Scent of Deception

Darius POV

I slide into the passenger seat of my SUV and slam the heavy door shut. My jaw is clenched so hard my molars ache. The tense, inconclusive confrontation at the Cold River border checkpoint replays in my mind on an endless loop. Outside the tinted windows, the misty pines blur together into a dark, impenetrable wall. My chest heaves with exhaustion.

Beta Garrick sits in the driver’s s