Excitement hummed through me. “You think they’re keeping Bethany…or Dawson?”
He glanced at me, lips pressed into a tight line. “I don’t know, but I need to get in there and someone needs to keep an eye on the outside while I go.”
Feeling useful, I nodded. “What if the guards are still keeping watch?”
“They weren’t doing anything until Vaughn showed up. He’s home right now. With Nancy.” His lip curled. “I think the two really have something going on.”
It was like Will and my mom. Gross. Thinking of that reminded me of something I needed to ask. “Did you know my mom’s boyfriend is Bethany’s uncle?”
“No.” His brows pinched as he focused on the road. “I didn’t really try to get to know her. Hell, I didn’t really try to get to know any human girl.”
There was a weird flutter in my belly. “So you’ve never…dated a human girl before?”
“Dated? No.” He glanced at me quickly, seeming to decide what to say next. “Hang out with? Yes.”
The flutter turned into a red-hot snake coiling around my insides. Hung out—hung out in the way everyone thought Blake and I were? I wanted to hit something.
“Anyway, I didn’t know they were related.”
I pushed away the jealousy. Now wasn’t the time. “Do you think that’s weird? I mean, he’s related to Bethany, who’s sort of like me now, and he’s messing around with my mom. We know that someone had to have betrayed Dawson and Bethany.”
“It’s weird, but how would he know what had happened? He would’ve needed to have some inside knowledge of the whole healing process to know what to look for.”
“Maybe he’s an implant.”
Daemon looked at me sharply but didn’t say anything. The possibility was disturbing. Will could be using my mom to keep an eye on me. Gaining her trust, sleeping in her bed… I’d kill him.
After a few moments, Daemon cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking about what Matthew told us—the whole marrying DNA thing.”
Every muscle in my body tensed, and I stared straight ahead. “Yeah…?”
“I talked to him later and I asked him about the connection, if it could make someone feel anything. He said no. But I already knew that. Thought you should know.”
Closing my eyes, I nodded. Of course, I already knew that. I squeezed my hands into tight balls. I almost told him I knew, but bringing up Blake would really mar the moment. “What about the whole you die, I die thing?”
“What about it?” he responded, eyes on the road. “There isn’t anything we can do about that other than not getting ourselves killed.”
“There’s more to it than that,” I said, watching the rolling white-tipped hills go by. “We’re really joined together, you know. Like, forever…”
“I know,” he said quietly.
There really wasn’t anything I could add to that.
We arrived at the abandoned industrial park near midnight, driving past it first to make sure there were no cars around. There were three buildings clustered together near a field covered in white. One was a squat, one-story brick building and one in the middle was several stories high, large enough to store a jumbo jet.
Daemon pulled behind one of the buildings, parking the SUV between two large sheds with the front facing the only entrance. He turned to me, killing the engine. “I need to get in that building.” He gestured at the tall one. “But you need to stay in the car while I do this. I need eyes on the road and I don’t know what’s waiting in there.”
Fear pinched my stomach. “What if someone is in there? I want to go with you.”
“I can take care of myself. You need to stay in here, where it’s safe.”
“But—”
“No, Kat, stay here. Text me if anyone comes in.” He reached for the door. “Please.”
Given no other choice, I did nothing as Daemon slid out of the car. Twisting in my seat, I watched him disappear around the side of the building. I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding and faced the front, keeping my eyes trained on the main road.
What if Bethany was in there? Hell, what if Dawson was in there? I couldn’t even wrap my brain around that and what it would mean. Everything would change. Rubbing my hands together, I leaned forward and watched the road. My thoughts kept going back to Will. If he was the implant, then I was so screwed. He’d most likely seen me use my abilities, but if he was the implant, then why hadn’t he contacted the DOD immediately?
Something didn’t add up with that theory.
My breath started to make little puffs of clouds in the rapidly cooling interior. Only ten minutes had passed, but it felt like forever. What was Daemon doing in there? Sightseeing?
I shifted, trying to keep warm. Off in the distance, I saw two headlights piercing the dark. My breath held.
Please go by. Please go by.
The vehicle slowed as it neared the entrance to the industrial park. My heart raced as I realized it was a black Expedition.
“Crap.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent Daemon a quick text. Company.
When he didn’t respond and I didn’t see him heading out of the warehouse, I started to get anxious. The Expedition had disappeared from view, most likely parking in the front. I turned in the seat, gripping the leather until my fingers ached.
No Daemon.
I wasn’t about to let fear or his misguided attempt to keep me safe stop me from helping Daemon. Dragging in a cold breath of air, I opened the door and quietly shut it behind me. Keeping to the shadows, I crept to the corner of the building, passing padlocked bay doors. There were no windows, just a steel door I had no hope of getting open after I tried the lock. Above the door, there was something embedded in the brick, round and glossy in the moonlight, but too dark to make out the color. Glancing back at the bay doors, which were perfect for unloading cargo, it also had a round object embedded over the doors.