Chapter 21: Griffin

21

GRIFFIN

D riving into Zora, I frown, feeling the dreary desolation of the town without even leaving my vehicle. John described Sutton as a one-horse town when he was convincing me to move up here. I'm not sure what this place is… half a donkey, maybe?

There's one short strip with the main attraction being a run-down diner that seems to be open for business, despite the broken windows being boarded up. On one side is a bar that should have been condemned years ago, and on the other, a grocery store with paint peeling off the blue sign over the door.

Outside the bar, two men are smoking, their harsh laughter breaking the eerie silence. Their clothes are scruffy, and both have their hoods up with just the tip of their cigarettes glowing in the gathering gloom.

It's dusk already, and the sky is painted with stripes of orange, casting a strange light over the deserted street. As they turn to watch me drive by, falling silent and waiting till I pass to resume their conversation, I get the feeling Zora's not a pleasant place to be after dark.

Pulling in outside the diner, I glance up and down the road, already wanting to get the hell out of here as quickly as I can. The only good thing about this place is it's quiet, and I'd be willing to bet everyone knows everyone.

A woman as beautiful as Kali couldn't fly under the radar here. And a prick like Jed would be known to all.

Staring back at the bar, there are now four men standing outside, all glaring suspiciously in my direction. They remind me of the man I'm looking for. They carry the same bang of stale sweat and alcohol and have too much time on their hands, with nothing better to do than cause trouble.

I grit my teeth.

These aren't the kind of guys I'd want anywhere near Kali.

Straightening my shoulders, I ignore them as I pass, but prepare for another frosty welcome as I enter the small restaurant.

Every head in the room turns my way as I duck inside. My size draws attention at the best of times, but in a place where outsiders are infrequent and very clearly unwelcome, I stand out even more.

Making a show of taking an exaggerated sniff, a middle-aged man seated near the door sneers at me. "We're closed." He snarls, nodding toward the door I just came through. "Leave."

A grey-haired woman with a sour expression leans one arm over the till and points to the door. Her red apron, with the name Joy embroidered on it in yellow, is filthy, and her fingers are stained with tobacco. She's the least joyful-looking person I've ever seen.

Glancing around the room, I take in three tables enjoying half-eaten meals. Enjoying it might be a stretch. There's nothing appetising about the food in front of them, and the smell of reused fryer fat hangs in the air, assaulting my senses. Fighting the urge to wrinkle my nose, I can feel the cloying smell of grease clinging to my clothing.

"I'm not staying, I'm just looking for someone." I'm keen to avoid any trouble here if I can.

Joy tilts her head and fixes me with unnervingly pale eyes.

"Don't know them," she says, a mean smirk on her face. Her surly attitude rubs me the wrong way, and I can feel the fire starting to flow in my veins. "Like he said, I think you should leave. Now."

Fuck this.

"You don't know Jed?"

Their weighty silence tells me that just as I suspected, everyone in town knows Jed. You only get the balls to turn up at someone's home, unannounced and unwelcome, when you've lived your entire life mistakenly thinking you're someone important.

I'm not looking for an escort to his house, I just want to know where I can find him. Even if it wasn't him, these miserable people might be able to tell me who else would want to hurt Kali. If she's as feared here as it sounds, there could be plenty of options.

Stepping toward Joy, my temper rises, and I grit my teeth, fighting my growing anger.

Her watery eyes narrow as she studies me closely. When I'm near enough for her to hear the low rumble coming from my chest, she steps back, wringing her hands in front of her.

Kali told me my beast is stronger than most. It seems she was telling the truth.

"I don't want any trouble." Her tone is conciliatory now. The high-pitched creaking of the door behind me pulls my attention away from the unhelpful lady in front of me, and to the heavy footsteps crossing the threshold.

"I want to find Kali, and I think Jed might be able to help me with that." I speak loudly to the room, hoping to diffuse the situation. Turning slowly, I face the two men now blocking the entrance, and I sigh. "I just want to talk to him. Then I'll be on my way."

You could hear a pin drop as everyone in the diner falls silent, giving me their rapt attention.

Nobody seems surprised that I'm looking for Kali. Good news travels fast.

Every set of eyes falls to the table in front of them as the door opens, and the two men loitering outside come back in, the wind carrying the smell of tobacco smoke with them.

"You're the guy," one man states bluntly, pointing a tobacco-stained finger in my direction. His mousy brown hair is lank, and hangs down past his ears. He's short, but stocky. He looks like a brawler, where his red-haired friend might be taller, but he's slim and less of a threat. "This is the guy Jed was talking about. Yeah. Kali's man." A slimy smile spreads across his face when I growl, low and deadly. "You fucked with the blonde bitch then? You must be desperate."

I'm moving before I even realise it. I don't remember grabbing him by the throat and pressing him to the wall, only snapping out of it when I hear Joy's stifled gasp. The sight of his legs kicking uselessly in the air, and the feel of his pathetically weak fingers scratching at my hands seems more like a dream.

Spotting some movement in my periphery, I snarl at Red's buddy and then tighten my grip in warning. If he comes any closer, I'll snap his friend's neck like a toothpick.

"Kali is mine . You say one more word about her, other than telling me where she is, and you'll be dead before you hit the ground." Even to my ears, my voice is terrifying. It's deeper, rough and ragged. My mouth feels full, and as I explore with my tongue, I realise my teeth feel bigger, and my tongue is longer and more flexible. The man dangling from my fist tries to nod, but he can't move more than a few millimetres, so instead, he squeezes his eyes shut, telling me he understands.

To the rest of the room, I let my voice boom out. "If anyone here knows where she is and doesn't tell me, I'll come back for you. If she gets hurt, I'll inflict the same damage on you. Blow for blow. It's not Jed you need to be afraid of."

Stunned faces stare back at me, my claim on Kali leaving them speechless. The man in my grip wriggles, his face turned red again as my anger gets the better of me, and I hold him tighter than I mean to.

"We don't know where she is. Honestly. She doesn't come to town anymore. But her parents live two miles down the road. Big white two story, red gate. You can't miss it." Joy caves, telling me the truth to avoid her diner getting trashed, which is both a relief and disheartening at the same time.

I was looking forward to some violence. I need the stress release.

"Jed was here last night. Licking his wounds, spouting shit about you. He wasn't in Sutton."

The scrape of a chair being pushed back sends a tingle of awareness down my spine. It's time to get out of here.

Lowering my arm slowly, I wait until the man's feet are under him before I let go.

He collapses to the floor, coughing and spluttering, while clutching his bruised throat with both hands.

To be on the safe side, I level Red with a punch, and smile as he falls heavily into the wall behind him. I don't trust either of these men enough to turn my back on them, and I don't want them tailing me down the road.

Kicking Red with my boot as I leave, I point a finger in his face. "If either of you ever speak to her again, I'll kill you. You have my word on that."