Order of the Omni: A Supernatural Romantic Suspense Novel (The Immortalies Book 1) by Penny Knight (reading books for 6 year olds TXT) 📕

The passenger door flies open, and my heart skips a beat, thinking maybe the psycho store man has made me. I jump back in my seat ready to fight, but without having even time to blink, Leo is sitting beside me. My mouth drops open.

“What the–” I shake my head, “How?” I look back to the phone. I was on the phone to him like one second ago. Horns sound and I look up and see there are no cars in front of me. I’m now the one holding up traffic. Still shocked, I slam my foot on the pedal and the car propels forward.

“How in the actual hell did you get here so fast?” I think I’m yelling, it’s the only way to hear over my pounding heart.

“You might want to slow down,” he says.

“Slow down?” I glance to him with wide eyes. “Are you serious, after that? I am now going too fast for you?” Unbelievable.

He chuckles, “I told you we were fast.”

“Fast, yeah. But that is insane.” My heart rate is slowly coming down, taking in this new information.

“Turn around, Elita. We are going back.” The humour in his voice now gone.

My heart rate picks up again, this time from anger.

“No,” I say and straighten in my seat.

“No?”

“I can’t.”

“Elita,” his voice deepens. “I told you to be back at the hotel before sunset.”

He told me. Heat travels through my body like fire.

“Listen, before we have this conversation. Let’s get one thing clear.” I have to stop this right now or I might explode. “Let’s drop the ‘I told you’ from your vocabulary when you talk to me. Because I don’t know how it works in your Immortalie world. But in my world, you can’t tell me what to do.”

Silence.

I look to him and he’s staring at me.

“Ok?” I ask.

I see his throat bobble as he swallows hard and nods ever so slightly. He leans back in his seat. “Ok then.” He cracks his neck. “Well. Where are we going?”

Did I just win this one? Did he just give in? A smile forms on my lips, and I let it sink in. Until I realise, I have to answer the question. I bite my inner lip as I contemplate my answer.

“Fuck,” he mutters, “I’m not going to like this.”

Can’t argue with him there. I decide on half the truth.

“I’m following the lime green Toyota.”

“Why?”

“An assignment,” I say.

“About what?”

“Um,” I lift my hand from the wheel and nibble on my nail. “Well, the driver may have abducted a woman,” I say. My voice stifled from the nail in my mouth.

I hear Leo turn in his seat. “Say that again?”

I put both hands on the wheel. “He may have abducted a woman.”

“How is this a job of a private investigator?”

“That is a good question.” My mind is ticking over how I’m going to sweet talk my way out of telling him the truth. “It’s hard to explain,” I turn to him and smile, “complicated even.” I just need some time to figure this all out.

“Elita, don’t get me wrong, you have a beautiful smile, but you are not fooling me. Answer the question.”

Ok, I’m just going to move past him admitting he likes my smile and ignore how that makes me feel.

“Leo, this man is evil. He has a girl locked up, possibly torturing her. And I have to stop it.”

“What?” he growls.

I freeze. His tone makes me a little nervous. I don’t know him and what makes him angry, or what he is capable of. I need to smooth this over.

“Look, I know I was meant to be back before sunset. But I have to do this.” I hope by being earnest and honest he cuts me some slack. Well, not one hundred percent honest.

“And what happens when you get there?” his eyes narrow.

“I’m not sure yet, but I will figure it out.” I have a feeling he will not like the answer.

“Let me get this straight. You’re following this man, who may or may not have a girl locked up. Possibly torturing her amongst other heinous things and you plan to waltz in there and what? Simply ask him to let her go?”

Ok, I may not have a kick-ass plan ready to go, but his sarcastic tone is grating my nerves. Gone is the fear I had of him. Why is it he can get me so mad, so easily?

“No one asked you to be here, Leo.” I turn to him. “Feel free to fly off,” I say, waving my hand towards the sky.

Silence.

“You aren’t scared of me. Are you?” he asks.

“What’s the point of being scared? You’re stronger, faster, immortal, but whatever. It’s obvious if you wanted me dead, I would be. For whatever reason, you’re helping me. And I’m going with my gut here and am pretty sure because you have ulterior motives for that. If you wanted to hurt me, I couldn’t stop you. So, what’s the point of being scared?”

I turn to him and continue.

“Everything is out of my fucking control right now. You think I’m going to let you, or anyone else, have control over my fear? You are out of your mind.” I shake my head.

After a moment, he turns his head and concentrates on the road ahead. I take that as the conversation’s over which suits me just fine. I need time to figure out the plan and to simmer down. We silently sit as I follow the car ahead.

“He turned left.” Leo breaks the silence.

“I know.” I flick on the indicator to exit the expressway. Instantly, I regret my clipped tone. I’m not always such a bitch, well, not really anyway. I keep a good distance behind the Toyota as I follow it down the hilly road. This is not how I wanted my day to go, or even my week.

My life had finally come to a stable halt. One where my future wasn’t laced