Carnal

Chapter Thirty-Eight - The One Behind It

"It's time to go."

He grabbed his car keys from the table. 

I followed him outside to see an overcast sky above us. I could feel tiny drops of rain begin to fall as we made our way to his car. 

Not another word was said as Cain drove off of his property and out onto the street. A half an hour of a silent car ride went by before Cain pulled into a narrow alleyway. He drove up to a chain link fence that was pulled across the drive way and stopped. 

Jai came out from behind a door that was on the other side of the fence a few moments later and he pulled it towards him, allowing the gate to swing wide so Cain could drive through. 

At this point, the rain was falling hard between the buildings that we were sandwiched by. 

As Cain turned his car off, Jai pulled the gate back into place and locked it. 

"I need you to listen to me very closely," Cain said, using a low voice that immediately grabbed my attention. 

"These people in this building—they're not to be trusted. They don't want what is best for you or me, they want what is best for their people which is the only reason they're here. They're cruel at times and insensitive to the needs of those outside their own packs. They certainly are not my friends; they're just too scared of me to be my enemies." 

I raised an eyebrow as his face grew serious. 

"This meeting was necessary and I'm hoping it goes according to plan. But, if it doesn't, I've asked a woman named Zahra to accompany you throughout the duration. Listen to her if she tells you to do something and don't do anything she tells you not to."

"I thought you said that you didn't trust these people," I said pointedly.

"I don't trust many people if you recall," he said. "But Zahra is the daughter of the Pakistani Beta, Mohamad Gohar. They've always been loyal to our family and are strong advocates of peace. If anything disruptive happens, I would bet my title that they won't be behind it." 

When I said nothing, Cain pulled his keys from the ignition and sighed. 

"Ella, promise me that if anything should happen-"

"Why do you keep saying that?" I asked. "You keep insinuating that you're expecting something terrible to happen. Why would you call the meeting if that's the case?" 

"You forget that this meeting is happening solely to draw my brother out of the shadows," he said. "If he's anything like other Vampires, he won't enjoy being in the light." 

"I don't understand how you can use innocent people as bait," I told him honestly. 

"They're not as innocent as you would believe."

He ended the conversation as he opened his car door to get out. I followed slowly and reluctantly. 

"Daniel still isn't here," Jai said to Cain from the doorway, his voice competing with the sound of rain hitting the roof. 

"When is he ever on time?" Cain asked rhetorically, walking around the car to the door that led into the side of a building. 

Jai didn't say anything else as I followed Cain inside, out of the rain. 

He navigated his way around the building with the knowledge of someone who had been there many times, the layout committed to memory. 

Turning a corner, I could hear voices that carried down the dark hallway. Among them were several dialects, tones and volumes. I couldn't tell if people were shouting or laughing.