Beast Tamer's Rebirth National Treasure Edition novel Chapter 153

Chapter 153

Chapter 153

Sierra wondered if she’d heard wrong. But when she glanced over, she saw Elliot looking dead serious, like he was trying to figure out a puzzle he just couldn’t solve.

The big rat got pissed off when Elliot poked it, bared its teeth, and looked ready to bite him. Elliot was startled and quickly let go of the stick.

That was when it finally hit him. Maybe the rat really did hate him, and that was why it deliberately left him out of the conversation every time it spoke.

Once he realized that, Elliot felt like his whole world had just crashed down.

Sophie could understand what the rats were saying. Sierra could, too, so the other cops probably could as well.

Otherwise, they couldn’t just go along with the rats wearing trackers, and not even question Sierra when she said there was cash hidden in the bricks.

The gap between him and Sierra was already huge, but now it felt like a bottomless pit.

All the other cars were packed, so Sierra had no choice but to get into Elliot’s car. She saw Elliot sitting there, totally spaced

out.

She shot a confused look at Sophie, silently asking, ‘Why does Elliot look like he just lost his wife?’

But Sophie just pointed at her own head. Her eyes said, “Don’t worry about him. His brain works differently.”

Sierra instantly understood and immediately thought of her dog Payton, back at home.

That was just how Payton was. Every now and then, he’d just act a little off.

But this time, knowing Elliot had come looking for her when she was in danger, Sierra’s heart couldn’t help but stir a little.

“Elliot, thanks for coming to my rescue,” Sierra said softly.

Elliot was brooding in the car, lost in his own world, when Sierra suddenly spoke to him. His eyes instantly lit up.

He quickly put on a nonchalant front. “No need to thank me. I just happened to be nearby for a business meeting, and when I heard you were in trouble, I couldn’t help but come check on you.”

After that, Elliot let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God you’re okay.”

Elliot knew he’d acted on impulse the whole way here, but just imagining Sierra getting hurt made his heart feel like it was weighed down by a ton of bricks.

Now that Sierra was sitting right next to him, safe and sound, Elliot felt like a huge weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders.

As they talked, Elliot glanced out the window and suddenly said, “It’s snowing.”

Genova County had its own quirks when it came to the landscape; not every place got snow.

Unlike the thick blankets of snow up north, here it never really piled up. Most of the time, it just sprinkled the fields and trees with a sparkling layer of snow.

The white was shot through with a touch of green from the trees. Whenever the wind blew, countless snowflakes fluttered down with a gentle rustle.

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Chapter 153

Sierra gazed out at the snowy landscape and couldn’t help but remember her childhood, just like this one.

At that moment, the car was warm, and the heated seat kept all the cold at bay.

But when she was little, winter always meant going hungry, freezing, and getting hit at home.

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Sierra spoke up, “Emory and Darius were just the ones David was dealing with. The real kidnappers were David and Elouise.”

Elliot already had all the info on David and Elouise, and there was a new depth in his eyes.

Sophie spoke up from the back seat, “We checked the security footage. David snuck into the zoo pretending to be part of a film crew, and took advantage of the staff and security letting their guard down to slip into your dorm early…”

As she spoke, Sophie glanced at the dried, dark blood on Sierra’s forehead. “Is your head injury serious? We should get you checked out with an MRI once we get to town.”

Sierra nodded. Once they reached the nearest town, she and the other trafficked women would have to give their statements to the police.

But to keep Sophie from worrying, Sierra said, “I’m really feeling fine now.”

Elliot, piecing things together and sounding anxious, said, “Wait, so you were actually feeling off before? Promise me you’ll get a thorough check-up when we get there.”

Sierra was speechless.

After Elliot kept insisting, Sierra finally gave in and agreed to get a full examination as soon as they reached the nearest hospital.

Outside the car, the snow was coming down harder and harder. Dalton left seven officers at the Hoffman family’s place to wait for backup from the local police and to see if they could dig up any more evidence.

