We need to meet, daughter dearest, the message said. Write when and where on this paper. You have two minutes before it is returned to me.
“He knows you’re here,” Jaz said, her expression disturbed. “But how?”
“We thi
nk there’s a tracker on our SUV,” Belle said.
“And I take it from both your expressions that this parent isn’t someone you want to meet?”
“No, not quite yet.” Not until Ashworth and Eli got back into the reservation, at any rate. They may not make any difference in the end, but my father, at the very least, wouldn’t do or say anything too drastic in front of such an audience.
“What are we going to do?” Belle said, her face pale.
“Answer the message, for a start.” I glanced back at Jaz. “You got a pen on you?”
She tugged one out of her top pocket and handed it to me. I flicked the nib down, then, with only the slightest hesitation, carefully plucked the parchment. Magic stirred briefly across its surface, but I was wearing gloves, so anything he hoped to glean from my touching it would be voided. I walked across to the bedside table and began to write…
Meet tomorrow night, 8 pm, at our café. Don’t attempt to see us tonight. We won’t be there.
Then where the hell are we going? Belle said. He likely knows all our contacts by now, and we can’t put any of them at risk by landing on them tonight.
We’ll stay at a hotel somewhere. I picked up the parchment and returned it to its spot on the carpet.
That’s not going to help if there’s a tracker on the SUV.
We won’t use our SUV.
I stepped back from the paper and glanced at Jaz. “What’s the general range of trackers?”
She shrugged. “Anything up to half a kilometer or so, depending on the device.”
“So it’s possible he’s not currently in viewing range.”
“Very.” A smile tugged at her lips. “I take it you want to swap vehicles?”
I nodded. “We need to keep out of his way until tomorrow.”
“What’s to stop him from coming into your café during the day?”
“Witnesses. He won’t want them.”
She frowned. “Which begs the question, why?”
I grimaced. “Long unpleasant story.”
“Is it one Aiden knows?”
“Yes.”
“So he’ll be there at this meeting tomorrow night?”
“I doubt even the threat of magic will keep him away.”
A smile tugged her lips. “He does get protective about those he cares about.” She stripped off her jacket and made a give-me motion toward mine. “Keys are in the pocket. Keep the jacket’s hood up when you’re leaving, because that hair of yours will give the game away if he happens to be looking your way when you pass.”
“We won’t be going back the same—” I stopped as energy surged into the room again. A heartbeat later, the parchment was gone.
“I’m thinking now is a good time to leave,” Belle said. “Before he decides to do a drive-by or something.”