Chapter 5: Dawn on the Highway
The morning mist hung low over the asphalt as Julian's black SUV rolled down the long, tree-lined driveway of the estate. In the backseat, Max rested his chin on the center console, his breathing steady and warm against my shoulder. I had changed out of the damp maid's dress into my own simple clothes—jeans, a dark sweater, and a canvas jacket—feeling like an entirely different person than the terrified girl standing in the dining room twelve hours before.
Julian drove in silence, his hands resting easily on the leather-wrapped steering wheel. His jaw was set, the morning light catching the gray threads in his beard. He hadn't said a word to Victoria when she swept down the grand staircase in a silk robe at seven o'clock, freezing in her tracks when she saw the SUV packed and Max sitting in the back window.
"You're making a fool of yourself over a beast," she had hissed from the landing, her voice tight with suppressed panic.
Julian hadn't even slowed his stride as he loaded my small canvas bag into the trunk. "Keep packing your things, Victoria," he had replied without looking back. "We're going to have a long conversation when I get back."
Now, the city skyline faded behind us as we headed north toward the county line where the independent veterinary clinic was located. The heater hummed softly, and the rhythmic sweep of the windshield wipers cut through the steady drizzle.
"You didn't have to bring me along," I said, breaking the long silence as we hit the interstate. "Once you dropped me off at my apartment, you could have handled the clinic yourself."
Julian glanced sideways at me, a faint, weary shadow of a smile touching his lips. "You found him in the rain, Clara. You were the only one in that house who didn't look away when he was shivering. I think you deserve to see how this story ends."
"I just hope it doesn't end with us getting locked out of our jobs with nowhere to go," I murmured, watching the blurred landscape rush past the window.
May you like
Julian reached out, his hand briefly resting over the gearshift near my knee before he returned to the wheel. "You won't have to worry about the agency, Clara. Whatever happens when we reach that clinic, you've got a roof over your head and protection as long as you're with me."
The GPS navigation system chimed softly, signaling our exit coming up in two miles. The sign ahead read Oak Creek Veterinary Services. The road ahead was narrow, flanked by dense pine trees and gray skies, hiding whatever secrets were waiting for us at the end of the lane.
