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Callum yawned as a voice belted out over the loudspeaker. The bus seat was stiff against his back, and something heavy weighed on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and wrinkled his nose as something tickled it.
He jolted upright, realizing that he was resting his head on top of Sophie’s. As her head lolled to the side, he winced. She’d been leaning on him, too. Her head bumped against his chest. She jerked awake; her hand that was resting on his thigh gripped it tightly.
“It’s okay,” he said in a hushed voice. Sophie’s wild eyes met his for a moment before softening. “We’re in New York City.”
Sophie sighed and moved to look out the window, removing her hand in the process. He missed the feel of her palm on his thigh.
“There’s so many people,” she said as she continued to gaze out the window. She leaned forward, not stopping until her forehead was pressed against the window.
“That’s a good thing. It will make it hard for hunters to find us.”
She turned back to him, her brows lifting up at him. “Good. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder.”
The people around them stood and Callum followed suit, careful not to bump his head on the overhead compartment. He had to hunch over, but still stretched a little. After all their running and then sitting for a few hours, his body was stiff and sore. Shifting and a good night’s rest would help his tired body recover from the abuse.
Sophie grumbled next to him as she rose slowly. Once the aisle cleared out enough he made a spot for her, then took their single bag of clothes they’d purchased before boarding from the compartment. Sophie wiggled from the seat and led the way down the narrow walkway.
Once outside she peered around, turning in a small circle. “Wow!”
Callum put an arm around her and pulled her closer to the bus so no one bumped her as they made their way down the busy sidewalk. The sounds and noises bothered his sensitive senses but he let Sophie soak it all in, knowing she’d never seen anything like this in her life.
He gritted his teeth. There was no way to replace all the things Sophie had lost due to her captivity, but he could help make sure the bastards paid for what they’d done. He knew their location now. Sophie was right based on what he’d seen. The facility was their main headquarters. There was no other place like it that he knew of, and he’d tracked down a lot of hunters.
Hopefully they could get enough shifters together to take them on. Maybe they’d end this war once and for all. Then they’d be safe – she’d be safe. He watched Sophie as she continued to marvel at the tall buildings and busy street corner. A smile graced her features again, and he realized he would do anything to keep it there. It was an odd feeling. He’d briefly dated over the years to satisfy his needs, but he’d never been taken with a woman like he was with Sophie.
“Where do we go from here?” Sophie asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.
“We’ll find a hotel and then call Sanctuary,” Callum said. He’d have called sooner, but he didn’t want the hunters to find them. Now that they were in the city, they could breathe a little.
Sophie pointed. “It shouldn’t be hard to find a hotel. There’s one across the street.”
Callum shook his head as he eyed the classy hotel. “We don’t have enough money for that one without some help. I’ll see if they have a courtesy phone to call Sanctuary. Maybe we can get someone to pay for a room for the night.”
Sophie yawned as she rocked onto the balls of her feet to stretch.
“Come on.” He tightened his arm around her and led her to the crosswalk.
He watched as Sophie glanced around. The small smile still lit her face as they made their way across the street.
The door to the hotel was a circular moving one. He let Sophie enter first, then followed behind her when she’d safely made it through. She touched the cream-colored marble wall as she made her way to a courtesy phone hanging in the lobby.
Callum picked up the phone and tried Nate’s number first. It rang once, then a not-in-service tone met his ear. He hung up.
“What does that mean?” Sophie asked, wide-eyed.
“It’s probably nothing. If our phone is compromised, lost, stolen, or we think hunters somehow have the number, we shut it down and get a new one. It actually happens all the time.” He touched the numbers on the phone again, dialing Patrice’s number at Sanctuary.
He put the phone to his ear and listened to it ring.
“Hello?”
“Patrice. It’s Callum,” he said, relieved to hear the elder woman’s voice. Patrice was one of the head council members and was always willing to help a shifter in need.
“Callum. Thank goodness. We’ve been worried about you. Nate and Xander have a team and are looking for you in New York as we speak. Where are you?”
“In the city. I’m at the Jinx Hotel in Manhattan.”
“Nate and his team are on the outskirts of the city they were investigating the crash. Are you alone or are the cats with you?”
“The tigress is with me. We lost the leopard,” he said quietly.
“Is he dead?” Patrice asked, her voice lowering.
“Last we saw him he was alive. I’d like to assume that he still is.” He hoped the leopard was alive wherever he was. Hopefully he wasn’t with the hunters, though.
Patrice cleared her throat. “Are you two injured?”
“No. Just really tired,” he said.
Sophie nodded as if she was agreeing with him.
“Are you safe?” Patrice asked.
“Yeah. We haven’t been followed and I doubt we’ll have any trouble in the city.”
“Good. I’ll look up the hotel and get you a room. Give me about ten minutes to do that. I’ll put it under my name. I’ll get in contact with Nate and have his team meet you at the hotel as soon as they can,” Patrice said.
“Thanks. There’s something else, Patrice.” He cast a glance to Sophie, then stared at a spot on the wall. “Can you assemble a team? A large one?”
“I thought you were safe. What’s wrong?”
“We are,” he said confidently. “We found their headquarters. It’s only a few hours out of New York City. Imagine what we could do if we took it out.”
