Page 94 of The Delta's Rogue
It’s still dark outside. The barest hint of sunrise dances on the horizon. The logs in the fireplace crackle, the flames lower than they were when I sat down in the chair with my tea.
The edges of the dream echo in my mind as I stare at the fire.
Except it wasn’t a dream. At least, not in the normal sense of one anyway. This was real. I may have been asleep, but none of what I experienced was conjured by my dreaming mind.
It was a real conversation, a real meeting. A meeting that gave us the lead we needed, exactly at the moment we needed it. A meeting that Sarina should have been a part of, but she somehow wasn’t able to get through the protective, restrictive enchantments surrounding the location they’re holding her in.
It’s all too convenient, but it’s the only lead we have.
I lean forward, elbows on my thighs and face in my hands, and calm my heart. Sorting through every piece of information the female gave me, I decide on the best way to execute my seedling of an idea. It’s small and weak, and needs support and scaffolding, but with time and care, it could grow into a solid, sturdy plan that can stand on its own.
Our next actions must be taken with caution. One misstep could wreck everything. One fuck-up could spell disaster for all of us.
But if we do this right…if we’re careful…
I jump from the chair in the packhouse living room and race upstairs to my apartment, darting around and squeezing past early risers headed downstairs for a very early morning run.
“Wesley.”I send a mindlink to my brother, crossing my fingers that he’s awake already.
“What do you need?”He answers right away, alert and ready, as if he got as little sleep as I did.
“I have some information. Let everyone know, including Dominic and the others. We need to have a meeting.”
“I’m on it.”He doesn’t ask questions, just cuts the mindlink.
I slam the door to my apartment open and dive for my phone on the coffee table, dialing Forrest’s phone number with trembling, overexcited hands.
“Forrest,” I gasp when he answers, getting straight to the point and skipping all pleasantries. “Do you know a club owner named Nuncio?”
His voice is gravelly, tired, and wary. “I’ve heard of him. He’s not the sort we’d want to do business with, though.”
I rush around my apartment, phone pinned between my ear and shoulder as I change into clean clothes and grab my laptop before I head to Wesley’s house.
“I figured as much,” I reply. “But I need a meeting with him as soon as possible. Tell him we’re looking to expand our offerings, and we’re interested in attending an auction. Tell him whatever you need to so it’s convincing, so we sound like the type he’s used to doing business with.”
Forrest is dead silent as I talk and for a few moments after I finish. “Is this about your girl? Sarina?” His voice lowers almost to a whisper.
“It is.”
“I’ll let you know when I’ve made contact.”
The call ends, and I sprint out of the packhouse and across the grounds, straight through the forest to Wes and Haven’s house.
After letting myself in and making myself a cup of coffee, I pace their living room as I wait for them to come downstairs and the others to arrive, going over that female’s information one more time and working to fill in the gaps in my plan.
Thankfully, I don’t have to wait long. By the grace of Selene, or maybe just by luck, Haven and Wesley make their way downstairs at the exact moment Reid, Taryn, Nolan, and Cassandra walk through their front door, and Dominic and Riven appear in the living room, holding the transport stone between them.
“What’s the news?” Riven asks.
His eyes scan all of us rapidly, dark circles forming enormous shadows under his eyes. Aside from me, he’s taken Sarina’s disappearance the hardest, bearing the guilt and blaming himself for not staying with her that night.
“Someone contacted me with information about Sarina,” I explain.
He whips his head towards me and raises his brows. “How? Who?”
“She reached out to me in my sleep—in my dream. I didn’t get her name, but she said she’s a prisoner as well, that they’re in the same place and held by the same people.”
“A dream?” Haven frowns, glancing over her shoulder at Wesley. “How could she reach you in a dream?”
