Page 18 of The Crimson Wolf
I follow him to the back of the store, to his living space. “Do you ever have customers?” I know it’s a stormy day, but I still can’t get over how dusty and untouched it looks in here. Not to mention, we’re in the middle of the woods.
“No,” he says plainly, not looking back and walking briskly.
Obviously, I could have guessed this, but it’s odd that he says it so plainly. What’s the point of all of this if he doesn’t actually sell things? How does he make a living? I hope all these questions and more are answered soon.
He motions for me to enter his living room before shutting and locking the door behind me.
My heart skips a beat. I know Jack won’t hurt me. He just saved my life, but there’s a terrifying aura to him right now.
“Follow me,” he orders as he walks back to his living room and down a dark hall off to the side.
“Where are we going?” I ask. He said that he would explain things to me. Why is he taking me on an ominous tour of his house?
He doesn’t answer; just keeps walking until he gets to the last door in the hallway. He pulls out a ring of keys from his pocket and selects an old-looking one before placing it into the keyhole. He holds the door open for me to enter, then shuts and locks it behind me. The darkness of the room swallows me whole. “Jack!” I cry in a pathetic tone. Okay, maybe Jack will hurt me.Why does the thought send heat to my core?
I jump out of my skin when he pulls the cord in the middle of the room, and the space is illuminated by a singular lightbulb dangling overhead. I see his face first, glowing from the light next to him, but his features are still dark and ominous.
“Where are we?” I ask as I whip around, taking in my surroundings. It seems to be a workroom with tools like saws and hammers on workbenches against all the walls, but as I look closer, I realize these aren’t just tools; there are guns, knives, and axes. Dark cloaks with hoods, ropes, and chains hang from hooks in the far corners.
“Jack, what the fuck?”
He walks closer to me, and I back up.
“This is where my real work happens,” he says.
“What does that mean?”
“I haven’t been honest with you, Red. I don’t think anyone really has.”
I continue backing away from him until I reach the far wall and spread out my arms to grab something. My fingers find a bat, and I swing it in front of me, making Jack back away. “Stop with the ominous shit. Tell me what the fuck is going on.” I know trying to bat him away would be futile. I just witnessed him kill a giant wolf, for fuck’s sake, but I’m not just going to give up.
He backs away, calming my nerves a bit. His face softens, and he waves his hands in surrender. “Calm down, Red. I’m not going to hurt you.” He looks around as if realizing how creepy his “workroom” is for the first time. “I just brought you here because this room is soundproof. No one can hear what I’m about to tell you. Here.” He pulls his knife from his pocket and slides it across the floor to me with his foot—the knife he used to kill the wolf. “Take this.”
I don’t take my eyes off him but scramble to the ground to pick it up.
“I’m just going to grab some chairs for us. I have a lot to explain, so this will take a while.” He walks over to a desk in the corner and drags two wooden chairs into the middle of the room, setting them under the singular light.
He sits in the one closest to the door and motions for me to sit next to the other.
When I resist, still clutching the knife, he sighs. “Red, it’s me. I’m not going to hurt you. Don’t you think I wouldhave had enough opportunities by now if that’s my grand plan?”
He’s right, of course, and his words do send a sliver of reassurance to my nervous system, but I don’t relax completely as I sit in the chair across from him.
He gives me a soft smile, folding his large and bloodied hands on his lap.
It’s the first time since the clearing I’ve noticed the blood all over him. I reach out and grab his hand. “Are you okay?”
He shutters at my touch and looks down. “I’m fine. This isn’t any of my blood.”
“Right.” I pat his hand before pulling back, realizing I also have animal blood all over my hands. I look down the span of my body, realizing that I’m covered in blood, too, due to our steamy embrace. I need a shower, but it’ll have to wait because I’m finally about to get answers. In fact, I have a feeling I’m about to get more than I bargained for.
Jack sighs. “Before I tell you anything, you need to promise you won’t tell anyone this.”
“Jack, I’m a reporter. This is why I’m here. You can’t just tell me I can’t write about anything.”
He leans forward. “Red, this is serious.” The fire heats in his eyes again, and my insides quiver. “This is bigger than some story for your job. This is your family history. People’s lives are at stake.”
“Family history? What are you talking about?” I can’t see how any of this has to do with me. Then I think of Granny’s weird comments about my parent’s death this morning.
