38. Kali

Imade it to the bridge that Warner had told me about. He'd said his camp was a few miles away, but I'd been driving through these woods for the last hour, and I still hadn't found it. My panic was growing with every passing second. What if Warner wasn't here anymore? I only had so much time before Zan caught up. Even if I was far enough away to keep him from tracking the necklace, he knew I'd find Warner.

I drove slowly, weaving in and out of the thick trees, searching for tire tracks or anything else that hinted that their camp might be close. The sun had come up a couple of hours ago, but that didn't help my nerves. Zan and his brothers had already surprised me once during the day. He could be minutes behind me, and I wouldn't know until it was too late.

I was about to give up, but then I spotted something on a tree. I reversed, my heart beating faster as I inspected the grooves in the tree bark. They were man made. A way for Clovers to keep from getting lost in the forest.

I was close.

Cutting the engine, I tucked the keys into my pocket. Digging through the bag, I grabbed a stake and the gun before getting out of the truck and locking the doors. I crept quietly, listening for anything out of the ordinary. If the Clovers were close, then they likely would have one or two people standing watch.

My body was sluggish from lack of sleep, and I blinked through the exhaustion, forcing myself to keep going. I kept my steps light as I stalked through the trees, my head on a swivel. I reached behind me and tucked the gun into my waistband, hoping I'd see Warner before any other Clovers. It was a large possibility that they wouldn't recognize me, but I didn't want to look like a threat.

"Stop."

I halted in my tracks when the voice came from behind me. My stomach sank as I turned around. It wasn't Warner who'd made that demand. I spotted the woman walking out of the brush with a gun in her hand. Her curly brown hair was pulled high in a ponytail, and her posture was rigid as she looked me over. Her hazel eyes halted on my bandaged neck where the vampire had bitten me.

"I'm looking for Warner," I said slowly, keeping my hands where she could see. "I lived in Project Hope with him."

"What's your name?"

Shit. Even if she didn't recognize my face, she would definitely know my name if the Clovers had labeled me as a traitor. I racked my brain, trying to think of another female Clover whose name I could borrow, but before I was able to speak up, another voice rang out.

"That's Kali."

Another body came into view, and my heart stuttered when I saw Matt. He was the one who ran from the cabin with Warner when Zan took me back to his city. Was he still under entrancement? I froze. What if he was still giving information to Zan? If he had a way to contact him, then I had even less time to disappear.

"Kali?" the woman repeated, her eyes growing cold. "You're with the vampires."

"I'm not," I rushed out. "I've been trapped with vampires."

"That's not what we were told." Her eyes cut to Matt. "You're the one who saw it. Didn't she choose the vampires? Kill our men?"

"Yes," Matt answered, his voice void of any anger or sadness. Because that was an answer under entrancement. It didn't matter. She wouldn't believe anything I said now.

"Let's go," she ordered, jerking the gun. "No fighting, or I'll shoot."

I bit my tongue, walking in the direction she pointed. I was sure she was taking me back to camp to talk to whoever was in charge. I only hoped Warner was there too.

The woman and Matt walked behind me, and she kept the muzzle of her gun on my upper back the entire time. I realized why she'd stopped me in the first place. If I'd kept walking in the direction I was heading, I would have stumbled right into their camp. Five minutes later, three tents came into view. There was a small fire that a man was cooking food over. A creek behind the camp was their fresh water source.

The man who was cooking stood up when he caught sight of me. "Who's that?"

"We found her lurking around," the woman answered. "According to Matt, that's Kali."

The guy let out a low whistle. "The girl who runs with the Kanes?"

"I don't run with them," I snarled, tilting my neck to the side, showing the bandage. "I escaped them."

"Kali?"

My eyes darted to the person climbing out of the tent, and it took everything in me not to run toward Warner. His gaze met mine, and shock flared on his face. Tears welled in my eyes as he stood there, not moving a muscle. He couldn't act like he was happy to see me. Not in front of other Clovers. Maybe I shouldn't have come. If he helped me, there was a chance he'd be in as much trouble as me.

"Why are you here?" the woman behind me asked.

"To warn you," I said, my eyes not leaving Warner. "The vampires attacked Project Peace last night. They overtook PARA. Blew up the wall. It's not a safe city anymore."

"Bullshit," she snapped, stepping in front of me. She pressed the gun to my chest. "We would have heard. We have access to the government's radio frequency."

"I was there," I screamed, my voice cracking. "I saw it all. That city fell. In less than a fucking hour. And they're going to do it again to another city."

"How do you know?" Warner asked quietly, raising his hand when the woman moved to speak again. "Let her answer, Trish."

"Because I was at Amaros Kane's side when he did it." I sucked in a deep breath. "He's not going to stop at just one city."

"You were near Amaros Kane?" Trish questioned, suspicion written all over her face. "You escaped the most powerful vampire? Or maybe you're here on his orders."

I laughed darkly. "You have no fucking idea what you're talking about. I'm here to warn you."

"Sorry if we don't believe you," Trish replied dryly. "What do you want to do with her, Jon?"

