Torn
Page 18
Ren faced me.
I ignored his look. “Yeah, I think I am.”
Ren squinted.
I also ignored that.
“Sounds good. We need every able-bodied person out there.” Miles turned back to the table. “The fae may be lying low right now, but we know it’s not going to stay that way. It’s only a matter of time. We need to be ready.”
This was the perfect time for me to mention the whole prince thing, but the words wouldn’t even form on my tongue. I glanced at the wall of monitors and started to look away when one of the images snagged my attention. My eyes narrowing, I turned fully to the monitor on the left, on the last row. It was a house—an old antebellum, which wasn’t odd since there were a lot of homes like that, but I recognized this one.
“You’re watching Val’s parents’ house?” I asked.
“Yep.” Miles picked up a folder and opened it. “Have been for the last week.”
Shit. That meant going to Val’s house was off the table. She wasn’t dumb, though. She’d be nowhere near that place. I still planned on checking out Twin Cups, a bar a few streets off the Quarter that was actually a hidden bar within a bar. Val like to go there to relax and chill after work. The likelihood that she’d be there was slim, but it was a start.
I looked over at Ren. His gaze was trained on me. A lazy half-smile was on his face, and I was thinking, based on that expression, that he wasn’t too mad about me being out on the streets. The problem with that was he was going to be hard to shake while I went looking for Val and her parents.
Knowing that the Order was probably still questioning them, there could only be a few places where they’d be kept. Definitely not here. I glanced at the wall again. Two of the TVs were off. Both would’ve linked to two different facilities the Order had. One was over in the warehouse district. The other was an old mansion, most likely haunted, out near the bayou. Those damn monitors would tell me where they were without me having to waste my time or get caught sneaking around. What I was going to do once I figured out where they were was still up in the air.
I was kind of winging things right about now.
I placed my hands on the back of a chair. “How are things going with Val’s parents?”
“Her parents are no longer a concern,” Miles tossed the file onto the desk.
The breath I took got stuck. “What does that mean?”
“You know what it means.” Miles walked around the desk, grabbing a dagger. He pushed up his sleeve, showing a forearm holster, and shoved the dagger in place.
My gaze flew over to Ren. His lazy smile was gone. A muscle was flexing along his jaw. Oh no, no. I looked back to Miles. He was heading out the door, into the main room. “Did they confess to anything?”
“No.” Miles snorted. “Not like either of them was going to admit to fucking a fae. Doesn’t matter. They were compromised, and the sooner we find their daughter, the better. And if we’re lucky, that bitch isn’t knocked up yet. Doubtful, but we can hope.”
Oh God.
I closed my eyes tight.
I was too late.
Chapter Seven
The floor shifted under my feet. Val’s parents were dead. Miles didn’t need to confirm it. I knew. I was too late. Instead of getting my shit together the moment I’d learned that the Order had her parents squirreled away, I’d moped around my apartment for days, and now I was too late to even attempt to do a damn thing.
“Hey.” Ren’s voice was soft. “You okay?”
I exhaled slowly as I lifted my gaze to his. “Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That they’d taken her parents out?”
“What?” He stared at me a moment and then started toward the door. He closed it and faced me, brows knitted. “I’m pretty sure everyone in the Order knew that was going to happen, including you.”
He was right, but I thought there was time. Hell, I don’t even know what I thought.
Ren approached me. “How can you be so surprised?”
“I . . .” I wet my lips. “Do we have irrefutable proof that Val is a halfling?”
He placed a hand on the chair. “No, but—”
“But we don’t. And let me guess, her parents maintained their innocence this whole time,” I said, knowing I needed to keep my mouth shut but couldn’t. “Right? So what if we’re wrong? What if Val is just a traitorous bitch, but not a halfling, and the Order just flat out murdered her parents? They were good people, Ren. Dedicated their entire lives to the Order.”
And that was true. They were good people, and now they were gone. A bitter sadness blanketed me.
A moment passed and his expression softened. “You knew them.”
“Of course I did. Not really well, but that’s . . .” I trailed off, closing my eyes. Guilt churned the acids in my stomach. By staying quiet, had I gotten Val’s parents killed? They would’ve been walking a very fine edge even if no one believed her to be the halfling, based on her actions alone, but I couldn’t help thinking of the role I’d played in Shaun and my adoptive parents’ deaths.
“I’m sorry.” Ren circled an arm around my shoulders and tugged me to him. I went, but my arms were still limp at my sides. “I want to forget that you were close to her. That’s wrong of me.” He paused, letting out a rough breath. “And I get why you want to be out here and why you feel you need to find Val.”
