A Discovery of Secrets and Fate (Chronicles of the Stone Veil #2) - Sawyer Bennett Page 0,60

maybe Carrick is just so freaking scary that there’s no ignoring the vibes of terror she’s putting off over his threat. Echo nods hastily at Carrick, and he extends the money toward her. She hesitates, perhaps thinking it’s a trick and he’ll kill her now.

He pushes it at her, forcing it into her hands. Echo doesn’t say a word, but pivots on her foot and darts deep into the camp to get away from us.

“Let’s go,” Carrick says, leading us back the way from which we’d come. “We still have a hunt to do.”

“A hunt?” I exclaim, jogging to catch up with him. Titus and Maddox trail behind. “I thought this was our hunt.”

Carrick doesn’t even look at me, his tone bland. “That was a fact-finding mission.”

“So we’re going somewhere else?”

True to form, Carrick ignores my question, instead saying, “I hope you learned an important lesson back there?”

I glance back at the encampment. “Um… bring lots of bribery money?”

Carrick stops abruptly and I have no choice but to do the same as his hand latches onto my arm, stopping my momentum. Titus and Maddox walk past us.

Leaning into me, Carrick warns, “Do not get aggressive with any form of fae or daemon. You stepped into Echo without any regard for your own safety. Had she wanted to, she could have hit you in the chest with enough force to rupture your aorta. You completely underestimated her, and you could have been seriously hurt.”

“But… but… I had you, Titus, and Maddox there,” I stutter a lame excuse.

“And you saw that neither one of us were able to stop her from doing that to you,” he snaps, then lifts a finger and taps me on the head with it. “You need to think, Finley, or you’re going to get yourself hurt or killed.”

I wrench my arm away from him, now angry at being treated like a child. “I do think. I’m clever and yes, I may have underestimated her, but I went up against an incubus and won. I was smart enough to get out of an enclosed space in my bedroom, and lure him to my backyard so I could use my whip to—”

“You got lucky,” he snarls. “Humans are no match for fae or daemons in strength. Don’t ever forget it and always be wary, even if one appears to be on your side.”

“Like Zaid?”

“Zaid isn’t on your side,” he replies, pointing out. “He’s on my side.”

I actually sort of knew this, so I don’t argue. We both turn toward the Hummer, up ahead seeing Maddox and Titus already there.

“Where are we going?” I ask again.

“Back to the bar you and Adira met Wade in,” he replies and I almost stumble on the pavement I’m so caught off guard.

“But why?”

“Because you said there was another incubus there that might have been working in conjunction with Wade. We’d like to ask him a few questions.”

The hairs stand up on the back of my neck from his tone, a menacing mix of determination and the promise of pain if the answers don’t come easily. This is a different Carrick than I’ve known before, and while I had suspected he was dangerous—just like Echo a bit ago—I think I underestimated him, too.

CHAPTER 14

Finley

Maddox parks his Hummer a few blocks from the bar in a no-parking zone, yet deep in my gut, I know he won’t get ticketed or towed. It’s like his confidence and what I’ve come to find to be an enormous but slightly charming ego will keep any wily police away.

Or maybe it’s magic.

As Carrick’s brother, maybe he serves the gods and has special abilities, too.

Regardless, I don’t question the darkened street as he shuts the engine off. None of the men move to open doors, and Carrick points to the back cargo area. “Grab the bag, Titus.”

Titus shifts, reaches a meaty arm over the back of the seat, and nabs a small duffel. He hands it to me without even questioning the contents.

I frown as I place the bag on my lap and unzip it. There’s something black and shimmery on top and I pull it out to reveal a skimpy dress with spaghetti straps. I glance back down into the bag to see black strappy heels.

“Oh, hell no,” I exclaim, shoving the dress back into the bag and glaring at Carrick. He’s watching over his shoulder from the front, same as Maddox who has a lopsided grin on his face. “I am not wearing that dress in there. There’s