“No way we’re leaving him down there that long,” Cally said. Months? Antoine would be feral inweeks. Not only that, butwithout him feeding on her, her power would grow until it killed her. How long did she have before that happened? There was no way to know. If she died, how would they ever find him? Plus, he’d never be able to recover even if the others somehow managed the impossible.
Fuck. Like we don’t have enough problems.
Her coffee cup exploded in her grip, shards skimming toward Noah.
Marcel arrived in short order with a cloth, mopping up without saying anything. Eve gave her a sympathetic look, then mouthedShe-Hulk.
“We’re not waiting a year,” Noah said around a mouthful of pancake like nothing had happened. He gestured at Gabe with his fork. “If we steal one, will your thralls help?”
The vampire raised an eyebrow. “Do you know where to find one?”
“No.”
Gabe leaned back in his chair. “You want to use my thralls to locate then steal a submersible vehicle, somehow get it out to wherever the hell Antoine is, pilot it down there without any experience while Cally accompanies you—who you’re responsible for protecting—pull him from whatever hole they’ve thrown him in, and then back up to the surface without anything going wrong?”
Noah swallowed his mouthful. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
Gabe fixed him with a cold look.
“Hoo-ee!” Eve blurted at her screen, then grinned up at Cally. Her smile faltered as she saw their expressions. “Who-eye?”
Cally only sighed, fondness slipping through. “Translate for those who don’t speak ‘Eve,’ please.”
“Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,” Eve read from her screen. “They have a manned submersible. And the best thing? They’re only ninety minutes south of Boston.”
Noah finger-gunned her. “There we go, then. Not much security in a place like that.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure—it’s a joint venture with the US Navy.” Eve was still scrolling. “According to Wikipedia, their sub has a name: Alvin. Oh.” She winced and looked at Noah. “Can we steal something that weighs seventeen tons?”
Gabe muttered something that might’ve been, “Staying in the shadows.”
Cally sharply tapped the table. “We’re getting Antoine back. I don’t care what it takes, what we have to do, or what we have to steal to make it happen. We’re getting him back, and we’re doing it as fast as we can. Would any of you want to spend a single minute longer than you had to, trapped a thousand feet underwater?” She met the eyes of each of them in turn. “I want a working plan ready by the end of the day. Zoey, bring Antoine’s thralls to work with Gabe’s. Marcel, you know what thralls Antoine has and where they are, right?”
“Indeed I do, madam.”
Cally nodded. “Eve, you’re the brains. Find a way.” She turned to Gabe. “We need you on this, whatever it takes. Can we depend on you?”
Gabe folded his large arms across his chest as his silk shirt stretched tight over his shoulders. “I owe Antoine my life. Of course you can depend on me. But I advise a modicum of caution. This will take time.” He held up a hand as Cally opened her mouth to speak. “I know you want Antoine back as soon as possible. We all do. But if you rush this, it’ll go a lot worse.”
“He just called you ‘impulsive,’ babe,” Eve said with a grin.
Cally closed her mouth and nodded to Gabe begrudgingly, ignoring Eve. “I hear you. Let’s just not waste any time, okay?”
“Agreed.”
Cally rose from her seat as Marcel took a step forward.
Eve looked up. “Where are you going while we do all the work?”
“Fishing,” Cally said, her eyes on Noah, who swallowed the last of his pancakes and began to rise too, then faltered as he saw Marcel’s expression.
Noah slumped back into his chair. “Keeping you safe means even from Marcel. So eat some pancakesbefore we go?”
Gabe pulled out his phone. “No point going now anyway. Antoine will be asleep when you get there.” He busied himself with the keypad. “Zoey, I’m sending you the details for Ryan, my number one.” He stood with a sigh. “I’m going to rest; I’ll see the rest of you this afternoon. Take care of her, Noah.”
Marcel picked up the plate of pancakes Cally had left untouched and replaced it with a new, steaming batch. “If you will sit down, please, madam? Otherwise I’ll tell Noah that starving yourself is bad for your safety, then stand back and watch as his compulsion kicks in.”
*
