Chapter 6

• After driving around for a few minutes, we stopped next to a water tower that was so tall it peaked over the tops of the trees around us.
• A man was standing under a tree at the base of the tower, waiting for us. He was tall and of an athletic build. His skin, a rich shade of brown, was a stark contrast to the white t-shirt he wore. His shirt was tucked into cargo pants, which were held at the waist by a thick belt that holstered a gun. Hair shaved to his scalp, I could immediately tell he was of the no-nonsense types.
• Luca drove up next to him and rolled down his window to hand him my phone.
• "Carrie, this is Lincoln," Luca introduced.
• I smiled and he nodded curtly.
• Never saying a word, Lincoln took the phone from Luca and turned to walk back towards the tower. He opened a door at the base of it and went inside.
• "He works inside a water tower?" I asked.
• "It's not a water tower, it's an office. He's my chief officer of information and technology. He runs a team out of IT guys out of the tower in addition to the pack's main security crew. Lincoln's one of the smartest men I know," he commented.
• I looked up to see a few men walking along an observation ramp that sat on top of the tower. They looked to be surveilling everything that fell beneath and around the tower.
• "Not everything is what it seems here," Luca said.
• I looked at him warily, trying to decipher the ominous meaning of his words.
• After we left the water tower, Luca turned onto a narrow road and drove down a hill to another gated entrance.
• He rolled down his window once more to reach out and type a PIN number in against a small glass panel that was jutting out from a tree next to the road.
• The panel turned green and the gate in front of us slid backward, allowing us to continue down the narrow road.
• He drove up to a clearing where a large cabin sat on the edge of a stunning blue lake. It overlooked the expanse of water and the range of mountains in the distance.
• He circled the driveway to the four-car garage that was attached to the house by a breezeway. Luca pressed a button on a remote that was clipped to his car visor and one of the garage doors opened.
• Once parked inside, Luca unbuckled and got out of the truck. I followed, not knowing what else to do.
• As I got out and grabbed my backpack, I noticed the two other cars in the garage.
• One was a charcoal gray Jeep with a canvas roof and tires bigger than I was. The other was seemingly some kind of sports car. I couldn't make out what it was because it was concealed by a fitted car cover.
• On the other side of the garage were a pair of four-wheelers, a dirt bike, and a four-seater go-cart that looked like it was made for off-roading.
• I couldn't help but be somewhat impressed by Luca's collection of vehicles. However, I did wonder what was under the dust cover.
• Walking out of the garage, I came to stand in front of the grand mountain home that I assumed belonged to Luca.
• "Welcome to my humble abode," Luca said dryly, walking up behind me with my duffle bag and suitcase in his hands.
• There was nothing humble about the three-story lodge that sat in front of us. I nervously adjusted the backpack that was slung over my right shoulder, following Luca as we walked towards the house.
• Built from white stucco and stone, it had thick wooden beams running along the exterior and supporting the front porch. Board and batten shutters framed the many large windows that were plastered along the front of the house. Despite its cozy cabin feel, the grandiose size of the home made it seem much more intimidating than a simple lake house.
• As we walked along a stone path to the open breezeway that led to a side entrance, I couldn't help but notice how quiet it was.
• There were no neighboring homes in sight, not even the road was visible.
• His home was definitely in an isolated part of the pack land.