Beast Within

05| Out in the Cold

"You're driving pretty slow." I noted, peering out the back window to make sure we weren't being followed. An active threat was floating over our heads, yet Shadow was driving like we were in a training course for beginner drivers. "Were you planning on us getting caught?"

"There isn't anyone chasing after us. We'll be fine."

Shadow laughed - and everything about his little chuckle was annoying me.

"You say that like you know for a fact."

"I promise, we're safe," Shadow reassured. "Why were those guys there in the first place? You didn't come off as surprised. If you asked me—"

"Well, thankfully, no one is."

He cracked a smile, suppressing a laugh in the process. His reaction came off as he was holding himself back. Sitting back further in the seat, he relaxed his wrist on the steering wheel as we waited at a stoplight. The hue of the streetlights painted his skin in bright shades, cutting into his features and washing red over his locs.

Shadow cleared his throat. "I'm not your enemy."

"You are a stranger, though."

"Such a temporary title."

"You're not my friend."

"That can change."

"I don't want any new friends," I spat.

"Ask me anything, and I wouldn't be a stranger anymore, would I?"

"This sounds like it would only benefit you."

"How so?"

"Because I don't want to be subjected to trivial facts about you. It wouldn't put my mind at ease," I sighed into my jacket, letting a yawn out in the process. "Just because you're willing to be self-centered and open about yourself, doesn't mean I have to reciprocate. You agreed to drop me off. Let's leave it at that."

He turned on to a street I recognized as the one I lived on. A sense of pure relief left my body when I noticed that. "All I wanted to know was who were those guys. You're not willing to trust people, and I get that. But that doesn't mean you should write every question off as suspicion. I'm just worried."

"For what? You don't know me. I'm not some charity case. I can handle myself."

He sighed into his hands, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "I didn't call you a charity case."

When we got to a complete stop, I rushed to open the door. Shadow's voice made me pause, coming out almost as a whisper, he assured me that I had the wrong impression. Reaching into the glove compartment, he brought out an invitation card that had both a date and an address written in curly letters.

"I can't go," I said before he could go on and explain. My cousins request sprang to mind, reminding me that I was made aware of the Blaine's party earlier tonight. "After what happened..."

My safety was at risk. Who knew how much longer it would take before news reached back to who sent these monsters. I couldn't guarantee my wellbeing inside the city limits. Getting out of here would have to be my next line of action.

Repeating my apology, I got out the car, but stopped dead in my tracks before I even made it up the front steps. On the porch, my younger brother, Lawrence, had his face in his palms when I arrived, muffling a cry. He still had on his work uniform from his job, dressed in a green apron all baristas wore at Starbucks. My mind went into a frenzy mode -- what was going on? Why wasn't he inside? He got off work hours ago.

"Lawrence...What's wrong?"

The car turned off behind me. I could hear the engine die, followed by Shadow closing his car door and joining me in front of my house.

Privacy would've been nice at a time like this. It was a family matter. However, I wasn't in the mindset to correct a man I'd just seen turn into a literal ball of fire. Ending up tossed like a marshmallow wasn't on my to-do list.

Hugging myself against the cold wind, I shivered with both my hands deep in my pocket. Approaching the steps, Lawrence jumped - at last meeting his beaming red eyes in my direction. Snot made a path down his face, mixing with the tears. He's been out here for an hour, no doubt, shaking from the cold.

"Kaia!"

We embraced each other. I wasted no time, asking, "Why are you out here? It's almost 5 in the morning."

"J-jamila," he stuttered, "She's gone."

My eyes widened. "What do you mean by ... 'she's gone?' I saw her at work tonight." I faced Shadow. "I saw her with one of your brothers."

"She came home," Lawrence explained, "She was alone, too."

"My brother had nothing to do with this, I can assure you that..." Shadow said, defensively without knowing much else. "I'll do everything in my power to find out what my brother knows. Do you remember which one you saw?"

"It was Dario, she was with your brother." I remembered vaguely. Shaking my head, I retraced my interactions with Jamila. What time had she left? What was she wearing when I last saw her? Did she leave the building with Dario or someone else?

"There's no way it was him," Lawrence interjected before I could pose any of my questions aloud, turning to Shadow and adding, "I saw the two guys who took her. I've never seen these men in my life."

"How close did you get to these guys?"

"Not that close," his face fell, "I was hiding. We both were...but they found her first."

"It's alright," I said with my hand on his shoulder. "No one is mad at you here." Fleeing was off the table. I wasn't going anywhere without Jamila. "We're gonna get her back."

I said that less as a promise, and more so as a threat to whoever took her in the first place.

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