Free Web NovelChapter 135: Answers Owed II
"What?"
"I didn’t come back for you, even when I promised that I would," Gus said, his tone contrite as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. His eyes shifted from mine, choosing instead to stare at a random crack on the sidewalk. "If it weren’t for me, you would have escaped to Everhaven on your own. But because you helped me, you got caught. You must have suffered a lot."
I snorted. I supposed that was one way of putting it.
"Well, I’m alive now," I said simply. There was no way I was going to tell Gus about the highs and lows of my life after I sacrificed myself to save his sorry hide. "At least you seem to be doing well for yourself."
I meant that as an honest statement, but Gus flinched as if I had hit him below the belt.
"I wanted to go back for you, but by the time I made it out of Fangborne’s territory, I was so out of it it took me a while to recover. Truthfully, I was too scared to return, in case I repeated my own sorry history. I was a coward."
I simply sighed. Everything had worked out well in the end, thankfully.
"If you do feel guilty, you can start telling me more about this." I held the ruby pendant in between my fingers carefully. "I need more information about this. Who was the poor sod you stole this from? How did it even end up in the auction house?"
"I’ll do my best to answer your questions, but why do you want to know?" Gus asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Isn’t finding a place to stay and a job more important at the moment?" freewebnovёl.ƈom
"I’m not planning on staying," I said impatiently. Gus must have assumed I was seeking shelter after escaping from Fangborne. "And this necklace is important to me. That’s all you need to know. So out with it, tell me everything! Who did you kill to get this?"
"Would you believe me if I told you it was some random deadbeat?" Gus asked.
"A random deadbeat?" I repeated in disbelief. "Gus, you should keep better track of your lies. Back then, you claimed that you got this necklace from bashing in the head of some man who splurged a hundred thousand on it. What random deadbeat can afford to throw a hundred thousand dollars on a fancy trinket?" I smiled, showing off all of my teeth.
"Oh, you still remember my words?" Somehow, Gus seemed more pleased than embarrassed that I caught him in the lie. He was slowly but surely testing my patience.
"Of course I did, and I’m glad I did. If I believed your words, I would be no better than a fool. Now stop wasting my time and give me the truth before I start jabbing at you with silver."
"You got me. It wasn’t some random deadbeat," Gus admitted. "I don’t know who he was, but he looked expensive. I remember thinking his shoes were so shiny, I could eat a meal off them!" He looked at me, half-expecting me to crack a smile at his comment.
I only gave him a stony glare in response, and he caught the hint, clearing his throat to give me actual information.
"I wasn’t kidding about not knowing who he was, but I can bring you to the place that I got the necklace from."
"So, it wasn’t from some dead man’s neck?" I asked.
"...No," Gus admitted, a little shamefacedly, "I embellished that part of the tale to make myself sound cooler. I actually just stole it from someone’s home and it was empty, but that doesn’t make for a good story."
"You need some serious help," I muttered in reply. Suddenly, I’m starting to realize how a rogue like him might be foolish enough to end up injured in Fangborne’s territory. He might have simply thought it was ’cool’ to try to sneak into forbidden territory.
"Guilty as charged," Gus agreed. "But I still remember where it is. I could take you there if you’d like. I have a car, so it isn’t too far from here. We’ll make it back before sundown."
"Just give me the address and I’ll go on my own," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "Don’t you have work today? I recall you saying that you had jobs lined up."
I wouldn’t get into a car with a strange man, werewolf or not, and let him drive me off to some location only he knew of. If I wanted to be murdered, I would have found easier ways. The only men I would trust to drive me around were Blaise and Damon.
Ironic, considering our circumstances.
"You’re so suspicious. That’s good," Gus said approvingly. "That’ll help you survive in this world. But you have nothing to fear from me. I am a perfectly safe driver."
"You sound even more suspicious when you say things like that. And it’s not your driving I’m worried about," I couldn’t help but retort, scoffing at his audacity.
"Are you scared that I would kidnap you?" Gus exclaimed, sounding affronted at the accusation.
"Let’s just say I do not have the best impression of you after you just admitted to making up lies to sound cooler," I said dryly. "You might simply drive me to some billionaire’s fancy house and get me arrested, wasting my time."
"I would never waste your precious time like this. I swear, from the bottom of my heart, I am telling the truth," Gus insisted, placing a hand on his chest.
I snorted.
"From personal experience, handsome men tend to lie the most."
"So you think I’m handsome? Harper, I’m so delighted."
There was no way around it; Gus practically beamed from ear to ear after hearing my words. His already pale skin seemed to glow with some inner radiance, as though he was a pregnant woman basking in the joy of impending motherhood.
Ugh.
"Don’t flatter yourself," I said, my right eye twitching at his shamelessness. I felt the strong urge to deflate his confidence. "You’re barely passable as it is. Now give me the address of the place!"
"Fine, you wound me," Gus sighed dramatically, as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. "It’s a three-hour drive west from here. There’s a house nestled in the woods, you can’t miss it because there’s only one house for miles. I actually stumbled upon it because I was lost and hungry."
"Then you robbed the house," I said.
"Then I robbed the house," Gus concurred without any remorse. "In my defense, the occupants seemed very wealthy. I doubted they would miss some potatoes and one necklace."
Wealthy. Hmm. Perhaps these mysterious people would also be powerful enough to find out what happened to my mother.
"Thanks for the information, I’ll go now," I said.
"How? Do you plan to walk there?" Gus asked, horrified. "Your legs will break before you make it! Really, just let me drive you there. I swear nothing will happen―"
Just as I was about to think of a way to reply, my phone began to ring.
