. I
stumbled along losing my footing, but she didn't notice or didn’t
care.

"Because I
can," was the only answer she gave me.

Once we made it
inside the small foul smelling building, she pushed me into the
stall and left the door open. "Hurry up and go."

I stood in
front of the hole that was cut out of plywood and gaped at her.
"You want me to pee while you watch?" I asked, feeling horrified by
the idea.

"I'm not
leaving you, so if you have to go, do it now. I'm not stopping
again." Her gray eyes shot daggers in my direction.

"Where are you
taking us?" I asked, unable to keep the tremor out of my voice.
Fear throbbed in my chest, taking my breath away.

She just stared
at me with her arms folded in front of her. Her long red hair blew
with the breeze that came through the open side door. Since she
wasn't going to answer me or turn around, I did my business,
forgetting about the need for privacy. When I was done, she shoved
me back into the car and yanked Laruen out.

While I was
waiting for Lauren’s return, I remembered washing my father’s car
with Ben when I was younger. Ben was my family’s groundskeeper and
Mona’s husband. He had left the trunk open and went into the house.
For some odd reason, I climbed inside and shut the lid. At first I
thought it was exciting because I had always wanted a fort, and to
me it was a close alternative—until I tried to open it. Panic set
in, and I started to scream. It felt like I had been in there for
hours, but apparently, it was only a few minutes. After Ben let me
out, he explained that there was a button that I could have pressed
to pop the trunk.

With that
thought in mind, I felt along the trunk lid above me, feeling
nothing but smooth cold metal, until my fingers touched a round,
plastic, button. My heart soared with joy as I pushed it. I almost
cheered when the trunk opened. Cold crisp air rushed through the
gap, and excitement washed over me. Now that I found the button, we
could wait until the car slowed, and then push it open. Just as I
was about to pull the lid closed again, I heard Charlotte yell,
"You little witch!" And then she was there, reaching for my head.
Her eyes were wild and yellow; her face was distorted with rage.
She yanked my hair and slammed it onto the floor of the trunk.

Pain exploded
as blackness took over—again.

"So where do we
start?" Joe asked Nate as they stood about twenty feet down the
driveway outside of the cottage. "We lose the scent here. They've
got to be in a car."

Nate knew
how Charlotte’s sadistic mind worked; she would want revenge for
their happiness. She would want to see them suffer, but she
wouldn't kill the girls because keeping them from their mates would
be punishment enough.

"She won't kill
them," he said softly, gazing down at the gravel below him,
expressing his thoughts out loud.

Joe nodded,
leaning against Nate's black sports car with his arms crossed in
front of him. "No. She's just doing this to make us pay for leaving
her. She's incredibly selfish. Always has been. She didn't think
she did anything wrong. In her mind, she did you a favor by making
you a werewolf."

"And when I
hated what she made me?" Nate asked, glancing at Joe, an eyebrow
arched.

Joe smirked at
his friend as a blast of wind ruffled his hair. "She thought you
were ungrateful."

Nate shook his
head, not surprised by Joseph's words. Even by the little time he'd
spent with Charlotte, he could sense that she believed that the
world owed her something.

"Let me ask you
something," Nate began.

Joe lifted his
head, encouraging him to continue.

"When she
didn't get what she wanted, what was her reaction?"

Joseph laughed
sadly. "She'd throw a hissy fit, even as an adult." He gazed at
Nate, understanding Nate's train of thought. "And you're right;
this is her grown up version of a tantrum. She realized we had
found our mates, and she hadn't. In her mind, since we rejected
her, she had every right to punish us. She'll want us to suffer,
and I’ve a feeling she'll hurt them in some way to get her point
across even further." Joe winced visibly at his own words.

It must be hard for him,
Nate thought. It wasn’t a stranger that took the
women he loved, but his own sister. How could he ever forgive her?
Nate was different; he didn’t have a personal attachment to the
woman in question. He felt his eyes turn a dull yellow and rage
thrum through every cell in his body at the thought of Charlotte
hurting Megan. She was the love of his life. He felt whole with her
around. He had been miserable for over a hundred years, holding
onto guilt for Lucy's death. But Megan freed him from all of that,
made him happier than he'd ever been, even before he was
turned.

"We have to
find them!" Nate's voice was a low growl, his hands clenched into
fists.

"How do you
suggest we do that?" Joe asked with frustration in his voice.

"Well,” Nate
began, refusing to give up, “We both agree that she won't kill the
girls, and she'll want us to find them." Nate paused staring down
the driveway. Dusk had fallen, but thankfully they had perfect
eyesight so the darkness wouldn’t hinder their search. "I think
she'll leave a trail."

Joe nodded,
pushing himself off of the vehicle. "I agree. You drive. I'll stick
my head out the window."

"No, you
drive," Nate argued. A flash of guilt surged through him as he
thought of his teeth scraping Megan’s soft skin. "I marked Megan;
my senses will be stronger."

"You're right.
Let’s go." Joe moved quickly to the other side of the car, eager to
start the search.

They had only
driven to the end of the Riley's Estate when Nate picked up a
scent. "I think she's driving with the window open. The scent seems
blurred, mixed with the wind. But it will make it easier to find
them. Turn right," he instructed.

They drove for
a while in silence with Nate's head leaning slightly out the
window. Every once in a while he'd sniff and then nod to Joe. They
were still on the right track. When they got to the end of Union,
Nate motioned for Joe to turn left. It looked like they were
heading to the interstate.

