Spark ( Book 3: Stronger Series )

43. Out

By the time we got to the town, I felt calm enough as we parked on what seemed like the main street of the city and got out.

Taking my hand in his, Darren had a slight smile on his face as we began to walk the street.

"What are we doing?" I asked, suddenly wanting to know everything so nothing would surprise me.

"I thought you might like to walk the town and see it for yourself," he said genuinely.

"Okay," I said quietly.

For the next hour, Darren and I walked the streets of downtown Anchorage, drinking in the atmosphere of their beautiful winter wonderland. The city's Christmas decorations still lingered over the streetlights and businesses, Christmas lights strung everywhere with a giant lit up and highly decorated Christmas tree in the center of the city. Seeing the mountains in the background of the city had me wanting to do all kinds of wilderness exploring, even with my latest near-death experience. I was confident that should a threat arise, it wouldn't last long around Darren. I hated how comforting I found that. I didn't want to rely on Darren for anything, least of all my safety.

With all the surrounding mountains, it made me curious of their ski lifts. I was sure those mountains had some excellent powder to snowboard down, but with my recent injuries that probably wasn't possible right now. I might be fully recovered, but it had been a while since I snowboarded, and I didn't want to jeopardize anything just yet.

As we walked, I tried hard not to stare at the people, looking at just the buildings and scenery. When I was able to lose myself in it, the entire scene was simply breathtaking. The mountains surrounding us were everything I thought they would be and more. But then I'd feel a slight tug on my arm and remember where I really was. Darren held my hand the entire time, never letting up on his tight grip, but I did notice the slight decrease in speed of his typical walking pace. I normally walked the same pace he did, but I appreciated his slowing down to allow me to enjoy the city. With the number of times I wasn't looking ahead of me, it would have been very easy for me to trip over myself and stumble into something.

I could feel my personal guards, as well as Scott and the other remaining guards behind us. They traveled at a respectful distance, not wanting to appear obvious as a security entourage. I appreciated their discretion and the fact that Darren was allowing it. It was almost as if it was just the two of us out for a stroll, or hell, even a date.

As the sun went down shortly after four p.m., a light snowfall had begun to fall over the city, adding to the magic that made Anchorage a special gem to cherish. And for some reason, it only made me sad. The entire time, I fought to ignore the fact I was finally out in the open. I was being seen by people who had no idea I was a walking ghost, that I was once a missing girl who was later found dead in the back of an alley in downtown Detroit. No one here knew that. No one recognized me or barely even looked at me for that matter. And to be honest, I was glad. I didn't want a scene. I didn't want anything to happen that would affect the safety of my family. I despised that Darren was still able to hold them over my head, but at least, he was no longer hunting every single one of them. Just the ones who had actually foiled his plans and escaped him.

"So what do you think?" Darren asked me as we walked along the outside path of Delaney Park.

"It's beautiful. Thank you for letting me see it."

"You're welcome," he said, but there was a hint of smugness hidden in his tone. "Come on; let's step in here for a minute."

Darren pulled us into what seemed like a small pet store, the door ringing as we stepped inside to signal our entrance. He leisurely led me over to the section of the store containing all the collars and told me to pick one. But as I looked over all the collars, my fingers couldn't help but casually tap against the one around my throat. Why was he making me do this? Why hadn't he just picked one out himself as he had for everything else that might be considered mine? Why did giving me the choice of selecting the collar matter so much to him? It felt like a cruel slap in the face.