Chapter 24 Only solution
Eva
The ride back to Harlan County was a blur of asphalt and anger. The wind whipped my hair, a cold, stinging lash against my skin. I pushed the Ducati to its limits, the engine a snarling beast beneath me, a reflection of the rage building inside me.
How dare they? How dare he? Ronan. Using a child as a threat. It was a cheap, dirty move. And it was effective.
I didn't want to go back. I didn't want to see him. But as I stopped in front of the megachurch, I had a plan. A terrible, stupid, reckless plan that would probably get me killed. But it was better than the alternative.
I cut the engine. I walked through the church door and into the darkness.
He was in The Pit. I could hear the sounds of a fight, the dull thud of fists on flesh, the roar of the crowd. The pack was here, in full force. They were drinking, talking, laughing, a normal group of people on a normal Saturday night, watching an illegal fight club. If you didn't know what to look for, you'd never guess they were a pack of werewolves.
I walked down the stairs. Jed saw me first. His eyes widened, and he started towards me, but I held up a hand, stopping him in his tracks. I put my fingers on my lips as I glanced at the cage. Then I pointed to the stairs that lead upstairs.
Malach stood in the center of the cage, shirtless, with blood trickling down his temple and a feral grin on his face. He was fighting another man, a big, burly guy with a beard. He was winning, of course. He always won.
The crowd was going wild, their cheers deafening. I took a deep breath; the torc wasn't around his neck for once, so it was in that room. With one last glance at Malach and Jed, I started walking up the stairs.
The mausoleum's door was unlocked as I approached, my stomach sinking. Malach, never, really, never lets this door unlocked. I pushed it open, and I stepped inside.
And there it was. The torc. Lying on a velvet cushion inside a small glass case.
My hands trembled as I fumbled with the lock on the case. It was a simple one. I had it open in seconds. I reached in, my fingers closing around the cool, heavy metal. My palm instantly warmed, the same low hum as before. I had it. I had the key to a child's safety. I turned to leave.
"Leaving so soon, Evangeline?" Chloe's voice, sharp and cold, cut through the silence. She was standing in the doorway, blocking my only exit. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Get out of my way, Chloe," I said, my voice tight.
"Or what?" she challenged, taking a step into the room. "You'll run me over with that bike of yours again?" She glanced at the torc in my hand. "You're stealing from him. Again."
"It's not stealing when it was originally mine," I shot back, my grip tightening on the torc.
Chloe let out a short, harsh laugh. "Now you believe that you are the High Priestess, are you?"
"I'm the girl who's about to get a kid killed if I don't walk out of here with that thing," I said, my patience wearing thin. "So, unless you want a child's blood on your hands, you will move."
Chloe's expression tightened. "What are you talking about?"
"Ronan. From Nashville," I said, deciding the truth was my only weapon. "He's made threats. Against the pack. Against the kids."
The color drained from Chloe's face. "How do you know this?"
"He sent some friends to have a little chat with me at a diner," I said. "They weren't very subtle."
Chloe stared at me, her mind racing. Then she looked at the torc and back at me. "You're not running away," she said. It wasn't a question. "You're running toward him."
"I'm running toward a solution. One that doesn't involve a dead kid." I saw the shift in her eyes. She stepped aside, a silent, reluctant permission for me to pass.
I walked past her, the torc clutched in my hand.
"Eva," she said, her voice quiet. "Be careful."
I didn't look back. I just kept walking.
The best way out was the elevator; I could skip the Pit and the crowd. I moved quickly, my boots silent on the concrete floor. The sounds of the fight faded behind me as I approached the elevator shaft. I peered down into the darkness and up. Not my first rodeo with this thing.
I started to climb. My wrist throbbed with each pull of the cable. But I didn't stop. I had to get out of here before he realized I was gone. Before I had to face him.
When I hauled myself over the edge and onto the dusty floor of the church, a cold shiver ran down my spine. I turned, and there he was. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, as if he'd been waiting for me. Jed, you little snitch.