Gabby glared at the man standing by the window, peering outside the motel room they rented. "You said those people were trying to kill me?" she asked. "And you think I would just believe that?"
This man refused to introduce himself or disclose his true intentions. She glanced at the gun in his hand. So far, he had yet to attempt to use it on her, for which she was grateful. She slowly calculated their distance and then his height.
If she was right, he stood at about six three, or four. He wasn't exactly bulky, but something about him easily gave her fight-or-flight instinct. Yes, it might be the smell of the predator around him.
The fact that she left her bag in Allen's car made it even more difficult for her to contact someone for help. She could try asking the woman who gave them the key earlier, but this man could easily harm both of them.
When he did not answer, she turned her attention to the news on the TV. She found herself sitting on the bed just in front of it. The earlier accident was already on the news. However, there was no mention of her or Allen's name. Apparently, it was simply the work of two gangs trying to kill each other on Christmas Eve.
"Look… I may look like I have a lot of money, but those aren't mine. My family will probably not give you anything for ransom. So you have two choices. First, you can let me go, and let's forget about everything, or… you can simply kill me and save both of our time."
Finally, she received a reaction from him—an unpleasant one. He turned his gaze towards her, his gray eyes looking like the eyes of a wolf that had just spotted its prey. Gabby felt a shiver run down her spine, but she refused to show any sign of weakness.
His cold stare met hers, and for a moment, it felt like the room's temperature dropped a few degrees. The stranger had a rugged handsomeness about him, with a jawline that could cut glass. His black leather jacket clung to him like a second skin, emphasizing his lean and tall frame. The all-black ensemble gave him an air of danger—something that could intimidate anyone.
For a few seconds, he held her gaze without saying another word. "Where is the Aetherium?" he asked, his voice cold, chilly.
"Aether—what?" she frowned. She hadn't heard that word before. Did he really take her to a motel outside of Chicago on Christmas Eve just to ask about something she didn't even recognize?
"The Aetherium. Those people are after it."
"I don't know any Aetherium. I'm sure my grandfather did not say something like that to me." The old Mr. Lookwood willed her various things from diamonds to his old telescope to various gems and stones—"You mean the stone?" she asked, her eyes wide. "The gray one?"
He clenched his jaw. "Where is it?"
"I don't have it," she was telling the truth. The stone was not something that she could easily lift and run around with. The last time she checked, the stone was already close to a hundred pounds, and it seemed like it was getting heavier and heavier! These were only one of the things that made the stone unique.
"Then where is it?" he asked.
"I—" She frowned. "Are those people after the stone?" she asked. "Why?"
"Long story."
"Are they trying to kill me because of that—what was its name again?"
He did not answer. "Take me to the stone…" he said.
"We found that stone. Why the hell would I—"
"Mr. Gomez is dead."
Gabby let out a gasp. She immediately got up. "What did you just—" Before she could finish her words, the man showed her his phone. On it was a gruesome photo of the old professor. Seeing this, Gabby covered her mouth with her hand. Then she realized something.
Faking a photo like this is truly easy. Technology has been evolving every day.
"How did he die?" she asked, without showing the fact that she did not believe him at all.
"Can't tell you that." He moved away from the window. "Let's go…"
"Go? Where?" she asked.
"They are here…"
"Huh… what? Who is here?" She looked outside but found nothing. There were only two cars in the parking lot, and one of them was the car that they used earlier.
"Leave your jacket. You can wear mine instead." He said.
She frowned but eventually complied. Her jacket already had holes from the accident earlier. Wearing something bigger is better for when she escapes later.
"Come…" he uttered before he took a bag from underneath the bed and flung it over his broad shoulder. Without saying a word, he pulled her hand and led her to the fire exit, which they could access using the window opposite the door.
"What— What are you doing?" she asked.
He didn't answer her question. Instead, he hurriedly led her through the narrow hallway. The fire exit was a rusty metal door, and he pushed it open with a creak that echoed in the silence of the corridor. They entered a dimly lit stairwell, and he motioned for her to follow him down.
The stairs seemed to go on forever. Finally, they reached the ground floor. He opened another door, and they found themselves in a dimly lit corridor that led to the back of the motel.
The man glanced around, ensuring they were alone. Then, he led her through a maze of twists and turns, navigating the back alleys behind the motel. The air was chilly, and the only sounds were their hurried footsteps and distant city noises.
They approached a chain-link fence. He then pulled out a pair of wire cutters from the bag slung over his shoulder. With swift precision, he cut an opening just big enough for them to squeeze through.
"Is this necessary?" she asked as she glanced at the other parking lot that lay on the other side of the fence. That was when she realized that they were on the opposite side of the parking lot where he parked his car. However, before he could answer her question, a loud howling sound broke the silence.
Gabby involuntarily shivered. She did not have the time to look where the sound came from as he was already pulling her away from the fence.
"They're here…" he uttered as he found a large motorbike. He handed her a helmet. "Put it on."
"We are going to— whoa— Who exactly are here?" she asked, confused.
"Them…"
"Them who?"
"The ones who wanted to kill you."
Gabby snorted. "And can you tell me who exactly are they?"
He paused, his gray eyes staring at her. It took him a couple of seconds before he answered. "Werewolves."