Riley's Redemption (A Moon's Glow Novel) (5 page)

The Search

The flight was
uneventful. Since I had called Adrian before my plane took off and gave him my
arrival time, he was there to meet me. He had driven into Sacramento the night
before so he would be there when the plane landed. Then we were planning to
drive the two hours back to Marksville, where he had last caught his sister’s
scent. We’d track her from there.

As I emerged from
baggage claim I saw Adrian’s black hair and tall frame waiting in the lounge.
With all the other scents and smells I couldn’t distinguish his and I was
thankful I wouldn’t need to. Just the sight of him brought back images of our
friendship. There were very few people that I felt a kinship instantly with and
Adrian was one of them. I didn’t realize I had missed him so much until I saw
his rugged features. His face was unshaven with not quite a beard, but a scruff
covering his chin and jaw. His hair was untidy and longer than his usual short
cut. The darkness under his brown eyes showed he wasn’t sleeping well. And the
way his shoulders were slumped, suggested that the last six months of searching
for his sister with no results had taken a toll on him. I knew he would never
give up looking for the last of his family, but I could see that he was
struggling. My heart went out to him. He was determined to keep his remaining
family member with him. And I was determined to help make that happen.

His eyes lit up when he
saw me and I rushed forward closing the distance between us. He hugged me close
when I approached and I breathed in his chocolate, minty scent. His grip was
strong as he held me, further evidence of his frustration. “I’m so glad you’re
here,” he mumbled into my hair.

I tried to pull away,
to return the sentiment, but I was unable to move. His grip was unyielding.

After several minutes
and a few curious glances in our direction from fellow travelers, I began to
feel a little awkward. “Um… Adrian?” My voice was muffled as I spoke into his hard
chest. His black t-shirt smelled of crisp air and sweat.

A soft, “Hmm?” was his
only answer.

“Can you let go? This
is getting weird.”

A deep rumble of a
laugh sounded in his chest as he finally released me. “Sorry. I’m just so happy
to see a familiar face.”

I reached for the
handle of my suitcase and studied him, now that I was closer. “You don’t look
too good.”

He rubbed his hand over
his face with an exasperated sigh. “I don’t feel good either. And I won’t,
until I find my sister.” He took the suitcase from me and started down the
corridor, heading toward the parking lot exit. I followed behind, trying to
keep up to him, swerving around hoards of impatient travelers, both coming and
going. I stared at the back of his t-shirt where there was a brown stain that I
hoped was chocolate. I was afraid to take too big a breath and find out
otherwise. “And I’m going to kill the werewolf who is keeping her from me.”

I stopped walking,
shifting my carry-on to my other shoulder. When Adrian noticed I wasn’t behind
him any longer he stopped. He turned around to face me, his brows rising in
question.

“So, you think it’s a
werewolf as well?” I asked, feeling a little leery. The thought of going up
against another werewolf was not my idea of a good time. I’d had my fair share
of werewolf battles and I was a little nervous to face more. I knew that not
all of our kind were evil, but I had barely survived my run-ins with some that
were.

He shrugged a shoulder
slightly. “It’s the only explanation that makes sense. How else would they know
I’m on their trail?” He began to move again and I reluctantly followed him
through a crowd of people waiting outside the airport doors. When we had passed
them he turned his head to look at me. “And besides, I’ve scented what I
believe to be werewolf, but the scent is off. I can’t explain it.”

“What do you mean,
off
?”

He shrugged again,
coming to a stop beside his Jeep. He opened the back and stashed my bag inside.
Shuffling to the passenger door he turned the lock and opened the door for me.
Instead of moving out of the way so I could climb in he stared off into the
distance, deep in thought. A gust of cold air brushed my cheeks as I waited for
him to speak. “I don’t know. There’s an added scent to it, one I’ve never
smelled before. I’d like your take on it. I just hope the scents are still
there when we return.”

When he moved to the
driver’s side of the car, I climbed in…and winced. The air inside the vehicle
wasn’t exactly what you’d call…fresh.

