Chapter 399

Enzo

The bar was alive with the chatter and laughter of the team. The pub that Tim had introduced me to, O’Riley’s pub, was the perfect picture of a small-town bar. And right now, that was exactly what I needed.

I had ordered a tall glass of beer; nothing that would get me too drunk because I needed to be alert in case Nina needed me, but just enough to help me relax.

But, speaking of Nina, she still hadn’t called. And now Mila was leaning toward me, her eyes glinting in the dim light of the bar.

“Let’s get to know each other a little, Mr. Rivers,” she said, flashing me a smile that would have looked warm and inviting to anyone else but did nothing but fill me with unease after earlier.

“Okay, um…” I tried to keep my voice steady, just wanting to be polite. It was just one drink; soon, I’d be back in my hotel room, talking to my wife on the phone. I could ignore Mila for that long. “What do you want to know?”

“I still can’t stop thinking about those PT results of yours,” she said, her eyes sparkling with playful curiosity. “They were off the charts. You can’t tell me it’s just from a history of exercise.”

I chuckled, taking a sip of my drink. “Mila, it was only five minutes of running,” I said.

“Yes, but your heart rate was below resting rate for a man of your size,” she insisted. “And you were sprinting, Enzo. Sprinting!”

I shook my head. “I wasn’t sprinting.”

“Yes, you were.” Mila leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Come on, Enzo, you can tell me. Are you an alien? A cyborg, maybe?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her persistence, although it still made me uneasy because she was on the right track. “Nope,” I lied. “Just a normal human guy with a penchant for cardio.”

Her teasing continued, each joke more outlandish than the last. It was a familiar pattern, one I had grown used to during my time as a werewolf living among humans.

But tonight, something about Mila’s attitude made me pause for a moment. It really did make me wonder just how much she knew; after all, I had been surprised to find out that that fortune teller seemed to know about the supernatural realm, and then there was the woman that Nina said she saw in the crowd. Perhaps there were more supernaturals in this city than I expected.

However, I quickly brushed off the thought as paranoia. I had been keeping my supernatural identity a secret for years, and it was highly unlikely that Mila had any inkling of the truth. I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and played along with her jokes.

After a while, I excused myself to the bathroom, feeling the need for a moment of solitude. I checked my phone, hoping to see a message or call from Nina, but there was nothing. Concern began to gnaw at my mind; it wasn’t like her to not call.

She should have been in the supernatural realm for hours by now. She could have called me, and my mind instinctively went to the reasons why she hadn’t: was she in trouble? Was she hurt? Did something happen?

I decided to call, unable to wait any longer. I dialed her number, my foot tapping on the floor as I leaned against the sink. A few other bar patrons came and went, and so I decided to keep my tone neutral, not wanting to draw attention.

But the phone rang and ran, and eventually went to voicemail. My worries began to skyrocket, and as the tone went off indicating to leave my message, it was all I could do to keep my voice steady.

“Hey, it’s me,” I said, turning to look into the mirror. “Did you get home yet? Please call me. I’m getting worried. Love you.”

With a sigh, I ended the call and leaned on the sink. This wasn’t like Nina at all. I would have expected her to be in bed by now, and she always called me right before she fell asleep when we were apart; even when we were both in Mountainview and I was out late, she would at least send a text to let me know that she was heading to bed, so this was out of character.

“I’m worried about her,” I said inwardly to my wolf, hoping for some form of guidance. “This isn’t like her…”

“I’m worried, too,” he replied. “But maybe she’s just busy. Or maybe she forgot. She’s got a lot on her mind, after all.”

I sighed again. I knew that my wolf was probably right, but it still made me uneasy. I had to check, just to make sure. I reached back into my pocket for my phone and dialed Luke’s number. If anyone knew where she was, it would be Luke.

Luke answered after a few rings, his voice filled with surprise. “Enzo?” he said. “What’s up?”

I wasted no time. “Luke, have you heard from Nina? I’ve been trying to reach her, but she’s not answering.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, followed by a heavy sigh. “Enzo, you didn’t hear, did you?”

I furrowed my brow as panic instinctively began to bubble up in my mind. “Hear what?”

Luke hesitated, clearly choosing his words carefully. “Jessica got into a horrible car accident. She’s in the hospital.”

My heart sank at the news. Jessica was one of us, part of our pack. I hoped that she was alright. “No, I had no idea,” I replied, my voice filled with concern. “Is she okay?”

Luke’s tone turned somber. “I’m not sure exactly, but I think it’s bad.”

I felt a pang of sadness for Jessica, and then began to put two and two together. “Nina is with Lori, isn’t she?”

“I believe so,” he said. “I doubt Lori can be alone right now. But the rest of us are trying to stay out of it, not only to give Lori and Nina some space but also so we don’t let our guard down around town.”

“Good,” I found myself saying. “Do you know how she got into the accident?”

Luke paused for a moment before answering. “I’m not sure exactly. But before you ask, yes, it’s crossed my mind; that it could have been targeted. That’s why we increased security.”

I let out a soft sigh of relief. So Nina was okay, just with her friend, which I understood. I said thank you and hung up, passing my hand over my weary face. I just wished that Nina had called me, that was all; but now, even more pressing matters were entering my mind.

Was Jessica’s car crash really just an accident, or was this just another hurdle that someone was trying to add to our haphazard race for survival?

And if Nina was still in Mountainview, how safe was she, really?

Suddenly, the door swung open and one of the team members stuck his head in. “Ah, Enzo, there you are,” he said. “We’ve been wondering where you went.”

“Just had to use the bathroom,” I lied. “Need something?”

He paused, taking in my appearance with a flash of concern on his face, before he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder toward the bar.

“We just ordered another round. You coming?”

I shrugged. “Uh, sure, I guess,” I said, although my entire body was really screaming for me to rush home to Mountainview; a futile effort, though, since the last plane had left already. “Who’s paying?”

The team member grinned. “Mila. She said she ordered something special for you.”