The guy who had been cooking when I was first marched into camp was staring at me warily as he rubbed his black beard. Clearly, he was the one in charge. As I waited for him to answer, I nonchalantly touched the chain of the necklace, making sure Warner saw. He needed to know that I was still being tracked. If I told the others that right now, they'd think I was bringing the vampires here on purpose. One wrong word, and I'd find a bullet in my head.

"We have orders to bring her in," Jon finally said. "They want to question her."

Warner had slipped back into the tent, leaving me standing there with three Clovers who saw me as an enemy. Was he doing something to help me? Or had he chosen the Clovers? I couldn't blame him for not standing up for me after everything that had happened.

Trish pressed the gun harder into my chest. "Hands behind your back. You'll stay here until we travel back tomorrow."

Clenching my jaw, I followed her order, putting one arm behind me, only to grab my own weapon. Matt let out a yell in warning since he saw my move before anyone else did. Trish's eyes widened when I slammed my palm on her wrist, shoving the gun from me while pressing my own to her forehead.

"That's not going to work," I said, my voice soft but firm. "I'm not here to hurt you. I wanted to warn you. But if I stay, I'll only put you in more danger. So I'm going to walk away, and you're going to let me."

Fury covered her features, but she stayed completely still as my finger curled over the trigger. I wouldn't kill her, but she didn't know that. Jon was shouting orders at me, but I ignored him as I forced Trish to walk backward until both he and Matt were in sight to keep them from sneaking up on me.

"Fucking traitor," Trish snapped. "I should have killed you."

"Tell the Clovers what happened at Project Peace," I responded. "The vampires aren't going to stop. I have no idea which city is next on their hit list."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jon aiming his gun at me, and my heart dipped.

"Stop," Warner's voice boomed right before a shot flew past Jon and hit the tree beside him. "You're going to let her walk away."

Relief was mixed with sadness when I saw Warner pointing a handgun at Jon. He was choosing me. Meaning the Clovers would see him as an enemy after this. There was no going back for him. He had a backpack on and shot me a small smile before focusing back on Jon.

"Are you fucking serious?" Matt yelled. "She's the reason that vampire escaped. Why our men died."

"Drop the gun and turn around. Or I'll shoot," Warner told Jon. "And I'm dead fucking serious."

"I knew it," Trish hissed, her eyes spewing hate at my best friend. "I always knew you were with her. I told Jon that you couldn't be trusted."

I didn't say a word, knowing she wouldn't believe anything that came out of my mouth right now. Jon obeyed Warner's order while glaring daggers at me. Warner made Matt zip-tie Jon's wrists behind his back, and once Jon was lying on his stomach, Warner made Matt do the same, and he tied Matt's hands.

Trish was tense, and I kept my eye on her. She was waiting for a distraction to slip away from my gun, but it wasn't going to happen. I kept the weapon on her until Warner came up and used a zip tie on her too.

"Consider yourself a dead man, Warner," Jon spat out as he stayed sprawled on the dirt. "Both of you are dead on sight now."

"Yet we kept you alive," I said quietly. "Maybe think about that. If I were really with the vampires, why didn't I kill you?"

"Come on, Kali." Warner grabbed my hand. "You have a vehicle?"

I nodded, and I took the lead as we raced away from their camp. I could already hear Trish trying to get out of her zip ties.

"I don't have much gas left," I panted. "Maybe enough for twenty more miles."

"Then we'll go on foot after that."

"Warner, I need to get as far as I can. Zan can track this necklace?—"

"Once I cut it off, then you'll be fine. But we're going to hold on to it," he replied. "It could come in handy later."

I veered to the right, where I'd left the truck. "We can't do that. He'll be able to smell it. We need to leave it behind."

"Fuck, Kali. I missed you," he said, grabbing me and pulling me into a hug once we got to the truck. "I'm glad you're still alive."

"Me too," I mumbled into his shoulder, inhaling his familiar scent. "But I won't be for much longer if I don't get this necklace off."

"I brought a tool to cut it." Warner slipped off his backpack. "And I also have a box to keep it in?—"

"Warner, that's not going to work?—"

"It's lined with lead," Warner interrupted me. "Collin stole it from PARA. No scent can escape it, Kali. We keep the necklace in there, and it'll be fine."

I pursed my lips when he showed me the small box. I trusted Collin, since he was a Clover, but what if the box wasn't enough to hide the scent of Shadow blood? It was a large risk. But Warner seemed confident. I planned to stay on the move anyway. Hopefully, I was already far enough away that Zan had lost me.

"Let's drive a bit first and get away from camp," I muttered, unlocking the truck. "Then you can cut it off."

"I'm glad you came to me, Kali," he said gently as he opened the door.

"Thanks for choosing me. I'm sorry," I choked out. "You'll never be able to go back."

"You're family," he said simply. "I will always have your back."

I started driving, hoping to get far enough away from both the Clovers and Zan before I ran out of gas. Then we'd be stuck traveling on foot, and that was going to make things even more difficult. But at least I wasn't alone. I snuck a glance at Warner, hoping I hadn't made a mistake. If something happened to him because of me, I'd never fucking forgive myself.