“Sorry, it kind of
stinks in here, I’ve been basically living in here for the last few months.”
His words were confirmed when I glanced around the interior. There were food
wrappers littering the floor and what appeared to be dirty clothes strung in
the backseat.

“You might want to
invest in an air freshener,” I suggested, wishing I could plug my nose. Even
though I had accepted becoming a werewolf, I could have done without the
heightened sense of smell right about then.

He laughed as I rolled
down my window. Fresh air was definitely needed. “Yeah, well, maybe later. But
right now I want to get back to Marksville. We need to return to the hunt as
soon as possible.”

As he started the car
and pulled out of the lot I leaned forward, squeezing his leg, hoping to give
him some reassurance. He was no longer alone. I was here and I would help him
in any way possible. We wouldn’t stop until we found her. “We’ll find her.”

Instead of answering he
pursed his lips and nodded his head ever so slightly.

He was silent during
the drive back to the town where he had last scented his sister. To fill the
silence I prattled on about the shelter, filling him in on the progress they
were making on the addition.

“Are they using 2x4’s
or 2 x6’s?” he asked as we passed a tiny town I hadn’t caught the name of.
Fields stretched before us and the sun shone brightly in the sky reflecting off
the white road signs. After the dismal day we had back in Creekford the sun was
a welcome change. And since we were in California there was no humidity like I
was used to.

He might as well have
been speaking a foreign language. “Huh?”

“What size of studs are
they using?”

My brow furrowed. “For
what?”

“To frame the
addition.” He spoke slowly, as if talking to a child.

“I don’t know.”

“They should be using
2x6’s; they’re sturdier. What kind of insulation are they putting in?”

Again, I had no idea? I
shrugged my shoulders. “Adrian, I don’t have to know this stuff.”

“If you’re in charge
then you should know.”

“I trust Mark. He’s the
head contractor and it seems like he knows what he’s doing.”

“You’re paying him;
he’ll say anything to make you think that. Just be careful. There are people
out there that will take advantage.”

I puffed out a
frustrated sigh. A snotty comeback about how he was supposed to be the
contractor was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t say that. I knew he was
doing what he had to. And I would do anything to help. “Well, once we find
Marisa you can be in charge.”

His lips turned
slightly at the corners, an attempt at a smile. “I hope so. And I’m sorry for
bailing on you when you first started the addition. I really wanted to help.”

I waved my hand at him,
dismissing his words. “It’s fine. She’s your sister, the last of your family;
there is nothing more important than that.” I wished I felt the same for my own
family. My parents and I hardly ever spoke and I honestly wasn’t sure how hard
they would look for me if I was missing. It made what Adrian was doing all the
more special. Not everyone would do it.

The drive only took an
hour and a half, mainly because of Adrian’s crazy driving. After we arrived he
pulled up alongside a four-story apartment building, in the middle of what
looked like the center of the small town.

“Do you smell
anything?” he asked when we stepped out onto the sidewalk. He meant did I smell
a werewolf. I had never met his sister, therefore I wouldn’t have been able to
distinguish her scent from any other humans that were walking past.

I breathed in deeply,
but could only smell food, garbage, animals and human scents. “No, if it was
here, it’s gone now. Why? Do you smell it?”

He shook his head. “No,
but I did yesterday morning before I called you.” A twinge of guilt appeared at
his words. Since I didn’t get back to him until last night he wasted a whole
day waiting for me.

“So what do we do now?”
I asked, new to this whole tracking thing. Nate and Joe had done it when they
were searching for me and Lauren after Charlotte had kidnapped us. It took them
a day and a half to finally track us down. But I had never had the need to find
anyone and didn’t know if I could.

He glanced around our
surroundings. “Well, so far whoever has taken her has gone a straight route, so
we keep heading north. Hopefully we’ll catch a scent somewhere.”

“Should we take a look
in their old apartment to see if there are any hints to where they might be
headed?” I asked as I scanned the sidewalk. Two old men dressed in sweater
vests and shorts were headed our way, carrying on a heated conversation. They
barely noticed us as we stepped out of their way. A cloud of old spice wafted
in the air. I coughed from the sheer strength of it and my eyes threatened to
water.

