That’s something. Better than nothing.
“Do you have a map?” he asks.
I spin toward Cade, who’s still sitting on the couch tense and watching me like I’m speaking in tongues. “Bring me a map.”
He nods, disappearing down the hall. A few drawers slam, and then he’s back, unfolding a large map of Sunderlands across the coffee table. It’s nearly identical to the one I saw in Malachi’s office, riddled with marks indicating safe houses and trafficking hot spots. A network of secrets etched in ink.
I take it from him and kneel by the fire, laying it flat on the floor. The paper crackles beneath my fingertips as I turn back toward Banks, who flickers with a faint pulse of energy. “Show me anything you can.”
Cade hands me a marker, and I pop the cap off, waiting for Banks.
He moves slowly, reaching out with a translucent finger. It passes through the paper, and he pauses, looking at his finger like he’s not used to that happening.
“It’s here somewhere. Close to the cabin Orin took you from. Where the wolves prowl.”
I quickly mark the spot he gestures to with a small star.
“It’s underground, right? Like a silo?” I ask.
He shakes his head. The motion sends a cold ripple across the back of my neck, sharp despite the flames behindme. “No, it’s built into the side of the mountain. I think it used to be a mining site.”
I nod, my hand already hovering over the map, heart starting to pound. “Next.”
He points to another spot south of the hunting cabin. Too close for comfort. The lines on the map blur for a second.
“Why two so close together? Are you sure?”
He nods again, slow and certain. I mark it and wait.
“This last location is the one I would go to first.”
He points again, this time farther north. My stomach drops. The spot is directly in the center of the largest gutter zone in the country, not far from Viktor’s compound.
“Why would you start there?” I ask.
But when I glance up, he’s gone. Vanished.
“Damn it,” I mutter, glancing up at Cade and Aurora who are hovering over me, their eyes fixed on the new marks. Cade’s jaw clenches, and Aurora’s brows knit together as she hugs her arms.
I take a breath and walk them through the conversation, which leaves a strange weight in my chest. I can’t shake the feeling that whatever Marco’s building, it’s already in motion.
And we are closer to it than we should be.
“Why didn’t you ask him more questions?” Aurora says, watching me.
I rise to my feet and start folding the map. “I wanted to but couldn’t hold him any longer. Maybe I’m not strong enough yet. Or maybe the connection was weak. The spirit fades if I lose focus, and I was already pushing it.”
“Then you need to let Bash run some tests on you. Make you stronger,” she says, insistent. Right now, that doesn’t sound like the worst idea.
I give her a weak smile instead of an answer.
Cade grabs his jacket from the back of a nearby chair. “Come on. I better get you back before the search party shows up at my door.”
I elbow him lightly in the chest. “Very funny.”
“Are you coming with us?” I ask, turning to Aurora.
“Of course. We’ll have the whole drive to catch up,” she says, beaming as she slips on a pair of boots and shrugs into her coat by the door.
