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I bite my lip, my fingers hovering over the screen. I can’t tell her where we are and I’m sure as hell not going to tell her I’m a vampire over text, so I keep that to myself.
It’s too dangerous right now, Bri. Just lay low for as long as you can and we’ll figure this out.
She immediately tries to call me, but I reject it. If I hear her voice, I’m going to break.
Calla, what the fuck does that mean?! What am I supposed to do?
I’m sorry. I need to figure things out. I promise I’m trying to get you out of this mess. I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.
With that, I turn my phone off and shove it in the drawer beside the bed, nearly choking on the lump in my throat.
I shift up the bed until my back hits the pile of pillows at the headboard and stare at the closed door as tears fill my eyes. I haven’t felt like a prisoner with the guys in a while, but I sure as hell do right now.
14
Atlas
The tension in the house this morning is palpable.
I let the others know about Calla trying to sneak out to meet up with Brighton last night, and she doesn’t say a word to any of us when she gets up and comes downstairs, not even Gabriel when he hands her a cup of coffee. She immediately sets it on the counter and goes back upstairs, turning on the shower in the en suite.
“We’ll need to deal with that,” Gabriel says, sitting at the dining room table, sipping from his cup of coffee.
Kade and Lex exchange a look and make an excuse to leave the house in search of clothes and food for our stay here.
“Hmm.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, frowning at the pressure behind my eyes. I thought we were pastkeepingCalla, but when she’s determined to do something so idiotically dangerous, it’s difficult to give her the freedom she’s wanted since we showed up at her apartment all those weeks ago.
There’s a knock at the door, and Gabriel gets up to answer it before I can. “That’s Marcel. Let’s put a pin in this for now.”
They exchange pleasantries at the door and then walk into the dining room, bringing with them the scent of citrus and leather—a combination I’ve come to associate with our informant—and the faint scent of several different blood types.
Marcel nods at me, setting a cooler on the table. “This should hold you guys over for a while. Let me know when you need more, and I’ll make sure it gets here.”
“Thank you, Marcel,” I say.
He runs his hand through his golden hair, pushing it out of his face before dropping into the chair adjacent to where I’m sitting at the head of the table. “I’m going to cut to the chase because we don’t exactly have time for anything else.”
“That works for us,” Gabriel says, sitting back in the chair in front of his coffee.
“I received word early this morning that something is coming down the pipeline from the Department of Defense to several local law enforcement departments.
I nod. “I’m assuming you know the news.”
“Starting at midnight, there will be a curfew put in place due to the spike of what they’re calling ‘gang-related attacks.’ Unless given government clearance, all citizens must remain in their homes between the hours of eleven at night and five in the morning.”
“Whose side are they on?” Gabriel asks. “They’re getting the people off the streets, but for what reason? To help clear them for the hunters? To protect us from exposure?”
“We have local law enforcement,” I comment, “but I can’t say for sure at this moment about the higher levels of government.” I exchange a glance with Gabriel. “That depends on if my father followed through with his plan to get rid of some people who he deemed untrustworthy.”
Gabriel takes the lead in filling Marcel in on the added pressure from my—from Simon and Lenora.
“He wants to kill the senators who may be aligned with the hunters?”
I nod. “He demanded I take care of it.”
Concern fills Marcel’s gaze, and he looks between me and Gabriel. “What does that mean?”
“It means nothing, Marcel. I will protect my people as best as I can. What I will not do is kill people who do not deserve it.”
