Warrior (Relentless #4)(209)

“I didn’t say we were giving up.”

I smiled as I took her arm, and we started down the stairs. It was time to show her there was more to being a warrior than killing vampires.

“Adele’s probably on the phone with Madeline right now, warning her about us,” Sara grumbled once we hit the street.

“And that is exactly what we want her to do.”

I opened the back door of the SUV for her. Jordan jumped in on the other side, and Chris and I took the front with me behind the wheel.

Behind us, Elijah’s team sat in two more SUVs as backup. Los Angeles was still a very dangerous place, even with the extra teams of warriors, including Hamid and Ammon, working to clean it up. I’d spent an hour this morning explaining that to Sara and trying to convince her to stay behind today.

She was quick to remind me that not only did she have vampire radar, but she could crisp one of them faster than I could say toast. It was hard to argue with that, having seen the results of her vigilante work, but it was going to take me a while to get used to it.

“Are we good, Chris?” I asked.

He pulled out the phone Raj had given him before we left the command center. When he turned it on, I could see Raj’s surveillance app was already running.

He grinned at me. “We’re in.”

“What is that?” Sara asked, peering over his shoulder.

He tapped the screen. “That is the signal from the transmitter I left in Adele’s office.”

Jordan leaned forward. “Wait. Didn’t you guys say you couldn’t bug her place because she uses warlock magic to detect them and short them out?”

I started the engine. “These aren’t normal transmitters. Raj loaned us one of his prototypes to test out. So far it appears to be working.” Raj was going to be thrilled when he heard his project was a success.

“How do you know?” Sara asked.

Chris held up the phone. “Green means the transmitter is working and the signal is good.”

“What do the dots mean?”

He pointed to the screen. “That blue dot tells us that someone is using the land line in Adele’s office. The red dot means that my receiver is recording it.”

“Recording it?” Sara repeated breathlessly.

He waved the phone at her. “Why don’t we see who the lovely Adele was in such a hurry to call?”

Sara squealed and hugged his neck. “You are a genius!”

“I have my moments.”

He pressed a button, and we all quieted as Adele’s voice filled the car.

“Orias, would you be a dear and make sure our Mohiri friends didn’t leave a little gift for me?”

“Your wards should take care of that,” the warlock answered.

“It never hurts to be thorough.”

I knew by the static that poured from the speaker that Orias was using his magic to do a sweep of the office. A minute later he said, “If they did leave something, it’s no longer working.”

I heard Adele pick up her phone, her long nails tapping against the buttons as she dialed. I enhanced my hearing so I was just able to pick out a voice on the other end.

“Hello.”

I couldn’t identify the voice, but Adele’s next words left no doubt about who it was.

“Darling, you will never believe who just left my office. Nikolas Danshov…and your daughter.”

There was a pause. “My daughter?”

“Yes, your daughter, Sara.” Adele sounded a little hurt. “Why did you never tell me you had a child?”

“You know I don’t like to talk about that time in my life.”

“I understand wanting to leave the past behind, but you could have told your oldest friend. God knows we’ve shared everything else.”

“What…is she like?” Madeline asked.

Adele laughed. “She doesn’t look like you, but she certainly has your fire. And she is an inquisitive little thing. She wanted to know all about my friendship with you.”

“Did you tell them you knew me?”

A sigh. “I didn’t have much choice. She showed up with pictures of us from that summer in San Diego. I could hardly lie about them.”

Madeline’s voice rose. “You didn’t tell them about –”

“Of course, I didn’t tell them about that. How can you even ask?”

“If they found out we’re friends they’ll find me next. I need to move again,” Madeline said.

“No, I think you should stay where you are for now,” Adele argued. “No one knows I own that place, and they’d never expect you to go there.”

“Maybe I should go see Orias again,” Madeline suggested.

“Orias’s glamour is good for another month at least. Here, talk to him yourself.”

“Madeline, stop worrying,” Orias said confidently. “None but a faerie could see through my magic.”

The voice on the other end grew so faint I couldn’t make out the words. It had to be his magic interfering with the connection.

“Haven’t my glamours kept you hidden all these years?” he said.

Madeline said something I couldn’t hear.

“As I’ve told you many times, no one’s magic is strong enough to undo that. I’m the strongest warlock I know, and I’ve been trying for years. No, I’m not giving up. I’ll let you know if I come up with anything.”