BECKS
“This better not be who I think it is,” Talon says by way of a greeting.
“She needs to know if her parents are all right,” I answer, also dispensing with any of the usual phone pleasantries.
We’re sitting in a superstore parking lot after buying the burner phone. I have it on speaker so Haven can hear as well.
The sigh on the other end of the line is loud. “It’s not safe. You were supposed to wait a few days before reaching out.”
I cut my gaze to Haven, who’s wringing her hands and chewing on her full bottom lip.
Unintentionally, my gaze drops to the lip, and the urge to reach out and gently free it flares in my chest, catching me off guard.
“The last time she saw her dad he was lying in a puddle of his own blood,” I say bluntly, then wish I hadn’t when Haven flinches. “She just wants to know if her parents are okay.”
“I get that,” Talon answers. “He’s going to be okay. Locklyn and I made it here in the middle of the night. By then he was already out of intensive care. The stab wound wasn’t too deep and missed the major organs. He was lucky. We’re actually hoping he gets discharged tomorrow.”
The relief is visible on the smooth curves of Haven’s face.
“Can she talk to one of them?”
“No. Not right now,” he says, and Haven’s face falls. “He’s getting some tests, and his wife went with him.”
Clicking the phone off speaker, I bring it to my ear, feeling like I need a little privacy when I ask, “How’s Locklyn holding up?”
A twinge of guilt rises up that confuses me. Locklyn’s still my friend. She’s just been reunited with her birth parents. Why shouldn’t I feel free to ask about her?
There’s a long silence before Talon answers. “It’s Locklyn. She’s the strongest person I know.”
“That’s not what I asked,” I say, gripping the phone tighter.
This has to be hard for her, and as her friend I wish I was there to help. But at the same time, she has Talon, so she doesn’t need me right now.
“She’s holding up,” Talon finally admits. “I think she doesn’t really know how to feel about everything, so she’s focusing on keeping her parents safe.”
“How did the reunion go?”
“It didn’t.”
“What does that mean?”
“We haven’t approached them yet.”
That surprises me. “They’re going to know exactly who she is the moment they lay eyes on her,” I say, glancing over at Haven.
With the sunlight streaming through the window, I notice she doesn’t have as many freckles as Locklyn does.
“We’re going to do it soon,” he says. “Definitely before he gets discharged. She’s just working up to it.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me.
We talk logistics for a couple more minutes. He tells me that once they leave the hospital, they’re ditching their phones too and going dark. The plan is to find a safe place for Haven and her parents to stay then head back to the Order and try to figure out who is betraying us.
He has the number for this burner phone, and we make arrangements to talk in two days. By then I should have found a safe house for us. He tells me not to call again, and I glance over at Haven to make sure she heard it too. As a creature, she probably has enhanced hearing, easily picking up every word of the conversation. She rolls her eyes, but nods.
“What’s she like?” Haven asks after we get back on the road.
I don’t know why, but the question catches me off guard.
