“Hello?”
“Hey, Sam. Where are you?”
He hadn’t told John exactly where he was going because they didn’t want word to get back to Tanda and Chloe until they knew this was going to work. “I’m on the road. What’s up?”
“I just talked to Marley. There’s some stuff you need to know.”
Sam leaned against the deck rail. With a tip of her head, Jennifer disappeared into the house. “What’s going on?”
“She and Riley went home without me last night because I was stuck in traffic. Riley had a tire iron and you saw her using it, she’s got some badass in her, so I didn’t make them wait. Then Marley called in the security team. When they got to her apartment, she said a mugger had tried to make a move on them but hadn’t succeeded. The team told me everything seemed fine when they left.”
Oh, crap. “What really happened?”
“The guy tried to take Marley’s bag. Riley stopped him and found a business card for Millinger in his pocket.” He paused. “Marley recognized the company name. It’s the same as Anson’s grandmother’s last name.”
Sam ground his teeth. “What the hell is he up to? Is he trying to pick a new leeching victim? Or looking for someone else he can coax to give him power, this time on an ongoing basis or something?”
“Sam.”
He stopped speculating immediately. That wasn’t all John had to tell him.
“She’s in Atlanta.”
“What?” He straightened and paced across the deck. “Riley? She went down there?”
“Marley said she was tired of being jerked around. She wanted answers. She was going in smart,” he admitted. “On a Sunday, with plenty of metal, according to Marley. She talked to her a little while ago, when she arrived down there. She planned to scout the offices. No reason to think she’s in any trouble, but…”
“She went alone?” Sam was seething now. “Why didn’t Marley stop her?”
He clenched his jaw in frustration and then sighed. He knew it wasn’t fair to blame Marley. Riley had a mind of her own, and he wished he were surprised that she took it into her own hands. But he wasn’t—that was Riley. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Do you have any protectors in Atlanta?”
“No. I know a PI in the same building as Millinger. He’s the one who was keeping tabs on our guy, but he’s out of town. I didn’t bother trying to reach Riley, since Marley talked to her right before she got there, and if she’s smart, her phone will be off. I thought you’d want to know what was going on.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“Let me know if you talk to her.”
“Will do.” Sam hung up and stood in the breeze, his mind racing. He had to go to Atlanta. Getting there quickly would be a problem. The airport in Jackson was hours away, and by the time he was able to get a flight, he could probably have driven there. That would take at least six hours, and by then, who the hell knew where Riley would be?
Nick came back around the side of the house, his step faltering when he saw Sam’s face. “What’s wrong? Jennifer okay?”
“She’s fine.” He told Nick about the phone call. “I hate this.”
“Yeah, impotence sucks.” He laughed when Sam scowled at him. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” Sam reluctantly pocketed his phone and helped Nick haul the chairs around the side of the house. “How’s Quinn?”
“Wiped out. It took more out of her than she expected. I think the fact that the moon’s waning isn’t helping.” He kept his voice low as he laid the chair in the Charger’s trunk, so Quinn, reclining in the front seat, wouldn’t be disturbed.
“I didn’t think she needed the moon anymore,” Sam said before he realized it was a foolish statement. Everything had changed as of twenty minutes ago.
“It’s still her main source. I think when she’s done with the transfers she’ll be tied to it more than ever. But she’s hanging in there. So far.”
They finished loading the car and went inside to find Jennifer. She was sitting on the sofa in her dim, cozy living room, her elbows on her knees, rocking with her clenched hands pressed to her mouth.
Sam hurried over to sit next to her. “What’s wrong?” She’d been all right out on the deck, but they didn’t know what aftereffects might hit.
“I’m fine.” But her hand shook when she raised it to brush her bangs out of her eyes. She laid the other hand on her stomach. “Physically, I feel fine. I also feel queasy, but not because I’m sick.” She turned to look at Sam, her expression frightened. “I heard your phone call. I didn’t mean to listen, but… God, Sam, Anson’s out there, isn’t he? He’s doing something bad again, and if he finds out I’ve got my powers back…”
He caught her hand in his. “We’ve got Anson under surveillance,” he said. “We won’t leave you unprotected.” It wasn’t enough to tell her that, though, and Anson wasn’t operating on his own right now. Sam took out his phone and called John back to arrange a protector for Jennifer. Luckily, there was one finishing an assignment nearby.
He hung up once he got everything in order. “Joe Barcelona will be here tomorrow morning, and he’s been fully briefed on the Anson situation. He’ll take care of you.”
Jennifer finally relaxed. “I know him. He was with me right after—you know.”
“Okay, good, so you can trust him.”
She looked out the window toward the river, relief apparent in every line of her body. “Thank you.”
Nick paused when they reached the porch and Jennifer was out of earshot. “Joe being here means we don’t have to stay,” he told Sam.
Sam shook his head. “I have to go to Atlanta, but you two should head to Rhode Island. We can meet you there once I find Riley.”
“I don’t think so.” Nick’s hands were shoved casually in his pockets, but Sam recognized his stance, ready to fight at any provocation. “If Tournado’s on the move again, you know I’m not staying out of it.”
“No. Of course not.”
Nick slapped Sam on the shoulder and headed to the car. Sam hesitated despite his urgency to get on the move. The river flowing a few dozen yards away still pulled at him, the oddest sensation he’d ever felt. He was tempted to reach out, to connect, to see if he could channel the free-flowing energy he could almost taste. It scared him how visceral the need was, and the fear made him think of Riley. Had she gotten in over her head or simply failed to charge her phone’s battery? She might be huddled somewhere, hiding and afraid, or captured and hurt. He couldn’t let the changes from the transfer get in the way. Not now.
Not ever.
…
Riley stood against the wall next to the door, holding still and listening hard, but cursing whatever dampened the acoustics in this place. The men’s voices rose and fell, but the snippets she got didn’t make much sense to her.
She was acutely aware that Vern was out there somewhere, doing whatever he’d been told to do before Riley could hear them. He was probably looking for the person who’d broken the office’s lock. To be safe, she kept a constant draw of energy through the chains so it was ready if she needed it. Her skin warmed where the chains touched, a tangible confirmation of the flow into her body.
“Mr. Tournado, we’re not interested in hearing the details. We want to know the results. What is your recruitment rate?”
That was confirmation that Anson was running the company. But even if he owned it, he was obviously working for these other guys now. To recruit who? Goddesses, she assumed, based on the tactics Sam had described. But for what?
“I’m sure you’ll be pleased that we’ve had positive response to our efforts in several quarters.” Anson’s voice dropped, then rose again. “Two goddess contracts should be closed by the end of the week.”