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Marcel answers my call on the first ring.
“What’s up, Gabe?”
“We’ve got her back,” I tell him. “She was pretty banged up, but she’s going to be okay. She already wants to start training with Atlas. We’ll keep her safe, but she doesn’t like feeling vulnerable, like she can’t protect herself.”
“Makes sense,” he says.
“Yeah.” I understand where she’s coming from. I’d feel the same if I was in her position, I’m sure of it. “It was Dante that took her, but Selene was behind it.”
“Son of a bitch,” he says, sighing. “How’d you find her?”
“We didn’t,” I say reluctantly. “Selene sent her back to us.” I fill him in on everything Calla told us, from Dante being dead to Brighton’s dad meeting with Selene. “Things could get very messy. I want advanced security measures put in place around here.”
“Of course. I’ll arrange it immediately.” The sound of laptop keys clicking fills the line for a few seconds. “Everything will be set up within twenty-four hours.”
“Thank you, Marcel.”
“Anytime, my friend. I’m glad your girl is safe.”
Something in my chest tightens, and I press my lips together for a moment. “Me too.”
“I’ve got a few calls to make, but I’ll send you a confirmation email later once the security is set up. Let’s plan to catch up in a few days, but if you need anything prior to then, you know where to find me.”
After hanging up with Marcel, I rejoin the others. Lex is reading the instructions for mushroom risotto on his phone, while Atlas, Kade, and Calla are sitting in the living room.
The grim expression on Calla’s face is quickly explained when I hear Atlas explaining his involvement in Ellis Industries.
“You’re a shareholder in a company whose mission statement might as well bekill all the vampires?” She shakes her head. “What the hell?”
“It’s important to keep our eyes on all of the moving parts when it comes to the hunters,” Kade tells her. “Atlas being inside the company is the best way to do that.”
“So long as you don’t get caught,” she says, directing it toward Atlas. There’s worry in her gaze that he seemingly ignores, though I know he sees it as clearly as I do. She shakes her head. “I thought it was an environmental company.”
“It is,” Kade says, “sort of. They are deeply involved with the protection of certain lands.”
“Land where white ash trees are plentiful,” I say, walking into the living room and sitting next to Calla on the couch.
She frowns, her eyes flitting between us as she puts it together. “They protect the land where white ash trees grow so they can use them against vampires.”
“That’s right,” Kade says.
Calla runs a hand over her face, and I quickly notice the way her fingers are shaking. “This…” Her voice trails off. “This is insane.” Her gaze focuses on Atlas. “You can’t—What if they find out who they’re in business with?”
He shrugs. “Keeps things interesting.”
The muscles in her jaw tense. “I’m serious,” she snaps at him.
Atlas sighs as if this whole conversation is an inconvenience to him, and I shoot him a look. “Nothing is going to happen, Calla. They aren’t going to find out.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “Really? Because Selene knows about youandshe knows Brighton’s dad. There is absolutely no way that’s a coincidence.”
“Selene is also a vampire,” he counters. “She wants to throw us under the bus, she’s getting run over as well.”
“That’s what you’re counting on?”
There’s a slightly, barely noticeable shift in Atlas’s posture. His patience is wearing thin. I understand Calla’s concern—it’s nothing I haven’t been worried about before, but it’s really not the most present issue.
I reach over and wrap my hand around her knee, giving it a reassuring and gentle squeeze. “Everything is going to be all right, angel.”
