Gaslight (Crossbreed #4)(104)

“I didn’t kill him. Can nothing be done?”

“I’ll keep ignoring him. Maybe he’ll get bored and take a hike. If you ever want to give him the slip when we’re out somewhere and he’s tagging along, just let me know.”

“I’m more concerned about what he’ll see and learn from us.”

“You can’t keep secrets from the dead.”

How much Plato had already seen or overheard, Niko could only guess. The one thing Plato didn’t know was where to find the book—the one Niko had stolen from Cyrus centuries ago. The one hidden within the walls of Keystone.

Niko wrinkled his nose. “Did you just take off your boots?”

“My feet need to breathe.”

“Your feet need a mint.”

Wyatt’s voice grew sullen. “What if something happened to them? Viktor’s our leader. What happens to us then?”

Niko sighed, no words of wisdom to offer. “It will be the end of Keystone.”





Chapter 31





The water in my hair turned to ice, my skin frozen from the wind blasting against it as I ran across the uneven terrain. Flashing kept me warm, but it also depleted my energy, so I only did it intermittently. We’d passed Viktor’s wolf, but it wouldn’t take him too long to catch up. Christian shadowed up a steep hill ahead of me, and I slowed down for the arduous climb. When I reached the top, twinkling lights came into view below.

Christian crouched down. “Stay quiet while I listen.”

I turned around and shielded my breath inside my coat to muffle the sound and bring heat to my body. As much as I wanted to collapse from exhaustion, I’d never be able to get back up, so I remained standing. The temperatures were unbelievably cold, and it was a wonder I hadn’t died in the water. My core energy continued burning within me, a reminder of my immortality.

“They’ve already loaded her on,” Christian said softly. “The ship’s destined for Greenland.”

I crouched next to him, keeping my voice as quiet as possible. “Temple?”

“Aye, he’s down there, from the chatter I’ve heard. I can only hear the ones who are yelling, so they can’t hear our whispers. Especially with the wind blowing in our favor. No talking when we go down. Stay alongshore—the tide will drown out our footsteps.”

I looked to my right at the black ocean that went on forever. If they took off before we could stop them, this would be the end of the line. “What’s the plan when we get down there?”

He rose to his feet, black coat flapping in the wind. “I don’t get the sense the men running the ship work for him. He probably pads their wallets to haul his special cargo. Right now they’re waiting on a truck delivery with a final load before heading out.” Christian turned to face me, ice coating his short beard. “You find the girl. I’ll take care of Temple.”

“That hardly sounds like fun.”

“I’ll come up on the main road and pretend I have business. Whatever you do, don’t let that ship leave the dock with the girl aboard.”

My gaze swung down to the large boats. Two were small and looked like trawlers, while the other was a cargo ship docked near a long pier. Rectangular boxes were stacked up, but it wasn’t one of those massive ships I’d seen in photographs.

Christian brushed the ice from his beard and hair, and I did the same with my own hair. “Everything that happens tonight goes in a report, you hear? Don’t take any civilian lives unless your own life is in danger.”

I was shivering all over but managed to nod.

He shook his head. “I wish there was something I could do to make you warm.” Without another word, Christian sprinted to the left and out of sight.

He left me with mixed emotions about his comment. It seemed genuine and left me wondering about the things that he’d said about us.

“Focus, Raven,” I whispered, descending the snowy hill toward the shore.

Instead of flashing, I walked at a casual pace. If Temple heard any frantic running, he was likely to get spooked and do something crazy. Four men were quietly walking down the wide concrete pier. I wondered if they were the operators of the large cranes used to load the ships. Up a ways to the left was a well-lit building, probably where workers sat down to warm up with a cup of coffee.

I did my best to fix my hair and brush the ice off my coat and pants. When I stepped onto the pier, two men drove by me in a small vehicle. I waved at them and then put my hands back in my pockets. Neither looked like Chitahs. The last thing I needed was someone smelling my emotions.

A heavyset man in a brown coat headed toward me, a clipboard in his left hand. When he didn’t look away, I waved.

“My boss wants me to make sure we have everything loaded.”

He stopped in front of me. “Name?”

I swallowed hard. “Temple.”

While he ran his finger down the list of names on his clipboard, I casually moved my hand out of my pocket and inside my coat where my weapons were.

“Yeah, here it is. Everything’s loaded.”

“Can I take a peek?”

He gave me an impatient look, so I gave him an indignant one in return.

“Look, I almost got fired last time when I took the guy’s word and someone made a mistake on the paperwork. They left the crate behind. I’m not saying you guys aren’t doing your job, but accidents happen, and I really can’t afford to screw up again. I swear it’ll just take a second.” Quickly realizing he was assessing my hair and wet shoes, I shivered. “I’m freezing my ass off out here. On our way over, I made the mistake of questioning him on something, and he tossed my ass out of the car and made me walk the rest of the way. Some people treat you like shit when all you’re trying to do is earn a living. Help a girl out? I’ll be out of your hair as quick as I can.”