His Best Kept Secret

Chapter Eight

Ebony stared at Dakota as he kneeled in the dirt and waited patiently for her to accept his gift. He held the scalps in front of him as if he was proposing to her with a diamond ring and stared into her eyes. She knew had to take them, if she didn't, he would be hurt, that much she knew, and she didn't want to hurt his feelings for two reasons: one, because he was scaring the living daylights out of her and she didn't know what his reaction would be; two, he'd gone through all that trouble for her and in his way was showing her how much he cared. Still, the man was a psychopath, she'd have to be very careful what she said around him from now on. She certainly hadn't meant it when she told him to scalp them, she'd spoken in the heat of the moment, but Dakota had taken her seriously.

She took a deep breath, preparing to reach for the scalps, and regretted it when the smell of freshly cut flesh and blood almost made her vomit. 'Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!' The words ranted through her mind as she tried not to freak out.

Dakota's serious face lit into a huge smile when her hands closed around the hair and cold flesh. If only the dead men had long hair, she wouldn't have to touch the... she gagged and willed herself not to throw up. Dakota stood up tall and proud, towering over her like a giant. "Come," he told her. "You are not in danger anymore."

She seriously doubted that, Silas was the only danger threatening her now, but she wasn't about to say a thing to Dakota about it, not after what he'd done. "Dakota, thank you for your gifts, but please, can I let them go now?"

He nodded. She dropped the scalps on her grandfather's grave.

"Leave them as gifts for your family. They have been avenged. They can rest in peace." He turned and walked away.

Ebony tried to follow his quick steps but the man legs were too long and he walked too fast for her. She stumbled over a branch. He caught her, lifted her in his arms, and kept walking. The last thing she wanted was to be held by a man who'd just scalped two men. She lay stiffly in his arms, but didn't protest.

Two vehicles, a car and a SUV pulled up at the end of the graveyard just as Dakota was sitting her feet on the sidewalk. Silas was the first to get out of a car she hadn't seen before. He slammed the door loudly and stalked towards her. The look on his face made her want to run. She wondered how she could be ever be afraid of Dakota when the real, terrifying monster was baring down on her.

Silas was livid, she could practically feel the fury burning around his body. She tried to hide behind Dakota who grabbed her arm and held her beside him. "Face your fears as you did with me," he told her quietly.

Silas grabbed her arms and pulled her to him. He glared down at her and shook her until her teeth rattled. "Are you crazy?!" He roared at her. "Are you fucking insane, Ebony?!" He stopped shaking her and pulled her into his arms. "Are you hurt, baby?" His voice broke as he held her tightly. "Answer me!" He demanded.

"No," Ebony said hoarsely.

He pulled her back to glare down at her. "Why would you do this? Why put yourself in danger like this? Are you trying to test me?"

"I just wanted to say goodbye to my family, alone. I know you would have never let me leave to do it."

"What you did was stupid! Do you understand? You could have gotten killed. They could have killed you. Dakota told me they were an hour away from the town, but they hadn't discovered it yet. They were just leaving a diner when he found them. And then he saw you, at the cemetery."

"How did he know where I was?" Ebony asked.

"Tracking device," Dakota told her. "All of us have one on you."