Read Online Splinter (The Machinists Book 2) by Craig Andrews - Free Book Online
Authors: Craig Andrews
Ads: Link
anything unusual. Leira and I will walk the perimeter and see if we can get an idea of what waits for us inside.”
Allyn nodded, and Jaxon stepped out of the car. He pulled his fashionable, gray coat tight—it was the first time Allyn had seen Jaxon wear a coat—and hunched his shoulders as if he were trying to hide from the rain. It was an act, of course. Jaxon never let the elements get to him, but Allyn was surprised how authentic it looked. Jaxon looked… normal. He circled the back of the car, to where Leira was waiting, her heart-shaped face and chin-length black hair hidden under a black hood. He took her hand, and together, they walked along the sidewalk toward the main office as if they were a young couple looking to view a home.
Nyla undid her seatbelt and turned sideways, leaning against the door and pulling her legs onto the bench seat. Her feet touched Allyn’s thigh. “So this is where you lived?” A hint of amusement lurked in her voice.
“You say that like you didn’t already know,” Allyn said. “You were here the night Lukas came for me.” The night it all began .
Nyla shrugged. “It looks different than I remember it.”
“How so?”
Jaxon and Leira disappeared from view.
“It’s so…” Nyla trailed off, searching for the words. “Uninspiring.” She pushed him playfully with the bottom of her foot.
“It may not be a century-old manor,” Allyn said with a sarcastic smirk, “but it was mine.”
“You miss it.”
Allyn nodded.
“Would you go back if you could?”
Allyn turned to her. Intensity hid behind those blue eyes of hers, and it gave him pause. He didn’t have an answer. He’d left that life behind for answers. For help. He had gotten those answers, and he’d gotten Kendyl back. So what was keeping him from returning? Kendyl? She’d been the one who wanted to stay with the McCollum Family; it had been new and exciting, a fresh start where she was something special. But her feelings had soured, and she’d already voiced her displeasure. If he returned to his old life, he thought she might follow. Then why do I stay?
The police.
Even if he wanted to, he had no way to clear his name—he didn’t have the evidence. And if he did come forward, his defense would rely on a Family of people who worked to remain hidden.
But that wasn’t the question. She’d asked: what if he could? I don’t know. What does that mean?
“I can’t,” Allyn said. “So it doesn’t matter.”
Nyla blinked, and her playful expression slipped from her face.
The conversation died there, and an uncomfortable silence replaced their lighthearted banter. Nyla swung her legs back onto the floor so that she was facing forward again. She refused to look at him. Allyn wanted to tell her that it wasn’t personal. The fact that the decision was so difficult meant that he’d built strong relationships with her, Liam, and the other members of the McCollum Family. He couldn’t easily walk away from that. But he didn’t know how to tell her.
The minutes ticked by painfully slowly as the twilight became darkness, until eventually, Jaxon and Leira reappeared. Leira strode in front of Allyn’s condo, alone, casually glancing at the dark windows as if she were trying to peer inside. Jaxon appeared a moment later, walking toward Leira from the back of the unit. He said something to her. Then they stepped up to the front door and knocked.
“Here we go,” Allyn said. The knock was their signal that Jaxon and Leira hadn’t found any reason to call off the mission.
Without a word, Nyla opened her door and stepped out. She was halfway across the street by the time Allyn emerged from the car. Lacking the cold bite of the mountain air, the temperature was warmer than he expected, and a thin layer of fog clung to the pavement, giving the scene an eerie, dreamlike quality. Allyn walked casually, his hands in his pockets. Jaxon and Leira may not have found anything amiss, but that didn’t mean they
Allyn nodded, and Jaxon stepped out of the car. He pulled his fashionable, gray coat tight—it was the first time Allyn had seen Jaxon wear a coat—and hunched his shoulders as if he were trying to hide from the rain. It was an act, of course. Jaxon never let the elements get to him, but Allyn was surprised how authentic it looked. Jaxon looked… normal. He circled the back of the car, to where Leira was waiting, her heart-shaped face and chin-length black hair hidden under a black hood. He took her hand, and together, they walked along the sidewalk toward the main office as if they were a young couple looking to view a home.
Nyla undid her seatbelt and turned sideways, leaning against the door and pulling her legs onto the bench seat. Her feet touched Allyn’s thigh. “So this is where you lived?” A hint of amusement lurked in her voice.
“You say that like you didn’t already know,” Allyn said. “You were here the night Lukas came for me.” The night it all began .
Nyla shrugged. “It looks different than I remember it.”
“How so?”
Jaxon and Leira disappeared from view.
“It’s so…” Nyla trailed off, searching for the words. “Uninspiring.” She pushed him playfully with the bottom of her foot.
“It may not be a century-old manor,” Allyn said with a sarcastic smirk, “but it was mine.”
“You miss it.”
Allyn nodded.
“Would you go back if you could?”
Allyn turned to her. Intensity hid behind those blue eyes of hers, and it gave him pause. He didn’t have an answer. He’d left that life behind for answers. For help. He had gotten those answers, and he’d gotten Kendyl back. So what was keeping him from returning? Kendyl? She’d been the one who wanted to stay with the McCollum Family; it had been new and exciting, a fresh start where she was something special. But her feelings had soured, and she’d already voiced her displeasure. If he returned to his old life, he thought she might follow. Then why do I stay?
The police.
Even if he wanted to, he had no way to clear his name—he didn’t have the evidence. And if he did come forward, his defense would rely on a Family of people who worked to remain hidden.
But that wasn’t the question. She’d asked: what if he could? I don’t know. What does that mean?
“I can’t,” Allyn said. “So it doesn’t matter.”
Nyla blinked, and her playful expression slipped from her face.
The conversation died there, and an uncomfortable silence replaced their lighthearted banter. Nyla swung her legs back onto the floor so that she was facing forward again. She refused to look at him. Allyn wanted to tell her that it wasn’t personal. The fact that the decision was so difficult meant that he’d built strong relationships with her, Liam, and the other members of the McCollum Family. He couldn’t easily walk away from that. But he didn’t know how to tell her.
The minutes ticked by painfully slowly as the twilight became darkness, until eventually, Jaxon and Leira reappeared. Leira strode in front of Allyn’s condo, alone, casually glancing at the dark windows as if she were trying to peer inside. Jaxon appeared a moment later, walking toward Leira from the back of the unit. He said something to her. Then they stepped up to the front door and knocked.
“Here we go,” Allyn said. The knock was their signal that Jaxon and Leira hadn’t found any reason to call off the mission.
Without a word, Nyla opened her door and stepped out. She was halfway across the street by the time Allyn emerged from the car. Lacking the cold bite of the mountain air, the temperature was warmer than he expected, and a thin layer of fog clung to the pavement, giving the scene an eerie, dreamlike quality. Allyn walked casually, his hands in his pockets. Jaxon and Leira may not have found anything amiss, but that didn’t mean they
Similar Books
