Book 1 - Page 73 (1/2)
Some expression crossed David's face too quickly for me to read, but Samuel nodded. ”I wondered if someone had talked to you, too. The others were all military. We've become an open secret-and that's not safe. Frankly, I'm surprised that Bran's managed to keep us hidden this long. I thought that once the public accepted the fae they'd discover all of us.”
”They didn't want to know,” I said. ”Most of them like their safe little world.”
”What will your father do to Grandpa?” asked Connor.
Samuel raised his eyebrows. ”I can't think of anything he's done wrong. He's sworn no oaths to Bran or anyone else-nor done anything to betray our secrets. Just the opposite.”
My cell phone rang again-it was Bran. That werewolf was uncanny. ”Mercedes, let me speak to my son.”
I looked at Samuel, and said, ”He's not here. I told you earlier that I haven't heard from him since last night.”
”Enough games,” Bran told me. ”Give the phone to Samuel.”
Raising my eyebrows at David Christiansen and his men, I handed the phone over and listened to Samuel explain matters. Bran had probably heard the lie in my voice when I told him Samuel wasn't here. Probably. But David, who had heard both sides of the conversation, was going to be forever convinced that the Marrok knew that Samuel was sitting beside me.
I hid my satisfaction. The more powerful the wolves believed Bran, the safer he was.
Chapter 14
We rode with Christiansen and his grandsons for most of the way, me as human and Samuel in wolf form. He'd s.h.i.+fted again at my house because other wolves can sense the change.
David dropped us off about a mile from the site with directions on how to get there. The idea was for me and Samuel to sneak up on our own. Then I'd see if I could wriggle my way through a hole in the side of the warehouse where Adam and Jesse were being kept, and Samuel would rendezvous with Adam's pack and wait until they were called in.
Adam and Jesse were being held at a tree farm, nestled in the rolling lands just south of Benton City, a small town about twenty minutes outside of Richland.
Though the tree farm was closed, there were still acres of trees unharvested. I recognized various maples and oaks as we pa.s.sed, as well as a few pines.
A huge pole building, obviously the warehouse David had told me about, was nestled well behind the manufactured home. The house was boarded up, and there was a Realtor's sign beside it proudly proclaiming it SOLD.
Samuel at my side, I crouched in a ditch surrounded by a thicket of Russian olive and gave the place a good looking over. From where I sat, I couldn't see any vehicles, so they were probably all parked on the other side of the warehouse.
Christiansen had told us that the tree farm had been purchased by a local winery that intended to use the land to grow grapes. Since they wouldn't plant until the coming spring, the whole thing-house and warehouse-was supposed to be empty until then.