Patrice was quiet for a long moment. “You’re sure it’s their main base?”
“I’ve never seen a facility like that. It was its own town.”
“I see.” It sounded like she covered the phone with something before she returned. “I’ll see what I can do. There have been some developments since you last were here. We can talk more about that once you’ve returned. There’s something else. Eden and Xander went back to the complex to try to rescue you.” Papers rustled as Patrice paused again. “They found a woman there who they thought was related to...Sophie.”
Sophie’s head snapped up, her eyes narrowing at the mention of her name. Callum swallowed, already sensing where the conversation was going, but he let Patrice continue. Regardless of the news, the tiger would want to know.
“The young woman died, but they were able to save her infant daughter. They brought the child back to Sanctuary with them.”
Sophie gasped and covered her mouth as tears swam in her eyes. She grasped the sleeve of Callum’s jacket with her free hand as she inhaled a shaky breath.
“Is the baby all right?” he asked.
“The doctors here gave her a clean bill of health. She’s being cared for by Tess’ sister at the moment. From what I hear, she’s a perfectly healthy and happy little girl,” Patrice said.
“Thanks, Patrice,” Callum said as he reached out with his fingers to take the hand that was on him into his palm. “We’ll see you soon.”
“Be safe.” The phone clicked as she hung up.
***
Sophie gulped as both happiness and devastation raced through her. The baby was alive and she was free and safe, but Serena was dead. Her older sister was gone.
She closed her eyes and let the tears come. Serena was dead and she never even got to say goodbye.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Callum said, putting a hand on her shoulder as he drew her close.
She fell against his chest, causing him to step backwards. He caught her and wrapped her in his tight embrace. She burrowed into his shirt as sobs wracked her. Her fingers wound around the collar of his jacket. The baby was alive and safe. Thank goodness!
“It’s okay,” Callum said as he rubbed her back.
Sophie breathed in his scent, which was oddly comforting given that she barely knew him. She gripped him tighter as emotions washed over her. Her sister’s daughter was alive. No matter what, Sophie had to get back to Sanctuary. She might not have been able to save Serena, but she sure as hell was going to do everything in her power to ensure her daughter had a happy, healthy, and safe life. It was the least she could do after everything Serena had done for her.
She had no idea how long they stood like that, but when the tears finally stopped and she felt composed, she pulled away. Using the back of her hands to wipe her eyes, she blinked and looked around the lobby.
A few people glanced away as she made eye contact and she realized she probably looked a mess. Lou had always warned her about drawing attention to herself and here she’d made a spectacle.
Her eyes darted around until she found the ladies room. “I’m going to go clean up for a second.”
Callum followed her gaze. “Okay. I’ll get us checked in. Are you okay?”
She dabbed at her eyes as she sniffled. “I’ll be okay.”
Part of her wanted to forget about resting and head straight back to wherever Sanctuary was; the other part knew she needed rest. She hadn’t slept properly since their failed escape with Eden and Xander. That was...she didn’t even know when that was. All the days and nights were a blur. Then there’d been the running. I need to rest or I’m going to be too tired to see her.
She took a step forward, hobbling as her body pinched with each movement. It was definitely a good idea to get some rest as soon as possible.
The bathroom was empty. She walked straight to the sink and splashed cool water on her face. Glancing up, she watched her reflection as the water rolled in rivulets down her swollen face. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. Dark splotches had formed under her eyes. She looked awful.
Shaking her head, she splashed her face again and then blotted the wetness off with a paper towel. She ran her fingers through her tangled locks and let out a breath. Callum was undoubtedly waiting on her.
She walked out to the lobby and found him leaning against the opposite wall from the bathrooms. He stared at a rectangular card in his hand, but looked up when she approached.
His eyes met hers and she offered him a smile. He returned it.
“They only had single rooms available and ours only has one bed,” he said. “You can take it and I’ll take the floor.”
She’d slept on the floor of the cell at the compound. There was no way he would sleep well like that after everything they’d been through. They both needed a bed and a deep sleep to get them back on track. “It’s okay. We can share. I’m used to sleeping on a tiny cot. I don’t need a whole bed to myself.”
Callum shifted on his feet, but nodded. “If you’re sure.”
“It will be fine. I’ll probably be asleep the second my head hits the pillow.”
“Me too. I’m beat,” he said as they made their way to the golden elevators. He reached out and tapped the up arrow.
The doors dinged as they slid open and they entered. Callum hit the number eight and the doors clanged as they closed a few seconds later.
Her stomach jolted as they began their ascent. She blinked, her eyes heavy. A yawn slipped out before she could stop it.
The elevator jumped as it stopped and they made their way out into the hall until they stopped at their room. She couldn’t help but take in the décor as she waited for him to unlock the door. The hunters’ prison had been so white and prim whereas everything in the hotel was loud and full of color. Callum slipped the key in and opened the door, leading them into a room that was just as bright as the hall.
Sophie took off her jacket, laying it across the back of a chair. She slipped her shoes off as she walked and fell onto the plush mattress. Her head hit the pillow and she shut her eyes, letting all her worries, fears, and problems wash away as the darkness took her.