Property of the Green Bastards (The Badlands Orc MCs Book 1) by Flora Quincy

Author:Flora Quincy [Quincy, Flora]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-03-30T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

DINAH

I show up at the shop early on Monday. The dark clouds on the horizon threaten rain, and I don’t have an umbrella. Like always, Tool grumbles about the fact I’m walking. Then walks back fast when I ask if he’ll give me a ride. Frey, help me because supposedly it wouldn’t be appropriate to give me a lift. Fat drops of rain dapple the sidewalk when I see Elmeer squatting out front. His hands covering his mouth and tears leaking out of his ancient eyes.

“Elmeer?”

“Don’t go inside,” he whispers, the words are full of raw emotion. That is when I notice that the door isn’t open but has been ripped off its hinges. I swallow back the questions, ignore his warning, and step inside. Nothing. Literally nothing has been touched but there is an uneasiness in the koltop that makes all the hair on my body stand on end. I edge further in, waiting for the carnage I know must be there.

“No.” The map. My map is destroyed. Ripped along the seams to remove the two hides outlining the territories belonging to the Steel Prophets and the Disavowed. But why? Why would anyone steal only two hides; it makes no sense?

And the hidden map I was told about? Nothing. I rush to the side and run my fingers along the edge. There was never an inner layer of hide like I’d been expecting. No lining at all, just the backing hide and that is bare. I sink to the ground and press my palms to my eye, trying to keep the tears at bay. How could I have been so stupid? Only the original would have had a hidden map. A forger wouldn’t bother with one, might not have even known it was there in the first place.

“I’m sorry,” Elmeer says. “I know–”

“I am the one who should be sorry. Why are you apologising to me? Your store! Your space.”

“He didn’t take anything but the sections of the map. I came in when Eel was ripping them off. I don’t know–”

“We have to tell Axe,” Tool says. I forgot he was there.

“I called Boonie,” Elmeer tells us. “She told me to stay outside. I should have stopped you going in. They are bringing in a warg.”

“Oh. Right...we should leave then.”

I wrap my arms around the ancient pilgrim. His pain is devastating, but my own worries blow away. Perhaps my father was wrong and there never was a map that would reveal my connection to the Disavowed.

Outside, the rain hasn’t started yet, perhaps aware of what has happened and waiting for the wargs to pick up the thief’s scent.

Boonie stands with her hand on a warg’s shoulder like it is some normal-sized dog. Hawk is there as well but on his bike. His eyes are sharp when our eyes meet, and he gives me a sharp nod. The wargs scare the living shit out of me.

She scowls at us. “I told you not to go in.”

“We didn’t touch anything,” Elmeer assures her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.