Page 32 of Captive Witch

“Hi, Gideon!” a new voice says into the phone. “I’m stealing her away now, but she’s having fun, and we’re so excited to visit for the solstice! Bye!” she draws out the last word, giggling on the other side of the phone.

“I love you, and I’ll text you later,” Adara says.

A laugh escapes me. “I love you too,mia fiamma.Go. Have fun.”

She hangs up, and my heart feels lighter and heavier all at once. I send a text to Brent about the front desk issue, then go upstairs and say goodbye to Anera. The bar is packed by the timeI park my car in the lot. The night after the full moon is far busier than I expected, but with everything going on, I know the pack is anxious and coming here helps settle them.

Slipping through the front doors, I flag Frank down at the bar. He nods, setting a bottle of whiskey on the bar top by my office door. Cali and Mila wade through the crowd, delivering beers and food to their tables. Lucas’s band plays on the stage, and the dance floor is flooded with bodies swaying to the rock cover songs.

The crowd parts as I cross through it, most of the new pack members are here and mingling in with the usuals. Liana and Neil are tucked into the back, gambling at Kurtis’s table. Swiping the whiskey bottle from the bar, I lean into the shadowed corner, observing. Kurtis notices me instantly, nodding slightly to let me know things are moving smoothly tonight. Good, I’m glad everyone is playing nice.

Twisting the top off the bottle, I take a long sip, letting the alcohol burn its way down my throat. It feels like ages since I’ve had a glass of it, and immediately, I start to relax. I stay in the shadows a bit longer, observing everyone in the bar before turning to Frank.

“My office,” I say once he nears the end of the bar. “Whenever this dies down.” I wave my hand at the crowd, and he nods. I slam the office door shut behind me and stalk to the window, half expecting Rathmann’s brown wolf to be waiting outside, but there’s nothing.

No movement, no stars. The only light comes from the almost full moon, but clouds blanket the sky, blotting it out.

I move to the bookcases, grabbing the stacks of maps. Spreading them over the desk, I use a pencil to draw the new territory lines. Moren’s pack was on the other side of the feral territory, which means I get to claim back my original land. Smirking to myself, I compare the old, original map to thenewest one—Moren’s pack used to neighbor mine, allowing me to have a straight access line to Moren’s town. If it’s as run down as Frank mentioned, then we’ll need to do something about that.

Pouring whiskey into a glass, I sip on the amber liquid and settle into my desk chair, just as Frank opens the door.

“Hey, boss,” he says, shutting it behind him and striding over to the chair opposite me. “Checking out the new pack lands, huh?”

“Yeah, well…” I shrug. “Looks like we’ll be needing to reclaim that feral territory back since the territory lines were changed to place it between us and Moren’s pack.” Using the pencil, I point out the original lines versus the new ones. “I’m thinking we should claim back all the land we lost.”

Frank raises his brows, stroking a hand down his dark red beard. “That’s going to be a challenge, seeing how there’s no alpha that rules over them.”

“It’ll take some… plotting.” Leaning back in my chair, I glance at my phone sitting on the desk, wishing Brent would text me. “There’s also been an issue with the academy. Adara met with a witch at the front desk who knew she was using a fake name. Brent assigned himself to her, but—”

“But you’d like me to talk to Chloe when she comes to Mila’s house tomorrow.” Frank smirks, resting one ankle on the opposite knee as he relaxes into the seat.

“Still calling it that?” I say, quirking a brow.

“Calling it what?” His smirk falls from his face.

“Mila’s house, as if you don’t live there.” Bringing my glass to my lips, I chuckle as he scowls at me. “Should probably consider selling that abandoned property sometime.”

“Shove it, Gideon,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest.

“The letters have stopped?”

Frank nods. “Since the meeting.”

“Good.” I reach into my pocket and toss the wooden rod onto the desk between us. “Found this at Anera’s today.”

“Hmm.” He grabs it, holding it up to the light as he reads the numbers carved into it. “Where?”

“Hidden compartment on the back edge of the desk.” Running a hand through my hair, the frustration at the multiple dead end boxes of paperwork comes back. “Not sure what it means, though. No safes or combination locks anywhere in the shop. Anera said there weren’t any at the house, though he wouldn’t have hid one there by the sounds of it.”

Frank laughs, low and deep, under his breath. “You really think he used a safe? He carried everything on him—cigars, wallet. Bastard didn’t trust a soul. He’d count steps if he went blind instead of trusting one of us to help him.”

Shaking my head, I glare into the amber liquid within my glass. Frank’s right. Wendell was more likely to have his secrets clutched in his cold, dead hands than in any safe I’d find lying around.

Chapter thirteen

Adara

Stalking through the woods on the backside of the academy, a twig snaps under my boot, and I flinch, reaching to grasp the obsidian and amethyst of my necklace in my hand. “Are you sure about this?” I whisper, not wanting the headmistress to catch us.

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