Jess didn’t move. “This is not what we agreed on.” She shook her head with a slow, threatening pace. “You are going into dangerous territory.”
Mary stared at her. “This isn’t Board business anymore. This is between us and him.” She turned away from Jess and pointed at Bran. “You want her back, you give us Evan. Simple as that.”
Jake looked behind him at Eddie with a “why didn’t we think of that?” scowl.
Eddie said nothing and continued staring at the ground.
Jess snatched the picture up off the table and handed it to me. “Don’t think I won’t be taking this up with the rest of the Board. And the Grand Council.” She turned back to Mary. “You’ve made a big mistake pulling this human into our business.”
Mary got to her feet and placed her fingertips on the table. “You made a big mistake referring me to this outcast and her mate. And she made a big mistake underestimating how far I’ll go to get my son back.” She picked up the cell phone and handed it over to her son.
I stood there, frozen in place as Jake Middleston stood up.
He looked almost embarrassed. He shuffled his feet and avoided looking at me directly, addressing Jess with his head tucked into his chest.
“This doesn’t involve us. When you’ve finished your other business I’d be willing to talk to you again.” He strode out, Eddie and the unknown Felis in tow.
Mary beamed at Bran. “If you want your girlfriend back you’ll either bring my son to me or give us the information on where to find him before sunrise.” She looked at her watch. “I’m being generous with the amount of time. Don’t make me regret it.”
Jess made a sound, almost a hiss. “You are not going to get away with this.” She pointed at Bran. “He’s got nothing to do with this. You dragging him in is a violation of our laws.”
“No. That mutant you’ve got tucked under your tail is the real violation. I’ll take my chances with the Grand Council. But this’ll be done one way or the other within the next twenty-four hours.” She spun around, her ponytail whipping across her shoulders. Her bloodied son followed, grinning.
Nathan chuckled before taking up a spot behind Chandler and her son as they headed for the door.
Bran waited to react until the room was empty except for the three of us, his strained breathing echoing in my ears.
“McCallister,” he snarled. “He took her, the bastard. He must have seen her with me, with us when we were tracking the kids.” He shook his head, replaying the events in his mind. “When this started out we were looking for the teenagers, not for someone stalking us. That’s how he chose Angie.” He closed his eyes. “I handed her right over to them. I didn’t even warn her to stay sharp, take some precautions.”
I had to say something before he broke under the self-imposed guilt. “It wouldn’t have stopped McCallister. It might have gotten people hurt, more than just me or you. He’s a hunter, he would have gone over and through anything to achieve his goal. It’s that bitch Chandler behind him, she let him loose on her.” I flopped into one of the vacated chairs, my new-found strength ebbing away with the shock. “I didn’t even consider this happening.”
Jess came up beside me and touched my shoulder. “You shouldn’t have. This isn’t a case of life or death, it’s about two kids wanting their freedom.” She sighed. “I never thought either family would go so far. I’m partially responsible for this.”
“For bringing me in?”
“No.” She gestured toward the now-vacant parking lot. “For not taking this straight to the Grand Council as soon as I realized the two families were involved. This shouldn’t have ever landed in your lap, not with the way she’s thinking.” Jess swallowed hard. “I never thought Mary would take it to this extreme. I knew she took the feud seriously, been trying to destroy Middleston’s business for as long as I can remember but this takes it to a whole new level.”
“By grabbing a human hostage,” I filled in the blanks.
“Yes.” Jess snorted. “Damned fool. She’s not going to be able to show her face in public after the Grand Council finishes with her.” She curled her fingers into a fist. “After I finish with her. The Board’s going to drop a ton of bricks on her head for this.”
“But right now we have a problem.” I directed her back to the present. “And the Grand Council isn’t here, we are.”
Bran hadn’t moved from where he stood. “If they hurt her—”
“Leave that part to me,” Jess warned. “Let’s not cross that bridge until we get there.” She looked at me. “Who is this woman?”
“An old friend,” Bran said before I could respond.
She turned toward him. “Did I ask you?” The icy snap had Bran closing his mouth and waiting.
“She used to be one of the street kids from Bran’s article,” I interrupted before the argument could gain momentum. The last thing I needed right now was a split between any of us. “We ran into her while looking for the kids. She runs an outreach project and helped us get away from the hunters last night. Wouldn’t be hard to track her down either at her home or at the drop-in center and grab her there.” I closed my eyes for a second, trying to process what had just happened. “Mary’s willing to pull an innocent human into danger for her family? That doesn’t make sense.”
“I know. She’s put us all in danger.” Jess cleared her throat, enough to bring us both around to look at her. “Feud or no feud that’s not acceptable under any circumstances.”
I flinched inside. Mary Chandler had crossed over a line. By pulling Angie into the mix she’d put the Felis in danger of being exposed and that was right at the top of Thou Shalt Nots for the family.
“How tough is Angie?” Jess asked Bran.
He gave her a blank look. I knew what was going on—he was going into shock at the idea of exposing Angie to the Felis. He’d had a rough enough entrance and couldn’t imagine inflicting that on someone else.
“How tough is she?” Jess repeated. She strode over to stand in front of him, staring at him directly. “Look, they’re not going to kill her but she’s got to be terrified and wondering what the hell she’s gotten herself into. Is she going to fold like a delicate flower or can she hold her own against them and stay strong until we can get to her?”
Bran licked his lips before pulling them into a straight line. “Are they going to beat her?”
“Maybe.” Leave it to Jess to tell the harsh truth. “If we don’t hand over Evan in time they might. It’d be a way to push your buttons, just like that phone call. It was pretty obvious to everyone that you care for her and wouldn’t want to see her get hurt.”
Bran didn’t say anything. I imagined him turning the clock back and assessing how Angie had changed from the tough alley rat he’d originally befriended.
“She survived for years on the street,” Bran finally answered. “She’ll be good.”
“I hope so.” Jess turned back to me. “I’ve got to call the other Board members and then the Council, give them an update and start the wheels turning. Can you handle it from here?”
I heard the unspoken question. Could I figure out how to save Angie without giving in to Mary Chandler’s demands and keep our family secret?
I levered myself out of the chair with a grunt. “We’ve got to get moving.” My legs felt like wooden fence posts. “We’re running the clock down.”
Bran sighed. “I don’t like it.” He swept one hand in front of him, encompassing the room. “I brought you up here to keep you safe, give you a chance to heal. I can deal with this on my own.” He took the picture from me and stared at the glossy image. “I can call Hank, I can get some professional help—”