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“Fine. Where do I go?”
Jake sends me an address where he wants me to meet him. I’ve never been to this place before; it doesn't even look like it's on pack land. It's very remote, but I'm not surprised by that. My adrenaline is pumping, making my hands shake as I call Paige’s number.
“Girl! Tell me everything! How did the date go with Eli?”
“Paige, this isn’t a social call.” The strain in my voice is apparent, and she immediately knows something is wrong. For all the bubbly personality she has, she knows when to take things seriously. To that end, she has always fought hard for me and Maddie, making me wonder what she has had to fight in her life; the cold look in her eyes shows deep pain and great loss.
“What’s wrong, Quinn?”
“So much, but that’s not what’s important right now. I need you to do me a huge favor, and you’re not going to like it.”
“Quinn, you're freaking me out. What is wrong? What is happening?”
“I had another vision…and Jake’s goons found me in town.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. This time, in the vision, they found Maddie and were taking her away.” My throat constricts with emotion.
“Oh, babe. Okay, what do you need me to do?”
“I just had a conversation with Jake. He says if I come to him, he will leave Maddie alone.”
“What! You don’t actually believe that, do you?”
“No, I don’t, but I don’t have a lot of options to deal with him. If Clearwater and Twilight Meadows go to war, there will be so many lives lost, and I will not risk Maddie’s life on the chance that Eli’s pack will be able to protect us. What we need is to get the council involved.” Silence fills the other end of the phone call. I knew this was going to be difficult. Paige has her own story; part of it is that she has been hiding out from the council and her pack. She never told me what happened, but she did say that she didn’t want the life she was going to have in her old pack. That being said, she has a contact on the council who has been helping her.
“Quinn…”
“I know, Paige, it's a big ask, but I need you to do this for me. I have a recording of my conversation with Jake; if I send it to you, you can pass it on to your contact. I’m going to meet up with Jake; if all goes well, this will solve the threat against Maddie and me and deal with this long-standing feud. I’m going to send Maddie away for a bit, somewhere safe.”
“What if he kills you?”
“He won’t kill me, he needs me. He wants to use me for my ability. He doesn’t know, however, that I don’t know how to use it or that it just started happening. Still, he was always attracted to the power that would come with having someone who could see the future. Maybe he hopes I can predict when someone will attack, or where—I don’t know. He’s delusional, but I do know he wants to take me as his mate, and for that reason, he won’t kill me.” Or his prisoner, but Paige doesn't need to know that.
“I don’t like this, Quinn.”
“I know, and if there was another way, I would do it. But this will save the most lives. I couldn’t live with myself knowing that I caused so much death, and the risk to Maddie is too great. I won’t do it.”
She blows heavy air out of her mouth, and I know I have convinced her to do it. “Fine…but give me a couple hours before you walk into your own demise. It’s going to take time to get everything sorted.”
“I need to leave in two hours. If Eli comes home before I can leave, well, he won’t let me.”
“Okay…send me the recording.”
“Thank you. I love you.”
“Love you too, babe.”
After I hang up and send Paige all the information I have, I prepare myself for the next part of this likely not-great plan. Maddie is awake, so getting her to safety is my next priority. Lifting her into my arms, I hug her tight.
“I love you, my precious girl. I’ll get this all sorted, okay?” Kissing the top of her head, I relish the feeling of holding my child in my arms. I just hope this isn’t the last time I see her.
Chapter 14 - Eli
I know something is off the moment I open the door. It's quiet in the house. Maddie’s laughter is missing from the space, and the chatter when I walk in is startlingly absent. It's crazy what you get used to, even after a short time. Maybe I missed a phone call? I pull my phone out to see if I have missed a message or call, but I haven't. It all feels wrong; my home should be filled with laughter and joy, not emptiness and dead silence. My wolf starts pacing, knowing that whatever has happened is not good. I walk through the house and call for them, but no one answers; silence greets me at every turn. I run to Maddie’s room and look into her bed. Pengy is gone. Quinn wouldn’t leave, would she? I thought we were making progress, I thought we were building up trust. Opening up my phone again, I call Quinn, but it goes right to voicemail. I head out to the back deck and call over one of the patrols. Eight guys are patrolling this area; at least one of them knows what happened. She wouldn't have gone out again like she did yesterday, would she?
“Where are Quinn and Maddie?”
