Page 74 of Cruel Revenge
“Figure it out!” he roared. “Tell the idiot in BSA to allow just one flight up for us. We don’t need to get far. We just need a moment to get into the air before the blasted animals find our trail. They’ve done everything else we’ve needed. We just need this one more thing. Make it happen.”
“I’ll reach out to our contact,” another witch said.
Carey heard them run from the room. She’d been too distracted to realize how many witches had come in while she and the boys had been talking.
We’re running out of time, and the BSA is helping the witches? Dad… Mom… I really need you right now.
27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Iwas ten minutes from the BSA building in Dallas when Heath called. I almost didn’t answer, afraid of what he would say, afraid of what I would say.
But I did, because I loved the man and had bigger things to be truly afraid of than him and us.
“Hey, Heath,” I said, the call coming through my car instead of trying to pick up and use my phone.
“Hey, Jacky,” he said, his voice more normal than it had been since I woke up. “Davor and Dirk just gave me a rundown of what’s happening and what you’re doing.”
“Davor gave me a rundown of what you’ve been up to as well,” I said, tightening my hands on my steering wheel.
“You… sound upset with me,” Heath said, sighing. I could hear a door open, then close. “I’m alone right now. Be honest with me.”
“You’re going to make this public,” I said, trying to contain my frustration with his choice.
“Davor told me how you reacted, so I should have expected that. It’s not as public as you think. Each pack will send small groups to different witch businesses andcalmlyask questionsand look around. It will only stop being calm if the witches decide to fight it. It shouldn’t hit the news or anything.”
“Why?”
“Because if the Tribunal witches won’t police their people. Iwill,” Heath said, his words stronger than steel. “And it will end when Carey, Arlo, Benjamin, and Kody are returned to me.”
“So, you’re to pressure an entire group of supernaturals to bring a few into compliance?”
“They do it to us all the time,” Heath retorted. “And I’m done playing nice. Is this really an argument, Jacky? Is this where we’re going to draw the line? I’m the Tribunal Alpha. I have to be able to use that, or I’ll be overthrown before the end of the year. I’m not as established as Callahan had been for so long. He won’t do it, but I know if I don’t present a strong front with my daughter taken, then they’ll know I’m willing to roll over for anything.”
I rubbed my eyes as I stopped at a red light.
“It’s not an argument… I understand all that.”
“Then what is it?”
“It scares me,” I admitted.
“The day we met, you saw a side of me that should have chased you away,” he whispered. “But it didn’t. Why are you scared right now?”
“I don’t know!” I yelled. “I’m not scared ofyou, Heath. This entire thing scares me! The witches have Carey, and she’s probably a werecat now, the BSA is actively working against us, you control every werewolf in the world… and I…”
Am losing control.
“What?” The question was surprisingly gentle.
And then you won’t love me anymore.
“It could all go so wrong,” I said instead of finishing my thought.
I could lose everything.
“It could… but I trust my decision, and I hope… I hope you can, too,” he said softly.
