“Don’t answer it,” I beg him.
“I have to,” he says pulling away from me. I mourn the lost contact. I sit back against the headboard.
The phone rings again and I want to destroy that stupid device. How did I not notice the phone earlier? Whose phone is it? Probably Sia’s. He answers the call but he doesn’t put it on the loudspeaker like I wanted him to.
“Hello? Who is this?”
I initially wondered who was on the other end of the call. Could it be Anita? Sia’s eyes flicker at me. My curiosity increased. Who is he talking to? His jaw clenched and his face hardened. Whoever he was talking to had made him angry.
“No. I won’t let you talk to her.”
Was it Lyles? Could he be asking after me? Hope swelled within me. Maybe there’s a chance I can leave this place for good.
“Stop trying to blackmail me with Anita. She won’t listen to you.”
It’s certainly not Anita and neither is it, Lyles, my heart raced. Could it be Ruarc? Blackmail? Why would Ruarc want to blackmail Sia? That too with Anita?
“Don’t involve Crinka in this. It’s better she’s kept in the dark. Plus, she is too good for you.”
Don’t involve me in what? What feud is Sia talking about? Sia touches his head, annoyed with his conversation with Ruarc. He paces the room, muttering expletives.
“Look, I’m done listening to you. It’s about time you listened to me. Crinka will not be involved in this. Why do you want to create chaos Ruarc? This should remain between the three of us. Crinka does not need to get involved in this, I mean it.”
Now that Sia keeps mentioning my name, I am more than curious to know what this conversation is all about.
“Put it on the loudspeaker,” I say firmly.
Sia rolls his eyes at my weak command.
“You can’t be serious Ruarc. What makes you think Crinka is listening in?”
My eyes widen. Did Ruarc hear my voice? God, I hope not. Sia licks his lips and I love the colour of his tongue.
“Not really. It’s no secret that you throw boring parties.”
Isn’t that the truth? Now they’ve left me to talk about parties. I should feel relieved, but I’m not.
“Maybe if you made them a little secure, Crinka wouldn’t have been in that condition.”
Okay, they’re still talking about me. I wonder why I’m the object of discussion.
“What do you think? That she would pick up your calls? I’ve told you a million times that she won’t fall into your trap.”
Now I’m sure that they are talking about Anita. What trap had Ruarc laid for her?
“What business do you have with Crinka? You don’t even know her yet you’re eager to talk to her.”
My heart fluttered in my chest, knowing that Ruarc is eager to talk to me.
“She owes you nothing. Why do you want to meet her?” he asks, looking at me.
Ruarc wants to meet me? Well, this just gets more and more interesting. Sia’s eyes flicker to mine. He fingers an imaginary beard.
“Can’t I have two daughters at once? And what if I’m her daddy? I don’t see how that concerns you.”
Daddy? Daughters? Does Sia have kids?
“She’s not your baby doll. Crinka belongs to me. Nobody can take that right away from me.” His eyes burned in anger as he spoke. Sia sounds so sexy when he’s possessive. And to know that I’m solely his, makes my heart skip a beat.
“Look, if you’re looking for her, you know where to find her,” he says fiercely, cutting the call. He pockets the phone.
“Is Ruarc coming here?” I ask hopefully.
“Don’t get your hopes up. He is not coming here. Ruarc doesn’t know about this place.”
“Then what did you mean by you know where to find her?”
“Ruarc knows where to find her.”
“Do elaborate.”
“In my arms.”
I suck in a sharp breath. “What was that all about? Why did Ruarc want to meet me?”
“Your curiosity will get you killed one day”, he says sharply. I am hurt. While is he so intent on keeping me in the dark? Had I been Anita, telling me wouldn’t have been a problem. I don’t like comparing myself with Anita but Sia’s rudeness forced me to do so.
“It’s okay. Scold me. It’s not like it affects me.”
His eyes soften. “Crinka, I didn’t mean…”
I cut him off, “I’m not interested in your excuses. I just want to be left alone.”
He doesn’t know why I’m angry all of a sudden and I don’t care. He leaves me alone with my thoughts.
?
