Page 92 of Snag
I raise a questioning eyebrow.
He grinds his teeth. Then he says, “We might need that protection as well.”
“Coda protects me in the digital realm,” I say mildly, using their name for the first time since the call began.
Surprise flits across Reck’s face— followed by unfiltered avarice. Yeah, I didn’t think he’d miss that little tidbit. Then he grimaces, presumably at my knowing look. And because I’ve just openly declared the awry tech to be under my protection. The Authority has been hunting Coda for years.
“I’ve got the last logged location for Precious,” Coda says. “Sending you a route. No eyes on her yet.” No cameras or satellite, the tech means. “And I think they’re still on the move.”
My phone screen flashes, then a map appears. A marker blinks southeast of our current location.
“How long was your fucking shower, Gigi?” I ask,unable to hide my ire. “The kids are practically on the Idaho border!” Okay, that’s a massive exaggeration, but they are in the middle of fucking nowhere at least an hour away, maybe more. And seemingly heading toward the border because there’s nothing else out there.
“I didn’t know I was babysitting a fucking flight risk,” Gigi snarks back.
I don’t answer her. Coda mutters something that I don’t catch. I stare down at the map, looking at it with intent. I don’t recognize the location. Theknowingstill doesn’t kick in.
I turn my phone toward Reck.
He looks at the screen, then nods stiffly.
“I’m … I’m sorry,” Gigi says over the speakers. “Zaya. Fuck. I’m … you never ask for favors. I’m … sorry …”
I don’t respond to that either. I have no fucking idea how Presh and DeVille got off the property without the combat mage noticing. But I also know that determined teenagers can pretty much do whatever they want if they don’t care about the risks.
Coda mutters something in the background again. It could be “Enough …” But it might also be “Gear up.”
“I’m sorry,” Gigi whispers again.
I hear what I assume is the door to Coda’s trailer opening, then closing.
“I’m here,” Coda says over the phone speakers, firm and focused. “Who has the kids, and why are they using Authority tech?”
“What?” Reck snaps.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t know, Sergeant,” Coda purrs maliciously. “Your fellow agents are deep in the Cataclysm’s pockets.”
“That’s a new twist to me as well,” I say mildly, thoughI’m thinking about the bit of vid that Coda found of Reck’s agents meeting with Devlin. Are Wilson and Shaw in the employ of one of my aunt’s rejected soul-bound mates?
Reck’s expression blanks, all his intent hidden behind that false, almost-too-pretty facade. “We’re wasting time,” he snaps at me, then he glances over at the house again. “Get. In. The. Vehicle.”
“The camera Rought installed,” I say promptingly, keeping my gaze pinned to Reck, watching for any shift in his expression, any shift in his essence. “At the top of the drive?”
“First thing I checked,” Coda snaps. “Before sending Gigi out on foot with a tracking spell. A spell, by the fucking way, that doesn’t fucking work on this fucking estate.” Coda inhales deeply, calming their tone. “I have continual feed running from that and the three other cameras Rought installed for me. The tech doesn’t have a problem with the energy boiling out of the fucking earth there, not since you … gave me access. But I’ve already scoured it for clues.”
Reck has given up all pretense of dismissing me or ending the conversation. I can see him analyzing everything Coda’s saying, forming questions. I smirk at him, and not playfully. His energy, even through the protections coating the SUV, seriously bothers me. I actually had less trouble with the cu-sith. There’s something pure, true, in the grim reaper’s malicious power.
Reck twists his lips, as if stopping himself from baring his teeth at me.
So the feeling is definitely mutual.
Severed bonds or not, the contrast between my reaction to Reck and his brothers, Rought and Rath, is stark.
“The kids aren’t stupid enough to have exited the property via the driveway,” Coda mutters over the phone. “So they had to be on foot.”
“They didn’t get this far away on foot,” I say mildly.
I would have to reach through the protections coating the vehicle to truly look at Reck, truly see him. And I hesitate, not only because of his earlier caution but also for personal reasons. And yes, I’m aware that the Conduit shouldn’t have personal reasons for not doing something. But looking at someone’s threads is invasive, even with consent. Reck is too powerful to not know the touch of my essence. To not remember the touch of my essence.