"I will kill
her for this. You know that, right?" Nate said in a low voice,
breaking the silence that had fallen upon them. He was looking
straight ahead, his eyes focused on the scenery passing by. The
streets were nearly deserted. The evening air was icy, keeping
pedestrians at home or in cars.

Joe shook his
head gravely. "I understand, and my wolf is itching to make her pay
for taking my mate, but she's me sister. I can't kill her." His
voice held a note of fear. “She wasn't always a sadistic
werewolf—she used to be human.”

"She took your
mate!" Nate yelled, slamming his fist against the dashboard in
front of him as frustration took over. He wanted to stop talking
and figure out how to find them, and instead, Joe was defending the
one that had ripped the girls from their grasps. "And she kills for
fun. She needs to die!"

Joe's face was
strained as he turned to glance at Nate. "Don't you think I know
all of this?" he asked, his Irish accent getting thicker with
emotion. "But she is me family. I can't let you kill her." His tone
was firm, and he wouldn’t back down. They both sensed a fight in
their future, but for now they held a common goal—to find their
mates and make sure they were safe.

Nate faced his
friend with pursed lips. "Let’s just find them and then decide what
to do with Charlotte."

Joe turned away
to concentrate once more on the road without uttering a word.

Nate sniffed
again. "Turn here," he said gesturing to the I-81 Northbound. "Do
you think she's headed to Syracuse?"

"No idea. Could
be Watertown, Fort Drum, even Canada. There are lots of
possibilities this way."

"She's your
sister. Where does she live?"

"Do you think
she keeps in contact with me?" Joe asked, with his brow raised. "I
haven't heard from her since I left her. Stephen talks to her every
once in a while. Last time I heard, she was in Chicago."

"Is that how
she found us? Through Stephen?"

Joseph shrugged
his shoulders. "Must be. I certainly didn’t tell her."

They grew
quiet, following the scent trail Charlotte had left them, knowing
that they could be going on a wild goose chase—or even worse, a
trap. But their only option was to follow through; they had to find
the girls, no matter what awaited them.

After about an
hour and a half, Nate glanced at Joe. "I asked Megan to marry me
last night."

Joseph's face
brightened, and his lips formed a small smile. "That's wonderful!
Did she say yes?"

For a brief
moment, Nate's eyes flashed with happiness. Megan had agreed marry
to him, and he still couldn't comprehend why. "Yes. But we didn't
have time to make any plans."

Joe's eyes
widened with alarm. "Is she wearing a ring?" he asked, his voice
was filled with worry.

Nate shook his
head with relief clear on his face. "No, I found it in her
nightstand before we left."

"That's good.
Who knows what Charlotte would do if she saw that?"

Nate nodded. "I
know." He glanced around the area the scent trail had led them.
Civilization had slipped away, leaving only trees, lakes, and
fields. They hadn't seen much of anything for the last half hour.
Just as Nate was about to open his mouth to speak, his nose caught
a big whiff of all three women.

"Stop!" he
yelled, his heart racing. The scents were so strong that the girls
were either here or had been not long ago.

Joe slowed to a
stop, and both werewolves jumped out. The scent led them to a rest
stop, which was empty.

"Should we look
around?" Joe gestured to the woods beyond the small building that
held both men's and women's washrooms. The siding was a faded green
color that hadn’t seen a coat of paint in years. Nate noticed the
cracks and peeled paint in an afterthought as he glanced
around.

"There's no
point. The trail leads to the building and back to the road. Damn
it!" Nate pounded his fist against the side of the building. A loud
thud echoed in the brisk darkness, and the wind rustling through
leaves in the forest beyond was the only answer. It was getting
late, it was already eight thirty. He was frustrated. The moment he
smelled Megan's scent, his hope had soared. He should have known
that Charlotte wouldn't make it that easy.

Back on the
road twenty minutes later, the trail turned left just before
Watertown. As they drove, they realized they were headed to Cape
Vincent. Once they entered the small city, they followed the scent
to Joseph Street and then turned right to St. James. Nate could
smell the hint of a lake ahead of them and remembered that there
was a ferry that led to Canada. Sure enough they came to a dead
end, where a lineup of cars awaited a boat called Horne's Ferry.
The sign on the side of the road read Wolfe Island, Canada.
Apparently, they were going for a boat ride.

"Do you have
your passport on you?" Nate asked Joe, taking his own wallet out to
look for his.

"Actually, I
do," he replied. "I used to travel to Ireland quite often, so I'm
used to keeping it handy."

"It makes sense
that she'd take them to an island. Their scent would be washed away
by water. I doubt we'd even find it on the boat." Nate shook his
head, aggravation filling every cell in his body. "Your sister is
really ticking me off." She definitely was making it hard for them.
"We should get out and sniff around to make sure the trail leads to
the boat. And when the boat arrives, one of us should sneak on to
see if there's any scent on it."

Nate followed a
narrow pebbled beach that led down as far as he could see, while
Joe went the opposite direction. But there was no need to go any
further, the trail ended at the line of cars. Charlotte had
obviously stayed in her vehicle, and whether she boarded the boat
was yet to be determined.

Back at the
car, Joe reported the same results.

As they waited
for the boat to arrive, voices and squawks of birds carried in
through the open windows. Nate could also hear the motor in the
distance, and he estimated it would arrive within fifteen minutes,
but couldn't see the ferry because of the six or so cars ahead of
them. The temperature was dropping, which didn't affect him.
Werewolves could take all kinds of weather, but he was worried
about Megan. Was she outside in the frigid cold, freezing to death?
Was she wondering where he was, afraid he wouldn't find her? Panic
began to fill him, and he tried to shake it off. These thoughts
were not helping. He had to keep it together.