Page 77 of Betrayed in Blood
“I’ll contact Remus and see where they’re at with the lab work.”
“Yes, but first, you must take care of this issue with Rasmussen. Someone is after Cressa. It’s critical you find out who and put a stop to it.”
“Do you know this for certain because you know where Rasmussen is?”
“No. I wish I did. He would be instrumental in reforming the Seven Tribes. I don’t know whether he’s alive or dead. What I do know is that whatever is happening now, it’s not safe for her.”
“We’re in agreement. And I already have a plan to take care of it.”
I ranat the rock wall, attempting to hit it three feet higher than I normally do. In perspective, three feet doesn’t seem like much, but considering I was already hitting the wall at four feet off the ground, I was asking a lot of myself. I wasn’t expecting to achieve it, but sometimes it’s good to have something to constantly strive for. Besides, I was bored to tears.
The lockdown was having an impact. After days of working with Lucas and Colantha on the translations, Ginger was basking in the pool, reading her women’s magazines, and catching up on the shopping channel, enjoying a couple days of doing nothing.
The only relief was Devon’s surprise announcement that instead of surveillance, I was going out to not only find my mother but also talk to her. The question was why.
The answer was obvious. She didn’t want me to call her, and I assumed it was fear of whatever April was up to. My suspicions were based on that single call, Mom’s whispered voice, and the man’s voice in the background. When I had more time to think about it, maybe she merely wanted time for April to cool off, and if Mom remained in contact with me, it could make the situation worse. The man’s voice might have been one of April’s boyfriends, who just happened to be an overbearing asshole.
The bottom line was I didn’t know what was happening in that house, and the only way to know for sure would be to talk to her outside of the house. I had done it before when I surprised her at the spa. What if she had vamps escorting her everywhere? What if they were actually going into the salon with her? How creepy for the stylist and the other customers. But that was where Bella and Jacques came in for diversionary tactics.
After the third failed attempt at the rock wall, I studied it from a different perspective. Maybe if I hit it at my usual four feet, then used the first rock as a springboard while I grabbed for a higher hold. I ran, jumped, hit the first rock, but my foot slipped, and I slammed into the wall face-first before landing on my ass.
Damn. That hurt. I touched my nose. It hurt but wasn’t broken. That was something.
“I’d ask what you were attempting, but I’m not sure I want to hear the answer.”
I twisted around from my seated position and glared at Devon. He’d changed from his suit but wasn’t wearing his normal spandex gym shorts. The loose-fitting, sleeveless shirt was normal, and my gaze locked on his lean muscled arms for a second too long. The board shorts were a surprise. He looked like he was ready to strip off his shirt and go surfing.
My gaze drifted down to his legs, and my attempts not to imagine those strong legs tangling with mine under the sheets failed.
He held out a bottle of water and nodded to the single bench in the room.
I dragged myself off the floor and took the bottle as I sat, drinking a quarter of it.
“How was lunch with Colantha?” I was a little hurt at not being asked to join them, but Devon had been in House leader mode the last couple of days. A sure sign he was up to something.
He gave a half-shrug and a deprecating smile. “To be fair, I came here hoping to run aimlessly at the wall myself.”
“Wow, that bad?”
Then he told me about his discussion with Colantha, and by the end, I stared at the wall, wanting to slam into it over and over again.
“Are you sure you heard her right? She’s saying all the issues with vamps over the centuries—the declining fertility, the increase in vamps with the rare blood disease, and the Magic Poppy production are all tied together?”
“We should know if she’s right or not once Remus has the lab results back.”
“How long is that going to take?”
“Decker is checking with him. He was going to drive over to discuss it rather than use a phone.”
“You must be feeling sick.”
He ran a hand over his head and leaned against the wall. He looked tired—almost beaten. But every leader needed time to regenerate. Right? Maybe a change of topic.
“I get why I’m going out tomorrow to find my mother, but what are you up to with Harlow?”
He’d closed his eyes, and a slim smile appeared on his face. “Still trying to figure it out?”
I huffed and slumped next to him. “I knew you were playing with me.”