“I did that yesterday.
There was nothing.”

Since he wasn’t
offering any suggestions I offered the only one I could think of. “How about I
drive and you can keep your head out the window.”

He raised a brow at my
words.

I shrugged. “That’s
what Nate and Joe did when they were looking for me and Lauren.”

A half grin played at
his lips, but his eyes were tormented. The reminder of my kidnapping must have
brought up memories of his time with Charlotte. He hated her actions, but did
nothing to stop her because he was afraid for his sister’s life. I understood
his predicament and didn’t hold him responsible. He was as much of a victim to
Charlotte’s sadistic behavior as I was.

He tossed me the keys
before opening the passenger door. When I slid into the driver’s side he told
me what road to take.

As we began our journey
we fell in to a quiet lull. I was focussing on the road and his head was
leaning out the window like a dog with its tongue hanging out. When I asked him
if he wanted a doggy biscuit he rolled his eyes and pointed a certain finger at
me. I laughed as I turned back to the road, allowing the quiet take over again.

After a few miles he
broke the silence. “I’m surprised that Nate let you out of his sight,
Mrs.
Riley
.” He elbowed me playfully, leaning away from the window for a moment.

My cheeks flushed,
embarrassed for some reason. Adrian and I were friends and had never hinted at
anything more, so I was surprised that his use of my married name affected me.
“He wanted to come and help, but he has a meeting tomorrow that he can’t get
out of. But he said he would try to meet us afterward if we still haven’t found
her.”

His jovial expression
faded. “I don’t want to be a bother. I only asked you because you offered.” His
voice was strained at the mention of Nate coming to help.

“I hope you don’t think
he holds my kidnapping against you. I know he punched you when he found out,
but he now understands why you did it.”

Remorse flashed in his
dark eyes. “I am so sorry about that.”

I let go of the
steering wheel and reached out, placing my right hand on his. “I know,” I said
softly, hoping to ease some of his guilt. He smiled sadly as I returned my hand
to the wheel.

He returned to his
former position, his head leaning out the window, the wind slapping his hair
around his face. “I’m also sorry that I couldn’t make your wedding. How did
your mom handle you eloping?”

I grimaced as I noticed
a sign up ahead announcing a new town. “Not well. She screamed and cried when I
called her.”

“That must have been
rough,” he said with sympathy in his voice. He knew that my relationship with
my mother had been strained even though he had never met her. I had told him
plenty about her when we first met.

“It was. But it got
even worse when she stormed into the cottage and yelled at me the day Nate and
I returned from our honeymoon.”

His eyes widened in
sympathy, shock and even a tiny bit of humor. “How did you react to that?”
There was a slight tremor in his voice and I knew that he was fighting
laughter.

I chose to ignore his
reaction. “I screamed at her and told her all of the things I’ve always wanted
to.” I turned away from the road to look at him. “She actually apologized.”

He smiled. “Well,
that’s good isn’t it?”

I focussed on the road
ahead. “I guess, but it doesn’t change anything. Although she is planning a
small reception with Mona and she’s keeping it small and tasteful.”

“Do you think you’ll
have a better relationship with your parents now?”

“I doubt it. I’ve
accepted them as they are and I don’t expect them to change, especially after
just one rant from me.”

He was silent for a
moment gazing out the window, his nostrils flaring as he checked for his
sister’s scent. “I’d give anything to have my parents back.” The wistfulness in
his voice was heartbreaking.

“Tell me about them.” I
said, feeling sorry that Charlotte changed his life so drastically in one
night. She killed his parents and sent his five-year-old sister away. He hadn’t
seen her in ten years.

He smiled sadly, a
shadow washing over his dark brown eyes. “My father owned a construction
company and my mother was an interior designer. They both worked a lot, but
when they were home they always planned fun things for us to do. My father and
I built a tree house together and we used to have sleepovers in it when I was a
kid. He was too tall for it, so his legs stuck out of the window when he
slept.” His voice trailed off as we drove into a small town. “Are you hungry?”
he asked as a burger joint came into view. I suspected he was happy to change
the subject and I wasn’t going to pry for more.