ELUSIVE (Book 2)

CHAPTER 51

"This does not need to escalate." Evan says as he pushes Sawyer away from me and everyone. He gives Sawyer a knowing nod. The tiniest nod, if I weren't paying close attention I would have missed it like everyone else.

"I'll leave you all with this. I wouldn't trust that boy. He knows more than he's leading on." He gets up and walks toward me. "Opal, he has the cure for that." He points to my bite, my rash. "But I think you know that already. Now where is the necklace your mother gave you?" Whit asks as he pulls me to the side. Everyone's eyes are on me. Sawyer is nowhere to be seen.

Where is he? I quickly try looking for him so he can get me out of this situation.

I don't know what to believe.

"You're lying." I whisper. Whit frowns further.

"Trust your gut. Now make sure that necklace is kept safe." He says. "Where is it?"

My hand immediately flies to my chest, making sure I'm still wearing it. Whit smiles before patting my back. I step back not wanting him to touch me.

"Meurtrier." I say murderer in French. It catches him off guard before he ignores me and fixes his coat sleeve.

"Call me when you're ready to come home. Your parents are worried sick." He turns to everyone else and bids them farewell.

I nod. Before this I had no intention of going home but now I don't know.

"If you all don't stop this. It won't be pretty when we intervene." Whit closes the door behind him.

Everyone seems to breathe the moment he steps out. The stiffness in the air gone. I stand frozen taking everything in. Trust my gut, easier said than done.

"What was that about?" Avery says. She shivers and hugs herself. "No offense Opal, your uncle gives me the creeps." I nod agreeing. "Is it true? Everything he said?" She looks at Evan, he's looking at me.

My focus is on Sawyer being nowhere in sight.

"Hey, what did he tell you?" Jospeh walks over to me. He rubs my back soothingly trying to coax out what Whit said like I'm some child.

I look for Sawyer one last time making sure he's not here and make the executive decision that I want to go home.

"I need to go home." I tell everyone. Evan walks over to me.

"I think you should talk to Sawyer, before you decide anything." Evan says.

"You don't have to." Jospeh walks over to me. I look at him. If Sawyer can so easily erase the memory from his own brother he can do it to me without thinking, without remorse.

"Where is he?" I turn to Evan determined to find him. He left for some reason, he knows how to control his anger.

"Out back." Evans worried look caused me to hesitate.

I nod and make my way over there. I don't see him and walk over to the small pond that's hidden within the trees.

I stand there. The twitch of Sawyers neck tells me he knows I'm there. I don't say anything for a long time. We dwell in the silence both of us too afraid to say anything. He's looking out into the water. There's a small rock in his hand that he's moving between his fingers.

I finally stand beside him. "Hi." I whisper. He turns to look at me, and I mean really look at me before smiling.

"Hey." The rasp in his voice makes me shiver, he almost sounds defeated. We're both quiet again.

I don't know where to begin.

"I think I should go home." I quietly blurt out.

"I've tried protecting you for so long." Sawyer says the same time I say I want to go home. He tugs at his hair, frustrated with himself. "And yet somehow everything is still going to shit." He continues, ignoring my statement.