Chapter 2 - Westley
I stared at the library, wondering whether Gabriella was there. I still had ten minutes before she was supposed to arrive. I normally like to make sure our spot is empty and that we have something to drink while we relax.
I headed inside, taking in the space. Marium was standing by the desk typing on her computer. She glanced up as I walked toward the desk. Marium raised an eyebrow at me. “Westley, can I ask you something?”
I paused as I rounded the counter. “Yeah?”
“I found a copy of Ash and Silver stuffed behind the curtains in the corner you and Gabriella use.” She tilted her head. “Does it ring a bell?”
I almost smirked. “Nope.”
She scowled. “I know you’re lying. Why don’t you just get a library card instead of trying to hide your book all around the library?”
“It wouldn’t be any fun for you then, Marium.
” I kept walking, heading toward the coffee area.
The library was quiet with only a few other people in the building.
You could hear a couple of people talking in the distance and the soft hum of the coffee maker.
I walked over and poured myself a mug, snapping a lid onto it.
I was just about to pour another cup when I heard someone laugh from behind me.
“I never thought I’d see the day.”
I turned around as Mike and Linda stood just behind me. Mike worked closely with Asher and me. He was one of a few we trusted to help watch the town’s perimeter, and he was the first to be called during an emergency. He was smart and honest. His wife, Linda, was sweet. Always eager to help.
“Hey, guys.”
“What in god’s name are you doing here?” Mike asked, still laughing. “I don’t see you as the reading type.”
“I come for the free coffee,” I joked, waving my cup at them.
I heard the doors open and spotted Gabriella as she walked into the library. My heart skipped a beat as I took her in. Her brown hair looked red under the light, and she had a soft tan going. She smiled, and her eyes seemed to sparkle as she said something to Marium.
I started coming to spend time with Gabrielle at Jade’s request. She wanted to make sure she and Hazel adjusted well into the pack, that they were taken care of, and that they felt welcome.
I didn’t expect to find myself seeking her out, looking forward to time together in that back corner. I told myself to just do it a couple of times, but soon found myself doing it for months.
She turned, heading toward the corner, and I felt that tug deep in my chest, knowing what it meant.
I should have been happy, but I wasn’t. Because the closer I got to Gabriella, the more I realized how bad the timing was, how I couldn’t let go of work for something more.
I saw how exhausted Brandon and Kaleb were recently.
I told myself I couldn’t follow in that path.
Not when so much was on the line right now.
“Mike was telling me that you guys caught another hybrid a couple of miles out of town.”
I pulled my gaze back to Mike and Linda. She looked horrified as she shook her head. “I just can’t believe all of this still. It’s insane.”
“We will survive,” I stated, a statement I felt I was saying more and more these days.
In truth, it wasn’t our pack we were worried about.
It was all the others. We had a strong group, and if they attacked us, we would struggle but survive.
But if they surrounded us after taking the small towns out, and built up their numbers like we were predicting, we were fucked.
Linda continued, and I stood there as Mike tried to reassure his wife. A small part of me was envious of what they had. He went home to her at the end of the night. He had someone. But we weren’t all destined for that. Mike wasn’t that high up the food chain.
“Oh shit, didn’t you say you had something to do?” Lisa said, looking embarrassed. I looked down at my phone to check the time, then placed it back down. I knew I should go over to the corner, but something told me not to.
You need to start putting distance between you two. Before you know if you’re going to be too attached.
I shook my head. “Nope.”
Quitting to see Gabriella was like going cold turkey. It made me cranky and irritable. I found myself constantly looking for her wherever I went, and I felt like a love-sick child. We weren’t even dating or anything, but I felt like a part of me was being ripped out.
Maybe it was because deep down I was lonely. I spent endless hours outside in the woods, looking for something to kill. I spent hours upon hours with Asher in that dark bunker, going over the map and the details of the night’s events.
I watched Brandon and Kaleb go home to someone. A fire burned in them to be near that person. And Nora and Jade were also witches. They didn’t have to worry too much about keeping them safe and protecting them.
“You seem like you have a stick up your ass,” Asher said as he parked the car.
