Sleeping Dogs

Chapter 5: Dangerous Waters

The second she has taken the envelope he backed away from her. His eyes no longer filled was disgust, but almost yearning as he stared at her. Her heart rate increased and she took a step back.

"I don't think I'll be able to return," he said, looking away from her. "They'll be looking for me."

"Who is looking for you?"

"This is all I have," he gestured to the envelope, ignoring her question. "I don't think I can get anything else." Caroline stared at the folder in her hands, there were a couple of items protruding from it. "Protect it at all costs," the park ranger said.

Caroline shook her head in disbelief. "Protect it from who?" When she looked up, he was gone. The air suddenly felt still and thick with tension. Her back went ramrod straight and she stood staring at the place Ranger Daniels used to be standing. It was only then she realized how silent the world seemed. Caroline turned and walked quickly back to her car, suddenly flinching after every step she took. Every shadow was following her, every echo from her one footsteps belong to another person.

A loud bang sounded from one of the alleyways as she was passing it and Caroline broke out into a run. She turned on the autostart of Bella's car and when she finally got inside she didn't pause until she was turning out of the empty lot of the barbershop she parked in. She almost cried in relief when she finally pulled into Charlie and Sue's driveway.

She grabbed the manila folder from the passenger seat and shut the car door as quietly as she could.

"Where the fuck have you been?"

Caroline let out a yelp and her hands flew to her heart, dropping her folder.

"Emily has been worried sick," a shirtless Jacob Black walked out of the woods to her left and growled. He really was intimidatingly massive she thought as she tried not to cower in front of him. He scrunched his nose and his eyes flashed dangerously. "Who were you with?"

Caroline bent over and grabbed the folder and held it securely to her chest. Her earlier fear only heightened when she met his eyes. "None of your damn business," she snapped, making to move past him.

Jacob grabbed her arm and roughly yanked her back. "It is my damn business," he snarled. Something in her eyes must have showed him just how terrified he was and he took a deep breath and let her go. "Caroline," he started again. Gently. "I'm sorry for scaring you, you don't have to be afraid of me." He frowned, she was caught off guard by how genuine his sadness appeared to be. "I'm-We're worried about you. Will you tell me who you were with?"

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him, his sudden change in demeanor making her hesitant. "I wasn't with anyone," she said after a long pause. "Not that it's any of your business. I just went on a drive, I've had a lot on my mind recently," she lied through her teeth, and by the look on his face he knew it, too. She almost felt bad for it. Almost.

He searched her face for a long time, the frown etched on his features looking out of place compared to all of the smiling photos she had seen of him hanging up in Emily's home. She wondered what that Jacob was like, and what she could have possibly done to deserve this one. She thought of their first interaction, the look on his face and the venom in his voice and she shivered.

Jake flinched and sighed, his dark eyes bore into hers before he closed them tightly. He stood in front of her for a few more moments before the adrenaline wore off and Caroline remembered that she was cold. "Look," his eyes snapped open at her voice. "It's late, I have to go to bed," she said firmly. "You should go."

Jake looked almost panicked and Caroline almost rolled her eyes. This new concerned friend persona was starting to piss her off. "I said go, Jacob. We're not friends, you didn't need to come. I'm fine." She moved past him and this time he didn't try to stop her. She was almost embarrassed at how relieved she felt by it.