Blocked Number.
My stomach drops.
When I look up, Lucian’s already watching me. He sets down his glass, his expression shifting from amused to concerned in a heartbeat. I tilt the phone so he can see the screen. His eyes narrow. A pause. Then a single nod.
I swipe to accept and bring it to my ear. “Hello.”
For a beat, all I hear is ragged breathing.
“I-Isobel?”
My heart stutters. “Mom?”
Her voice is broken, frantic, almost swallowed by the sound of her sobs. “Baby, I—I need you to come get me. Please. I’m scared. I’m so scared.”
The dining room fades—the clinking silverware, the low murmur of voices, even the warm glow of the candles. All I can hear is her voice. All I canfeel is the sharp, cold hook pulling me back into a place I thought I’d left behind.
“Where are you?” My voice is tight, urgent.
But she just cries harder.
I push my chair back, the legs scraping softly against the polished floor. Lucian is already half-standing, his eyes locked on me like he’s reading every flicker of panic on my face.
“Mom,” I say again, gripping the phone. “Tell me where you are.”
She sniffs hard, her voice breaking between words. “I can’t—he’s—he’ll hear me. Just…please, Isobel. You have to come. Please.”
Lucian moves around the table without a word, his hand coming to rest lightly on my shoulder. “Come on,” he murmurs. “Let’s take this somewhere private.”
I let him guide me toward the hall, my pulse roaring in my ears. Behind us, the laughter and conversation have stopped. The scrape of chairs follows.
“Isobel?” Jace’s voice is quiet, careful.
I glance over my shoulder—Jace, Luca, Noah, and Maeve are all watching, their expressions tense. Maeve’s brows are drawn tight, her cocoa-brown eyes flicking between me and Lucian like she’s ready to stand up and follow.
Lucian gives them a sharp look that saysstay put. “We’ll handle it.”
We step into the shadowed hall just outside the dining room, the low light spilling from the sconces painting everything in soft gold. “Mom,” I press again, switching the phone to speaker, my voice trembling despite my best effort. “Where are you right now?”
There’s silence on the other end, except for the sound of her breathing—shallow, panicked. Then, so faint I almost miss it:
“I don’t know if I can get out.”
The line goes dead.
My stomach knots. Lucian catches my eye, his expression unreadable but full with calculation, already working through whatever move comes next.
I just stand there for a moment, staring at the black screen like if I wait long enough, it’ll light back up. I step back into the dining room, bumping into Maeve. They all crowd the doorway.
Clearly listening.
Maeve’s the first to speak, stepping forward until she’s right beside me. “Iz…” Her hand comes to my arm. “We’ll figure this out. If she’s in trouble, we’ll get her out.”
Jace’s voice cuts in, laced with the kind of suspicion he doesn’t bother to hide. “Or she’s playing you.” His arms are crossed, his tone clipped. “You’ve gotta admit, the timing’s a little convenient.”
I turn to look at him, my chest tight. “You didn’t hear her, Jace. She was scared.”
“I’m not saying she wasn’t scared,” he says evenly, “but scared doesn’t mean she’s telling you everything. Or the truth.”
