~ Brendan ~
Teolo, Padova, Italy
2.05 p.m.
Hands pressed against the wooden frame, I stood staring at the door to the guest room Heather was staying in. She had remained in there all morning. Either catching up on sleep due to the late hour in which I left her room, or she was simply avoiding me, not that the latter seemed to make sense. I didn’t imagine the Slayer to avoid people she had pissed off. Not that I was pissed off; at least, not now. Fuck, if I knew what I felt anymore—angry, hurt, confused, but she had no idea what she was talking about, and she was clearly never going to stop apologizing for what had happened, for me being ‘dragged’ into her business. And if everything cocked up, then the guilt she already held over me and my Pack being involved would just blow sky-fucking-high.
You should have told her about me, Sofia. I should have told her, but last night hadn’t been the right time to correct facts. When will the right time be?
“Hey.”
I stepped back as her voice sounded from behind the closed door.
“Yeah, I realize I’m ringing late. Sorry, another restless night, and I’m afraid I slept in.”
Another restless night? I dreaded to think what such a statement meant. Had she been dreaming since she had arrived in Italy? Had she had another premonition? Why hadn’t she said anything last night?
“Oh, he has?” A hint of irritation tickled her tone. “Well, then, you will already know that we’re heading into Venice today... No, I haven’t seen him yet.”
That would be your cue, dummy.
I knocked on the door. “Can I come in?”
“One minute, Carter.”
I heard her footfalls, and the door opened.
“Is it time to go?” she asked, meeting my gaze. The skin around her eyes looked dark.
Questions rose up in my throat but I gulped them back. “Almost.”
She placed the receiver of the mobile phone to her lips.
“Sorry, Carter. Brendan’s just knocked to say we’re heading out.” She turned and stepped back into the room. “Yeah, I’m sure he will fill me in on the plan along the way.”
I followed her in, leaving the door open.
“Okay, same time tomorrow.” She disconnected the call and shoved the sleek device into her right pocket.
“I didn’t know you had a mobile.” Not that it was important, but considering the irritation fluttering in her energy, I didn’t want silence to form between us, especially after the way things had ended last night. Especially since more important events were taking place, and not talking to each other wouldn’t help us find my Pack.
“I didn’t until a week ago. Never really saw the point in having one.” She turned and walked over to the rocking chair, picking up the leather jacket resting across the back.
“Maybe to call and text people would have been a—”
“My grandmother, great-aunt and uncle, and second cousin are the only people I knew before all of this started.” She pulled the jacket on over her navy T-shirt. “So like I said, pointless in me having one since I don’t really have friends. Besides, it would no doubt get broken or lost while I was out hunting.”
She pulled her hair from beneath the heavy material and ruffled the mass of curls. A smile played across my lips as the scent of strawberries met my nose.
“But since Carter wanted me to keep in touch, well, it made sense to get one.”
“You going to give me your number?”
Said in the most casual way possible, yet it felt like I was feeding her a line. Not that she noticed.
Pulling the phone from her pocket, she threw it to me. “I don’t know what it is, but if you want it...”
I caught the slim, black device and brought up the contact list.
“Easy. All I have to do is input my number.” I saved my profile and hit ‘call.’ The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars sounded from my jeans pocket, filling the silence. “Done. I have your number and you have mine.”
I ended the call and threw her phone back to her.
She stuffed the device into her pocket, picked up her bag, and threw it over her shoulder. “So, what’s this plan I seem to know nothing about?”
Irritation pulsed harder through her energy.
I bit the inside of my cheek before I could comment on how she would already be aware of the plan if she had been present for breakfast, but if she hadn’t slept, then perhaps her irritation had more to do with sleep deprivation than being the last one to know the details?
“Carter informed me this morning that Owen, Scott, Dabria, and Solomon are on their way over. He and Maximo spoke on the phone prior to my call. Max has agreed that it would be wise for them to catch a plane to Venice.”
Through the way Carter had delivered this news to me, it had sounded like the Italian Alpha had still needed a lot of convincing. The fact that Maximo was so reluctant to believe everything we had told him was taking its toll on Carter, but I had to respect him for the amount of patience he held. His daughter was missing, as well as two other members of his Pack—I think I would have lost my fucking mind by now if I’d been in his shoes. It was the angle my Alpha had chosen to state his case; as a father of three, Maximo at least understood, especially when Carter had explained that Owen was eager to find his sister—something I was sure both Rocco and Angelo would wish to do if their sister, Loretta, had been taken—and Scott wanted to find his wife. As a husband, and a mate, Maximo couldn’t argue with that need. It was hard and painful enough for mates to be separated—so I had been told—but not knowing where your mate was…I could imagine it would be torture. Dabria was joining us because she was Italian and might be able to pick up on some information from the locals, and there was no way Solomon would ever leave his wife’s side.
Somehow, I didn’t think any of them would be happy knowing they would be unable to change forms during our time in Venice. Regardless, five sets of ears, eyes, and noses were better than just mine alone. I had no doubt that Heather was desperate to start hunting, but we were heading into unknown territory and after five wasted days, well, more of us meant more ground covered and faster.
“They will be in Italy just after eleven. We have to pick them up when their plane arrives at Venice airport.”
She moved over to the bed. Reaching under the pillows, she pulled out her sword. “So, what is the plan for when we get to the mainland? How long have we got?”