I ignored his look. “Yeah, I think I am.”
Ren squinted.
I also ignored that.
“Sounds good. We need every able-bodied person out there.” Miles turned back to the table. “The fae may be lying low right now, but we know it’s not going to stay that way. It’s only a matter of time. We need to be ready.”
This was the perfect time for me to mention the whole prince thing, but the words wouldn’t even form on my tongue. I glanced at the wall of monitors and started to look away when one of the images snagged my attention. My eyes narrowing, I turned fully to the monitor on the left, on the last row. It was a house—an old antebellum, which wasn’t odd since there were a lot of homes like that, but I recognized this one.
“You’re watching Val’s parents’ house?” I asked.
“Yep.” Miles picked up a folder and opened it. “Have been for the last week.”
Shit. That meant going to Val’s house was off the table. She wasn’t dumb, though. She’d be nowhere near that place. I still planned on checking out Twin Cups, a bar a few streets off the Quarter that was actually a hidden bar within a bar. Val like to go there to relax and chill after work. The likelihood that she’d be there was slim, but it was a start.
I looked over at Ren. His gaze was trained on me. A lazy half-smile was on his face, and I was thinking, based on that expression, that he wasn’t too mad about me being out on the streets. The problem with that was he was going to be hard to shake while I went looking for Val and her parents.
Knowing that the Order was probably still questioning them, there could only be a few places where they’d be kept. Definitely not here. I glanced at the wall again. Two of the TVs were off. Both would’ve linked to two different facilities the Order had. One was over in the warehouse district. The other was an old mansion, most likely haunted, out near the bayou. Those damn monitors would tell me where they were without me having to waste my time or get caught sneaking around. What I was going to do once I figured out where they were was still up in the air.
I was kind of winging things right about now.
I placed my hands on the back of a chair. “How are things going with Val’s parents?”
“Her parents are no longer a concern,” Miles tossed the file onto the desk.
The breath I took got stuck. “What does that mean?”
“You know what it means.” Miles walked around the desk, grabbing a dagger. He pushed up his sleeve, showing a forearm holster, and shoved the dagger in place.
My gaze flew over to Ren. His lazy smile was gone. A muscle was flexing along his jaw. Oh no, no. I looked back to Miles. He was heading out the door, into the main room. “Did they confess to anything?”
“No.” Miles snorted. “Not like either of them was going to admit to fucking a fae. Doesn’t matter. They were compromised, and the sooner we find their daughter, the better. And if we’re lucky, that bitch isn’t knocked up yet. Doubtful, but we can hope.”
Oh God.
I closed my eyes tight.
I was too late.
Chapter Seven
The floor shifted under my feet. Val’s parents were dead. Miles didn’t need to confirm it. I knew. I was too late. Instead of getting my shit together the moment I’d learned that the Order had her parents squirreled away, I’d moped around my apartment for days, and now I was too late to even attempt to do a damn thing.
“Hey.” Ren’s voice was soft. “You okay?”
I exhaled slowly as I lifted my gaze to his. “Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That they’d taken her parents out?”
“What?” He stared at me a moment and then started toward the door. He closed it and faced me, brows knitted. “I’m pretty sure everyone in the Order knew that was going to happen, including you.”
He was right, but I thought there was time. Hell, I don’t even know what I thought.
Ren approached me. “How can you be so surprised?”
“I . . .” I wet my lips. “Do we have irrefutable proof that Val is a halfling?”
He placed a hand on the chair. “No, but—”
“But we don’t. And let me guess, her parents maintained their innocence this whole time,” I said, knowing I needed to keep my mouth shut but couldn’t. “Right? So what if we’re wrong? What if Val is just a traitorous bitch, but not a halfling, and the Order just flat out murdered her parents? They were good people, Ren. Dedicated their entire lives to the Order.”
And that was true. They were good people, and now they were gone. A bitter sadness blanketed me.
A moment passed and his expression softened. “You knew them.”
“Of course I did. Not really well, but that’s . . .” I trailed off, closing my eyes. Guilt churned the acids in my stomach. By staying quiet, had I gotten Val’s parents killed? They would’ve been walking a very fine edge even if no one believed her to be the halfling, based on her actions alone, but I couldn’t help thinking of the role I’d played in Shaun and my adoptive parents’ deaths.
“I’m sorry.” Ren circled an arm around my shoulders and tugged me to him. I went, but my arms were still limp at my sides. “I want to forget that you were close to her. That’s wrong of me.” He paused, letting out a rough breath. “And I get why you want to be out here and why you feel you need to find Val.”
