Sweet Reckoning (The Sweet Trilogy #3)(20)

Dad was nowhere to be found. The fact that he hadn’t responded or shown his face was bad news. He could be chained in hell for all I knew—a thought that made all my confidence and hope threaten to slip away.

I’d always relied on his advice. His inside knowledge. Now I just felt useless and timid. So, what would Dad want me to do if he were here?

It was time to take the initiative. The first thing that came to mind was Marek, the son of Shax. Was he or was he not an ally? With a sense of resolve, I decided it was time to find out.

He could still be in the U.S., or he could be back in Europe. Was I willing to fly to the Czech Republic to find him?

Yes.

What I needed was more information. An address or phone number to reach him. Who had Neph or Duke contacts that I could trust?

Kopano. His brothers still lived in Africa with Duke Alocer. Maybe they could get their hands on some information for me.

I pulled into a rest area in North Carolina, parking as far as possible from the other people—families traveling on their summer vacations.

Dad had warned me over and over that phone lines weren’t safe, despite his military-grade equipment and all the fancy technology he used. At moments like this, I just had to trust in the precautions he’d made for us, and hope for the best.

I dialed Kope. He answered quickly, sounding worried, probably because I hadn’t called him in ages.

“Are you all right?” It was good to hear his soothing voice.

“Yes. But I need some help.” I took a deep breath and rehashed the story of Marek and Caterina’s visit, and how I wanted to track him down.

“Let me make a call. I will be in touch.”

I hung up, loving his willingness to jump right in without argument. I got back on the road, not wanting to stop for too long. He called back half an hour later.

“I have his number. I will text it to you.”

I smiled. “You freaking rock, Kope.”

“I am flying down to accompany you.”

Oh, no.

“You don’t have to do that. I know after last time you said . . .” He’d said he couldn’t travel on missions with me anymore after what happened between us that winter, and the subsequent jealous rage from Kaidan. But saying it out loud felt too uncomfortable.

“That was a long time ago, Anna. Much has changed.”

“I’m not afraid of Marek. He didn’t seem very threatening—”

“He is with the sons of Thamuz. And the daughter of Jezebet.”

“Oh.” Icy fear slithered up my spine. That changed things. “Do you know where they are?”

“Moving north, as are you, according to the last whisperer who spotted you.”

Creepy-crawly sensations pricked my skin.

“How do you know all this?”

“Father told my brothers they are to be prepared to help search for you, if necessary. The Dukes are using Neph to hunt for suspicious persons. I believe they hope that by putting Neph together they will be able to draw out which ones are guilty and innocent.”

That made sense since Neph were naturally wary of one another. I looked up at the next exit sign.

“I’m at Mooresville, North Carolina, off I-77. I’m going to text Marek and see if he can meet me alone.”

“No!” The alarm in his voice made me wonder how stupid I was being. My gut told me I wasn’t in danger from Marek, but what if I were wrong?

“I promise I won’t do anything crazy. I’ll try to find a hotel with a bottom-floor room that has a sliding door I can exit through if he tries to bring anyone.”

“Anna—”

“Kope, I feel like we’re running out of time. I’ll be careful.”

“I don’t like this.”

“Neither do I, but I have to do something. I’ll call you as soon as I’ve met with him. Promise.”

Kope was quiet for a long while before he asked, “Do you have your knives?”

I patted my pockets. “Yes.”

“Do not let down your guard. Even if he claims to be an ally. The others will be near.”

“Okay.”

We said our good-byes, and I felt bad for stressing him. I drove around Mooresville, which turned out to be NASCAR city, until I found a hotel with what I had in mind. Then I texted Marek.

Can u meet me alone? -Daughter of B.

My heart raced and I doubted my own sanity.

His response came too fast. Yes. Where are you?

My thumbs hovered over the letters, hesitant. Where are you? I countered.

His response this time took longer. Blythewood, SC.

I did a quick search. They were an hour and a half away.

With a deep breath and a prayer, I texted him my location. Then I headed to the gigantic outdoorsman store. I’d never before considered purchasing a gun, but I was scared enough to do so now. The line at the gun counter was outrageously long, and the background-check stuff would probably be time-consuming as well. Instead, I browsed the knives counter and other weapons until something caught my interest—a stun gun disguised as a flashlight.

It was dark out by the time I left the store with a fully charged stun gun and a slick new pocketknife. Super sharp and quick to open. Then I settled into my hotel room for the wait. I stared out through my sliding glass door at the parking lot with my hands in my pockets, turning my knives over and over. I decided not to wear the hilt on me, because if it came down to a fight, I didn’t want Marek discovering it. I’d stuffed the hilt between the mattresses as far as my arm could stretch.