Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls #5)(23)

"I'm here," Burnett said. His bright eyes seemed to say he was prepared to fight. He glanced around as if checking for danger, before focusing back on them. "And someone better tell me what the hell's going on."

When no one spoke up fast enough for his impatience, his gaze zeroed in on Kylie. "I was supposed to come get you in the morning." His gaze shot to Derek. "You were supposed to be guarding her at her grandfather's place." He glanced at Lucas. "And you told me you were going to your father's."

"Well, I lied," Lucas bit back, never one to take a reprimand easily. "I wanted to make sure Kylie didn't need me. And she did."

"What happened?" Burnett asked again, his tone implying he was losing patience.

"Mario," Kylie answered.

Burnett's eyes brightened and he glanced around again. "Are you sure it was him?" he asked.

"Positive." Kylie shivered, remembering the wickedness she'd felt from him. She recalled the sensation that he'd enjoyed toying with her-like a cat with a mouse. But the mouse had won this time.

Thanks to the dead, no one had died at Mario's hand, but what about next time? She heard Mario's threat ring in her head. You will come to me, Kylie Galen, come to me willing to die, to suffer at my hands for my pleasure, because the price will be too great!

He spoke with certainty as if he already had a plan in place. Fear tiptoed up her spine.

Burnett continued to glance around. After a few more seconds of putting out his feelers, he looked back at Derek.

"He's gone now," Derek said.

"I can see that."But was he really gone? Being a chameleon, he could turn invisible. He could still be here. Kylie almost said something to that effect, but remembered the other FRU members. And her lack of trust in them kept her mouth closed. The less they knew about her and the chameleons as a whole, the better.

"What were you even doing out here?" Burnett asked, seemingly getting more frustrated the longer he considered things. "The orders were to wait for me until tomorrow. Why do I give orders around here if no one listens to them?"

"We couldn't. They weren't going to let her leave," Derek said, and looked at Kylie as if knowing how hard the truth was for her to hear. And he was right. The ache in her chest tightened.

"They?" Burnett asked. "Who was not going to let her leave?" His gaze shot between Derek and Kylie.

"The chameleons," Derek answered.

Burnett's focus landed back on Kylie, and her chest constricted, knowing Burnett was laying the fault on her grandfather.

"My grandfather wasn't aware of it," Kylie said, but for the life of her she couldn't say it with certainty. And she knew Burnett read her white lie for what it was.

His expression softened for a fraction of a second, as if he could relate to her pain. "You should have called me." Burnett glanced back at Derek.

"He tried," Kylie spoke up again, unwilling to let Derek take the blame for this. "We had to hurry to try to beat the guards and then ... then when he tried to get you, Mario ... he fried Derek's phone."

All of a sudden, the night's blackness was sliced by the beam of headlights. A car came to a screeching halt. Holiday's car.

She barreled out of the Honda, her red hair hanging loose as if she'd just risen from bed. And when her teary-eyed gaze lit on Kylie, she muttered, "Thank God," and put her hand over her lips.

Seeing the emotion in Holiday weakened Kylie's resolve to wait until later to fall apart. She ran up to Holiday and fell into her arms.

As Kylie buried her head on the camp leader's shoulder, she heard Burnett scold, "I thought I told you to wait at the camp."

Kylie felt Holiday tense at the reprimand, and then she raised her head. "And I thought you knew I don't follow anyone's orders."

"Does anyone listen to me around here?" Burnett asked, his frustration making his tone sound almost comical.

"Obviously not," one of the FRU agents said, and chuckled.

Burnett groaned, but Kylie heard his sheer relief. She knew he saw the protection of everyone at Shadow Falls as his personal responsibility. And she loved him for it, too.

"What happened?" Holiday asked, tightening her comforting embrace around Kylie's shoulders.

"Let's discuss it later," Burnett said. "We need to get back to Shadow Falls now."

Kylie knew that discussion would include accusations toward her grandfather. Even as she hurt thinking of that conversation, right now with Holiday's warm, comforting embrace around her, and even hearing Burnett and Holiday bicker, made this moment feel right. It felt like she was almost home.

And that felt really good.

* * *Walking back through the Shadow Falls gate sent a warmth right though Kylie. This was where she belonged. Even the next hour of facing Burnett's questions didn't completely chase away the sensation of being home.

"I'm sorry I have to do this now," Burnett said several times. He'd already gone over everything with Lucas and Derek, while Kylie sat in the office with Holiday. They hadn't talked about what happened tonight because she knew Burnett would want to be present, so they talked about what she'd learned while with her grandfather.

When Burnett came in, the mood grew more serious. "I know you haven't slept at all tonight, but statistics say the longer the wait the more likely you'll forget something."