Darius’s eye was probably done for, and he kept begging the cops to take him to the hospital.

Dalton drawled lazily, “The roads are slippery in this snow. Even if we wanted to take you to the hospital, we have to make sure we stay safe ourselves, right?”

Darius: “So, what am I supposed to do about my eye?”

Dalton spread his hands, looking helpless. “How should I know?”

Darius: “I’m gonna report you guys.”

Dalton snorted. “Sure, knock yourself out. I’ll be right here.”

Dalton thought, ‘It’s not like he can just report us for no reason. Everything we did was by the book’

But Darius’s misery was just getting started. As they kept going, the snow in Genova County got heavier and heavier. None of them had brought snow chains, and the heavy snowfall made it almost impossible to see the road ahead.

Genova County was already super steep, with drop-offs that seemed to go on forever right next to the road. One wrong move and you’d be toast.

To stay safe, Dalton decided they should all get out of the cars and look for a place to stay nearby.

Luckily, they actually stumbled upon a tiny village tucked away in a valley, with only about ten houses.

Darius pressed, “Wait, we’re not heading to town? Seriously, what about my eye?”

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Chapter 153

Dalton just shrugged, “Hey, nothing I can do. If you want to file a complaint, be my guest.”

Darius looked like he’d just seen a ghost. Everyone made their way into the village.

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Even though there were only about ten families and the place was way off the beaten path, every house was a three-story red-brick building. These folks were living pretty comfortably.

The villagers didn’t ask for any payment, but Dalton wanted to keep things fair, so he paid them the going rate for a hotel

stay.

Sierra and the wildlife rescue team were settled into the very first house at the edge of the village.

Aside from a small piece of bread she’d managed to eat on the road, Sierra hadn’t had a proper meal in two days. She was running on fumes, totally drained.

The old lady, Flora Hensley, probably in her sixties, heard Sierra wasn’t feeling well and immediately fired up the stove in the kitchen. Soon enough, she came out holding a bowl of yellow-green herbal brew.

“Here, dear, drink this,” Flora said gently.

Sierra stared at the strange-looking concoction, her face twisting in an automatic grimace, clearly wanting to refuse.

Elliot caught a whiff of the odd smell and immediately stepped in front of Sierra. “Ma’am, what is this? You can be careless with food, but you really shouldn’t mess around with medicine. What if it makes her sick?”

“Relax, relax, it’s just some common herbs. Sure, it tastes a little bitter and looks weird, but I’ve been drinking this stuff for decades, and I’m still kicking. Trust me, it’s fine,” Flora said reassuringly.

Sierra remembered seeing a bunch of herbs drying under the eaves when they first came in.

Out in the countryside, folks often picked wild herbs to brew into tea. Sierra nodded and knocked back the herbal brew in

one go.

The smell was a little strange, but once she drank it, a subtle bittersweet herbal taste lingered on her tongue. It actually wasn’t as bad as it looked.

Elliot had wanted to stop her, but seeing Sierra had already finished it, he just kept quiet, feeling a bit helpless.

Flora took the bowl and headed back to the kitchen. “Dinner’s not ready yet, so just make yourselves comfortable for a bit.”

Maybe it was just the placebo effect, but Sierra could swear she was already feeling a lot better.

When Flora headed into the kitchen, Sierra tagged along after her. “Let me give you a hand,” she offered.

Elliot jumped in right away, “Count me in, too.” Elliot insisted on starting the fire and helping out with the cooking.

Ten minutes later, Elliot looked around at the room, which was now completely filled with smoke. Sierra, Flora, and Sophie were all hacking and coughing like crazy, while he just stood there, wondering how things had gone so wrong.

And then it dawned on him. Yep, he’d definitely screwed up again.

Elliot quietly set down the firewood, about to say something, when a frantic voice suddenly shouted from outside the woodshed. “Flora, are you home? If you’re home, come out quick! Your son was bitten by a bear up on the mountain.”

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