Page 67 of Cruel Revenge
“All the kids had their phones,” I said. “Has someone tried tracking those?”
“I’m not often told about the technological parts of these things. We can ask in an hour, but you know how smart everyone out there is.”
“So, that was probably tried,” I said, nodding sadly as I sat down at my desk. “So, why are we here?”
“I didn’t want you to be alone. This is your real refuge. This is your real place of power. You might sleep upstairs, but this is where you battle. This room is the most secure place for you in your territory. I can feel it. So, I brought you here, and I don’t want you to be alone.”
“Oh…” I leaned back in my seat and thought about that. I did everything from the office. I spoke with people, fought with them, and planned my next moves. My place of power.
And it was comforting to be in, able to see my trees out the large windows, even Subira finding the view relaxing.
“Tell me more about Carey,” Subira said softly.
“She’s the bravest girl I’ve ever met,” I started. “And smart. And passionate. Loving and protective and bold.”
“What’s the most surprising story you have about her?”
“The day I had to pick her up from her school because she broke an older girl’s nose,” I said, chuckling. The chuckle died quickly as I remembered why. “They would make fun of Careyfor having a werewolf dad and brother. Howling, questions about humping…” I shook my head in disgust with the behavior. “Carey got tired of it, tired of people disrespecting her family like that. A girl started one day, and she clocked them. Some varsity cheerleader with a potential for college scholarships or something.”
“Varsity cheerleader? I don’t know the meaning of those words, but I assume important?”
“Varsity is… the team that represents the school in a sport. It doesn’t matter. And you know what cheerleader means,” I said, narrowing my eyes at her.
“I do know that one,” she agreed, laughing softly. “And Carey punching this young woman was unexpected.”
“Very. Heath was pretty furious. When Carey gets in trouble, the human government comes asking questions about why.”
“Ah… she must have never done something like that before, then?”
“Not as far as I know,” I said, sighing as I wished I knew every little story about her now. When I had the time, I was going to force Heath to tell me every baby story, every little thing.
“I wonder if it was my fault,” I admitted.
“Your influence over Carey is notable,” Subira agreed, but then shook her head. “But no, probably wasn’t entirely your influence, if at all. Her father and brother can take the blame for that incident. Look at how they fight for each other and for their own loved ones. How Heath fought foryou.” Subira turned around, leaning on the window as she looked at me. “It’s how love has been modeled for her. Not the only way, but an important one, a way that leaves an impact.” Subira closed the distance between us, sitting on the edge of my desk.
“And it’s the same way you show your love. By fighting for people, against those more powerful than you, and facing impossible odds. If anything, Carey found herself a mother shecan rely on, a mother she can trust to meet whatever challenge she faces beside her. Just like she can trust her father and brother.” She reached out and patted my thigh. “You have a wonderful daughter. I’m happy to know she takes so much after her parents.”
I couldn’t stop the tears Subira summoned with those words. She reached out and, without judgment, wiped them away with her thumbs.
“Tell me more about her. Please,” Subira said, smiling.
25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
An hour later, I was allowed to leave my office. Subira released me, knowing I had spent much of the hour not just telling her about Carey, but also thinking of searching for her. Not the possibilities of what could happen to her, but how we could find her. Now, I had ideas of how I could help. Things to ask about, to follow up on, even if others were handling them. I needed to know where the search was taking everyone, what they were looking for.
I was centered, for the moment.
“Dirk!” I called out when I left my house, knowing my nephew was in the security building. His head popped out as I drew closer. “I have questions.”
“Let’s hear them,” he said, holding the door open for me so I didn’t have to break my stride to enter.
“Cellphones. Have there been any hits from their phones? Everyone had their cellphone. Unless they were destroyed or turned off, they should still be trackable. Also, one of the SUVs lost a door. They were on television. Human law enforcement should be looking for them. Were plates run? Do we know if there have been more sightings?”
“She’s finally awake,” Dirk said, grinning at me. “And I’m ahead of you. I’ve got alerts for every phone, just in case they come back on the network. The problem is, I looked backward. The witches have or had a jammer of sorts that blocked everyone’s phones in the restaurant. That’s why none of the restaurant staff called the police when the witches started showing up. Your phone came back online once the witches left. So there’s a distance limit thing. We need the phones to get out of it. Obviously, we can’t do that. We can just hope it happens.”
“Damn, okay. What else?”
