A loud sigh sounded over the line, and I could hear the faint whispering of people talking in the background before Callum’s voice sounded again. “Sorry, there’s—well, just a lot of moving pieces going on right now.”
“I take it things are moving forward—with the Guild, I mean?” I sank to the floor of my bedroom, Loxl curling up in my lap as I rested my head against the door, staring up at the ceiling.
There was a long pause, and I almost wondered whether the line had fully dropped, before he spoke. “Yes, things are moving forward.”
“And?” I prompted.
There was a longer, weary sigh that came from him, and I could almost picture him leaning against a wall, staring up at the ceiling and rubbing at his neck as he mused over what to tell me. “There isn’t much I can say right now—until everything is finalized . . . and even then, some things are confidential.”
A frown tugged at my lips at those words, wondering what I was to do with that.
“So, whatcanyou tell me, Blackwood?” I asked.
“I’ll get you more information when I can.”
“That’s not good enough,” I informed him and heard a huff of laughter on the other end of the line.
“Not good enough?” he asked. “What makes you so certain I will tell you anything else?”
It was my turn to laugh as I pinched my own skin hard enough that I knew it would leave a bruise. But the outcomewas worth it when I heard a slight grimace from the other end of the line.
“What did you just–” he started, but I cut him off.
“I need details, Blackwood,” I informed him. “If something’s happening, I want to make sure my family is safe.”
“I promise you I’ll be in touch with more information when I can, starlight,” he explained. “I willnotbe sharing confidential information over an unsecured line.”
“We’ve been texting every day,” I retorted in disbelief.
“Nothing confidential,” he replied.
I let out a long sigh. “Fine.”
“Trust me, Rae. I know what I’m doing.”
“How will you get in touch?” I demanded as I played with a ring on my finger, twisting the gold metal back and forth over my skin.
He sighed once again, and I was beginning to despise that noise falling from his lips. “Same way as I left?” he asked, carefully. “The red ribbon . . . in two days.”
This time, I found myself frowning, a wave of worry creeping through me at the idea.
“I can feel that, you know,” he stated. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Two days?” I confirmed.
“Two days.” His voice was confident, and I found my head nodding in understanding, even though I knew he couldn’t see me.
“Okay.” I nearly hung up the call then, but added the last words in a rush. “If that’s the case . . . I’m—um—I’m going to need a few things. The type of tools that I’m assuming someone in your position has access to.”
I heard the intake of breath on the other end, waiting until he spoke. “What for?”
“I plan to free someone who was taken from me,” Ianswered, hoping he would understand what I needed based on that alone.
“I don’t want you in any more danger than you already are,” he informed me.
“Then bring the right equipment so I can get my sister without being in more danger.”
I heard a heavy sigh, then the words, “It’s not quite that simple.”