“I told you not to be intimate with Sia. I’m heavily disappointed. Now you must bear the consequences,” he threatened, approaching my shaking figure.
“It was a mistake! I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Ruarc pays no attention to my pleas, strangling me.
I jerk awake, breathing heavily, my clothes soaked with sweat. Why did I have this nightmare? What does it mean? Does Ruarc want me dead? I don’t realize I’m clutching my neck.
“I want your help with something,” Sia starts to say but stops upon seeing me. He rushes to my side, cradling my face in his hands. He strokes my cheeks.
“Hey, what happened?”
I recoil from his touch, as though his skin burned me. He sighs.
“Go away, I’m fine”
“I need your help with something.”
“What do you need my help for?”
“Ruarc wants me to do something for him”
When he saw my expression, he quickly added, “It’s important and can’t be ignored.”
“Something tragic happened after we left that party,” he says, sitting next to me, his knee brushing my thigh.
“Tragic? I hope no one was injured.”
“A woman was raped and murdered.”
I gasped. “What? Murder? What is Ruarc doing about it? Has her murderer been found?”
“Ruarc is taking care of it. However, there’s another case. We can’t find her daughter.”
Does the woman have? a daughter? What are the likes that she’s still alive?
“She’s not dead if that’s what you’re thinking. We just don’t know her whereabouts.”
“Have you asked? Friends? Family? Don’t get so worked up.”
“She’s now an orphan. Her father, just like her mother was murdered.”
She must have bad luck then.
“Relatives? They have to have a clue as to where she is.”
“We have checked, and all in vain. But rumor has it that Anita and the girl are related, but Anita doesn’t know about it.”
I’ve grown up not listening to rumors. Here he goes again, bringing Anita into the conversation. I know it’s important he does that for this case, but I can’t stand hearing her name now and then. At times, I wished Anita died in place of Leo.
“She has a sibling and doesn’t know. Why didn’t you tell her?” I asked, appearing concerned, but I secretly enjoyed the fact that Sia had told me first before her.
“It never came up. Besides, I wanted to be sure first, before jumping to conclusions. Anita is very sensitive to this type of thing.”
I don’t blame her. I would be too if I found out I have a sibling somewhere. Are they the same parents?”
“No. Different mothers, same fathers.”
So, Anita’s father was a cheat. It’s no wonder why Anita is a cheat. It runs in their blood,
“I don’t think you should tell her,” I say, climbing into his lap. These days, I feel free with Sia. It’s only a matter of time before he collars me again. Goddess, I hope he doesn’t. Things would change between us if he hurt me again. Sia doesn’t push me away, wrapping his hands around my waist. My back to his chest. I relax into his muscular arms.
“Why do you say that?”
“You have to be assured that she’s alive, before taking a step further. But answer me this, what papers do you have with you?” I asked, eyeing the paperwork he had brought with him earlier.
He reaches for the papers, handing them to me. I barely understand what I’m looking at.
“Sorry, but can you explain? I’m kind of confused.”
“I know you would be, that’s why I am going to tell you. That is the guest list.”
“Why do you have Ruarc’s guest list with you?”
“It was needed for the investigation.”
I frown. I frankly don’t remember seeing Sia leaving this cabin. As if knowing my confused state, he explains.
“That night you ruined my skin; I wore clothes to meet Ruarc.”
“If that’s true, why are you bringing this up now?”
“I thought he was lying.”
“Unbelievable. How can anyone be lying about murder?”
He remained quiet. I have a feeling it has something to do with his past.
“Sia?” I call out softly.
“Forget it. Ruarc would do anything to have me leave your side, so you can understand my doubts.”
I blush at the heartfelt compliment. “Never leave my side huh?”
He grinned, touching my hair. “I knew you would never let that go.”
“Look? Why don’t you guys just let the cops handle this? Give them something to do.”
“And who is to say we haven’t? Those stupid bunch of werewolves are a useless pack.”
I’ve never seen them like that before, but I’m in no mood to argue with Sia.
“What am I to do with the guest list?”
“I have listed out their names and ages. Ruarc believes that someone at the party must have taken her.”