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The objective is in good health but the way forward is obscure.
I scowled at the message. What the hell was that supposed to mean? It was like my dad was channeling his inner Yoda.
But I gathered that Zaq was alive and unharmed, which meant Father had discovered where he was being held. For once I was grateful for my inhuman, cold-as-ice father. If anyone could rescue my middle brother, it was him.
Still, I wanted more information. I was about to text him back when I received a second message.
Do not attempt contact.
I growled but obeyed. He’d probably already destroyed the phone he’d used to contact me anyway.
I reached for my own smartphone, itching to let Rafe know the news, but he was still deep undercover in Montreal. Finagling a meeting with the Tremblay princess was going to take cleverness. But getting her to talk to him? That was going to take a king-sized dose of his famous charm. From what Rafe had said, he and Zoe had struck sparks off each other the size of Mount Vesuvius. Then things had gone bad. Very bad.
Zoe Tremblay had a rep for being as coolly vicious as her mom. He’d be lucky if she didn’t turn him over to Victorine herself.
That left my mom. With Father away, she’d be keeping a human’s hours, but it was almost dawn, and I’d promised to contact her as soon as I had any news about Zaq, day or night.
She answered on the second ring. “Gabriel? You have news?”
“Yeah. Father’s making progress.” I was careful not to say too much, both for security purposes and because it was an unspoken rule in our family that Mom was kept out of Syndicate business.
“Thank the good Lord. Is he—coming home soon?”
I heard the hesitation. What she really wanted to ask was,Aretheycoming home soon?
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
“Still, that’s good news—that he’s making progress. What about you? You’re okay?”
“I’m fine. You know Tomas. I can’t take a piss without a bodyguard trying to hold my you-know-what.”
She chuckled. “Poor baby. I feel like I’m on house arrest myself. Lord forbid I try to leave the grounds. I’m like a mother duck with a posse of hard-ass, scowling ducklings. Your father’s orders, bless his heart. I understand, but...”
“I’m sorry,” I said, although on Mom’s safety, my dad and I were in complete agreement. “It’s only until we figure out what’s going on.”
“Don’t worry. I just put my nose in the air and act like a movie star.”
My mouth twitched. I could just see my beautiful, dark-haired mom—who was as down-home as they get—sashaying about like a bored Hollywood A-lister.
Toeing off my shoes, I leaned back in my chair and propped my feet on the sleek black desk. “I’ll send you a pair of sunglasses.”
“Cat’s eye,” she returned without missing a beat. “With rhinestones. Big, glittery rhinestones.”
I grinned. Knowing my mom, she’d wear them, too. “You got it.”
“Now, why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?”
I took my phone from my ear and stared at it. The woman was a witch. “It’s not what you think. Everybody’s fine. I promise.”
“Then what is it?”
I hesitated. Mom wouldn’t be pleased to know Mila was back.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t liked Mila. It’s that she knew as well as me that my father would never accept anyone but a vampire as my mate. I’d hidden Mila from my parents for as long as I could, although I’m sure my father’s spies had informed him I was banging a human. Father wouldn’t have cared if I’d kept Mila as a thrall.
But once I’d decided to offer Mila the blood bond and take her as my mate, I’d brought her home to meet the family.
It hadn’t gone well.