I folded my arms across my chest, shrugging lightly. “It will take an hour or so to get to Mestre, and then we need to book into a hotel and make reservations for—”
Her head shot up.
“Whoa. Wait.” Eyes wide and eyebrows crashing at the bridge of her nose, she looked at me. “Why are we booking into a hotel? This isn’t a vacation, Wolf Man.”
“I do realize that, smart arse, but since your new best friend has so kindly filled up a cooler full of blood bags for you—” the Enrique Iglesias look-a-like was far too accommodating for my liking, “—I suggest we go ditch it somewhere safe as personally, I think lugging a cooler and our travel bags around with us will make it a bit difficult to track, and basically kill, Leeches, don’t you?”
Her features calmed.
“No need for sarcasm, but point taken.” She reached down to a long brown case that sat on her bed and unclipped the latches. “And he’s not my best friend.”
My Wolf snorted. “Try telling him that.”
“Rocco and I—”
“I don’t see the harm in having a meeting point in case of emergencies,” I cut in. “Once we are booked up, and have chucked everything in our room, then we can head out into town and I will see if I can pick up on any scents.”
Her focus was back on me, eyebrow cocked. “Our room?”
The wariness in her eyes brought back the memory of her turning away from me the night before, bringing along a fresh wave of rejection.
I shrugged, shifting my focus to the case which now lay open on the bed. “Three rooms, six people. You’re welcome to share with any of the others, if you like, but better a Wolf you know. Besides, as you have stated, this isn’t a holiday and I doubt we will be spending much time in the room.” Then again, if she gets herself injured like she usually does... “I’m just being practical.”
She turned her attention back to the case as she placed her sword inside. Closing the lid, she pushed the metal clasps down, locking them.
“How did you get that through customs?” I nodded at the box, before surveying the rest of her. No crossbow. No sign of those strange little daggers she usually kept up her sleeve, unless they were wrapped up and packed away, but considering the standard-size travel bag and the fact she wasn’t a handbag type of girl, it looked like she had packed light, for a change.
Huh, maybe she does know how, after all.
“Paperwork. It’s an old sword, which originated from France. I guess you could say it’s an antique. My Gran had a stack of paperwork for every country. They all state that I am loaning it out to some museum or other for part of an exhibition. I never really paid too much attention to the fine print. As long as the right country is written down...” She grabbed the handle and picked up the case. “And as long as they let it through customs, I don’t care.”
“Fair enough.”
I followed her out into the hallway, closing the bedroom door behind us. Sunlight poured through the window, lighting up the stretch of cream-painted hall.
Uncertainty rolled through her energy. A sigh escaped her.
“Listen, about last night—”
“Forget it.”
She pulled the straps of the bag further onto her shoulder, her hand twisted in the rough fabric as she looked up at me. “I shouldn’t have blurted everything out like that.”
I shoved my hands in my pockets. “You’re right, you shouldn’t, but—”
“No buts. Everything you said... I deserved it.”
“Look, I—”
My words died as she reached up and slid her fingers under the brown, leather-braided chain that hung around my neck. My stomach tensed at the feather-light dance of her fingertips against my collarbone. My Wolf groaned at the innocent caress.
Easy, boy. No need to get excited; we’re not in High School.
She tugged. I caught her hand, stopping her from pulling the braid out from beneath my charcoal T-shirt. Her gaze dropped to the dainty engagement ring hidden behind the material. A mixture of emotions swirled around her, bouncing off my own energy. Her expression seemed guarded.
“Look, if you don’t want to explain the fine print of this deal, if you don’t want to tell me everything...that’s fine. I respect and understand that, but as far as I can see, my grandmother used your weakness. She used your pain and your grief against you. She tricked you in to helping us. It was wrong of her, unfair, and I can’t forgive her for that. If you think I’m wrong for saying or even thinking that, then you’re going to have to help me understand why, Brendan.”
I let go of her hand, unsure of what to say because it wasn’t wrong of her to think what Sofia had done was selfish. From where she was standing, it would look like that, but despite everything, I couldn’t see it that way. Not when I had got what I wanted—revenge for Natasha’s murder.
She lowered her hand and turned on her heel, making her way down the hall. I fell in step behind her.
“I’m trying to understand why my grandmother has done what she has done. I’m so fucking angry at her. I’m angry that people are getting hurt. People who have no links to me whatsoever, who shouldn’t be involved in this despite what you all say. And yes, I sound like a fucking parrot, or what was it you said? A broken record, I know. I know I should get over it already.” Heather paused at the top of the stairs and looked at me. “But I just—I still can’t see how everything is linked up. If she had been clear from the beginning...I don’t know. I just—I don’t understand why she picked you to help me.”
“We had a deal.”
“But she could have made a deal with anyone. She could have still made a deal with you, but asked you to do something else. Why did you get the short end of the straw?”
A grin cracked my face. “Just lucky, I guess.”
“I’m so fucking confused.”
“You and me both, but she said it had to be me who helped you. That our paths were entwined.”
Whether they would have been before Sofia made the choice to throw me into Heather’s life was a different matter entirely. And unfortunately, the psychic was no longer around to give us a straight answer.
“Entwined? Yet, I knew nothing about you.” She laughed dryly, diverting her attention to the downstairs hall. “I still don’t.”
Turning, she made her way down the stairs. A sigh escaped her. “I hate being in the dark...”
That makes two of us.