I glared at him. “I’m just hungry.”
“And what about yesterday and the day before that?”
“Do you want to have a heart-to-heart conversation right now or go and get dinner?” I asked, yanking my door out.
“Jeez, man. What has gotten into you?” Asher got out of the car and rounded it. I slammed my door, knowing this anger was pointless. I had no real reason to be angry. But yet, I was.
“I’ve just not slept well the past couple of nights. It’s nothing. Now, can we go inside and eat? I’m starving.”
Asher waved his hands as he pulled the door open. We headed inside and got a booth near the back. I looked through the menu and decided to get a burger.
Asher was watching me, and I set my menu down. “What?”
“Just wondering if you need me to hook you up with someone. Maybe a good fuck will perk you up.”
I rolled my eyes. “I already told you I just haven’t slept well.”
“Is that all?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at me, not seeming to believe me.
“Yes, it is. Now, are we done?”
He shrugged. “If you say so.”
I yanked myself out of the booth. “Order me a burger.”
“Where are you going?”
“To smoke!” I snapped, heading back out the door.
I pushed the door open and stepped outside.
I dug into my pocket, pulling out my cigarettes, and lit one up.
I took a puff of it, hating the taste. But I sucked it in, holding it deep in my chest—an old habit, picked up again.
I stared across the street and froze when I watched the library doors open, and Gabriella stepped outside. My fingers froze as I watched her.
She clutched a book close to her chest, her steps slow as she headed down the sidewalk. She was wearing a coat that clung to her tightly, and I wondered if it was even keeping her warm. She was wearing boots that looked worn out, and a hat that covered most of her hair.
I took another puff and blew it out. Two people walked down the sidewalk toward her. They were speaking to Gabriella, but the way she paused told me they weren’t friends. I narrowed my eyes as I watched them grow closer, and Gabriella dropped her head.
My fingers tightened on the cigarette, and my jaw ground together.
I watched as they circled her, and she stepped back, stumbling into the wall.
I was ready to hurry across the street and do something, anything.
But I didn’t because it wouldn’t solve the problem.
If anything, it might make things worse for her.
If I came as her savior, people would likely only bother her more.
I watched her push past them, practically running down the street. I watched as the two stood there for a moment, seeming pleased with themselves, before continuing on their way.
I threw my cigarette onto the ground and stomped on it. I turned and headed back inside. Asher was still sitting in his spot, but two drinks were now on the table.
I sat down and took a big gulp of mine. Asher raised an eyebrow at me. “I ordered you a burger.”
“Thanks,” I said.
Neither of us really spoke through lunch, which I was fine with.
I kept going over what I’d seen and what needed to be done.
Gabriella had never mentioned having problems, but I doubt she wanted to stir the pot either.
She likely kept it to herself, so who knew what was really going on.
I knew either way, I needed to bring it to the guy’s attention.
They were under our protection after all.
Just then, both of our phones started to ring, and I looked down at mine. “That’s not good.”
“Shit,” Asher said.
We both jumped up, knowing that meant there was a sighting somewhere. I answered my phone as we hurried out of the building.
“Yeah?”
“Meet us at the west side of town near the new park. A hybrid was sighted.”
“West side, new park,” I told Asher as we both jumped into his car. “We will be there in five minutes.”
We arrived to find Brandon and Kaleb standing with some of the other guys, ready to head into the woods.
We both jumped out and hurried to join them.
Brandon gave us a nod in acknowledgment and continued to talk.
“A hybrid was spotted going east. We need to get out there and search the ground. Everyone is pairing off together, and if you run into it, you order back up right away.”
I felt my blood pumping as I glanced at the woods.
I was always eager to get to work, a reaction from years of doing it.
We all had handled some ugly tasks before and worked under pressure, but this was a curveball for all of us.
We liked to get busy, liked getting a solution to a problem as quickly as we could.
“Where do you want us?”
“I want you and Westley to head back in the direction it came from. We need to figure out if there is a hiding spot or a start location for them. We have no idea if it’s planning to strike or if it already has.”
My stomach sank at his words, my mind traveling to the several towns that were destroyed. The massacre we had all seen.