Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run novel Chapter 734

Charles leaned over from the passenger seat, grinning. “Sis, are you and your boyfriend really that close? You have to check in with him every time you go out? I barely ever tell my brothers where I’m going—or when I’m coming back. I just do my own thing.”

Clara felt her cheeks warm. She hadn’t even realized she was doing it, but she had glanced back earlier and seen Dylan sitting by himself, looking so alone. The sight lingered in her mind.

She wished his world was always full of laughter and people, not so quiet—like he was always waiting for someone who never showed up. That lonely look on his face made her uncomfortable.

She kept her eyes on the road, already used to Charles’s straightforward, almost childlike honesty. Other people thought he was a bit slow, but she never saw him that way. “Hey, want to come with me somewhere tonight?” she asked.

“Sure, wherever you go, I’ll come along,” Charles replied, sounding so sincere it pulled at her heart a little. She couldn’t quite remember how they’d met, but being around him felt easy—and safe.

Charles folded his arms and turned to the two dogs in the backseat. “You two better behave. If you make trouble, I’m never letting you ride in my sister’s car again.”

Milo and Buddy, both smart as ever, barked once and settled down instantly.

Clara drove them across town to Z’s old place. The place was just a shell now, the remains of what used to be a home. A heavy rain a few days ago had washed away any lingering scents. If not, she might’ve let Milo and Buddy try to track something.

As they got out of the car, Charles looked around with his hands on his hips. “Someone actually lived here? This place is trashed. Why’d you bring us here?”

Clara walked ahead to where a gravestone used to stand. Last time she came, Z told her it was for his brother. Now, the grave was dug up—just an empty hole.

She glanced at Charles, not sure what he could do but hoping for something. “There was an accident here,” she said quietly. “Someone I cared about died. I need to know who’s behind it.”

Charles crouched in the rubble, digging around. His hands came up black with soot. He gathered some powder and sniffed it. “Someone set off a bomb here. I don’t know how things work in this country, but back in North America, you need permits and paperwork for this kind of stuff. Guns, sure, but explosives? That’s a whole process. Usually, you just track down who bought the materials. But here, with all the online shopping, it’s practically impossible to trace.”

Clara crouched down next to him. “It’d have to be someone powerful to make something like this happen. Someone with connections in the city.”

Charles nodded. “So, who was it? The person who died?”

She hesitated, then said, “Someone important to me.”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify