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Kade lets Gabriel know we’re on our way, and by the time we pull up at the curb outside, they’re waiting on the porch, along with Calla’s mother and father. Calla hugs each of them, hanging on tightly as if she isn’t going to see them again. They dote on their daughter, and it’s hard to ignore how loving they are toward her—and how reluctant they are to let her leave.
I stand near the car while Kade and Lex walk toward the house. This display isn’t something I need to involve myself in, and quite honestly, I’d like nothing more than to wrap this up and get on the road. The scene of loving parents and their child isn’t something I’ve ever experienced with my own, which is yet another stark reminder of just how twisted our society—and my family’s place in it—is.
After another round of hugs, Calla and the others walk toward the car. I open the passenger side door for Calla, and she climbs in without a word, refusing to meet my gaze. I catch the unshed tears in her eyes as I close the door, while the others slide into the back.
Getting behind the wheel, I start the car and pull away from the curb without looking to see if Calla’s parents are still standing on the porch. Something tells me they’ll stay there until our vehicle is out of sight.
“Where are we going?” Calla asks, staring out the windshield.
“Marcel’s,” I answer, switching lanes to pass a group of motorcyclists not going fast enough for my current level of patience.
“Here in New York? I thought we were going to Chicago?”
“We are,” Kade answers from the seat behind me. “But first, we need to touch base with Marcel, and he owns a vampire-exclusive boxing club in the city.”
“Why?” she asks, pulling her phone out of the duffle bag at her feet. “What’s going on now?”
“Nothing new,” he says. “Hunter attacks are increasing in numbers quicker than normal, and it’s garnering more attention.”
“They’ve doubled in a matter of days,” Lex adds.
Calla doesn’t respond to that. Her head is bent as she reads from her phone, tapping her finger against the side of it.
“Something you want to share?” I ask, keeping my eyes on the road.
She sighs. “Not really. I’m fairly certain I know what you’ll all say.”
“Humor us,” Kade says.
“Brighton keeps texting me. She said it was a mistake taking her father’s side and she doesn’t want to be a hunter. She’s scared and is asking for help.”
Lex barks out a laugh. “Right.”
Calla frowns. “I’m not sure what to believe.”
“Believe that her father is a manipulative piece of shit who is probably using his daughter in an attempt to set a trap for us,” Kade says in a somewhat aggressive tone.
“We don’t know that,” she says back, her free hand clenching into a fist against her thigh. Her pulse is ticking faster, no doubt Kade’s words shooting her blood pressure higher. It’s a possibility we need to consider, and I’m not about to put the guys or Calla in a position to be ambushed by Scott Ellis.
“We don’t know that Scott didn’t text you from Brighton’s phone,” Lex points out.
“So what? I’m supposed to leave my best friend on readin caseit’s not her texting me, even though she’s asking for my help?”
“For now,” I say, “yes.”
The anger and frustration rolls off of her in waves, and she’s silent for several beats. “Fine,” she finally mutters, keeping her head down.
I hold out my hand, waiting for her to give me her phone.
“What the hell do you want?”
“Hand it over,” I say without looking in her direction. There’s no way she’s keeping it now that ‘Brighton’ has made contact with her.
She scowls. “As fucking if.”
Irritation prickles across my skin, making the back of my neck tingle. “You want me to pull over and take it from you, Calla?”
“No. What I want is for you to chill out, Atlas,” she snaps, emphasizing my name. “If you can’t trust me not to put all of us in danger, then I think we need to reevaluate what it is we’re doing here.”
