Chapter 290 Chapter 290
Calum was a smart man, Gia had decided. He hadn’t taken them straight to the pickup location but had them circle around through a few areas that had sparse buildings and no traffic. She was taking mental notes the whole time and planning to adopt several of his tactics to figure out if anyone was following them.
“Another twenty minutes and we’ll be there,” Calum said quietly.
Gia nodded. She checked in the mirror again to see that Terah’s skin wasn’t as transparent now, but she was a long way from healthy. She didn’t understand anything about water clans—at all. Should she research the different clan types? There was no telling who she’d be transporting and knowing how to care for them might be something she should know. As soon as she got a moment, she’d have to message Amari and ask about that.
“Listen up boys and girls.” Illias’ voice broke the silence in the van. “Safehouse is burned.”
A chill went up Gia’s spine.
“Five-minute window starts now,” Illias told them. “Cal, the wolf and company borrowed your wheels and will see you soon.”
She glanced in the mirror to see Calum nod. Her heart felt like it was sitting in the back of her throat. Looking at Deacon, he didn’t seem alarmed at all, he turned his hat around backward, then he pulled his clip out of his gun and checked it, then put it back in and rested it on his knee.
“Sister, where are you, I’ll meet you?” Nox’s voice came over the radio.
Deacon turned in his seat and looked back at Calum.
“Negative.” That was Devin, he must have a radio with him. “You are to report to your team leader, big brother.”
Deacon sat forward and took the radio off the clip on the dash. “My partner and I will be sticking together.” He announced. Then he switched the radio off.
Gia looked at him, she knew her eyes were wide. “He’s going to throw a huge tantrum.” She whispered.
He shrugged and then smirked at her.
Gia bit her lip and looked in the mirror at Calum. “Can I send a quick message to my brother, Walker, so my mom doesn’t worry?”
Calum nodded, “very brief.”
“Are they coming after us?” Terah was wide awake now.
“No.” Shaelan’s tone was soothing, “we’ll be fine. This is all just a precaution. You’re perfectly safe.”
Gia looked to Deacon, his expression said this was not just precautionary. “Can you grab my phone and text Walker for me?”
“Next right,” Calum said calmly.
She nodded.
Deacon pulled her phone out of the holder and tapped the screen.
“Just tell him I’m going off the grid for a bit and will text when I’m back.” She looked to see him typing, “put love you, bro at the end.”
When he was done typing it, he glanced at her.
“That’s it.” She shrugged, “Walker is my only ally in the family.” She added in a hushed voice.
“Sent.” He turned the phone over in his hand, “I’m taking the chip out and turning it off.”
Gia nodded, “do I look in the envelope now?”
“Wait until you drop us off,” Calum said quietly.
“I’m going home.” Deacon said and glanced over his shoulder at the large man seated behind him.
“Good choice. Shae and I will go with Devin.” Calum answered.
Deacon nodded and turned around. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he turned it off and then opened the case holding it.
“Take all of the supplies with you.” Shaelan’s soft voice ended the tense silence. “We’ll need it when we meet back up.”
Gia nodded, but she was afraid to talk too much. She didn’t want the others to know how terrified she was right now.
“Next left and then you’ll see the chopper,” Calum told her.
Gia looked around, not having the slightest clue where they were now, or even how to find their way to the highway again. “Can we use GPS?”
“Best not to.” Calum answered, “Deacon will have maps.”
She glanced over to see him nod. “Okay.”
“Have a little faith.” Deacon said, with a light tone of amusement. “This is what I’m good at.”
“Reading a map?” She looked over at him, quickly, not wanting to miss the next turn.
Deacon smirked, “no at disappearing and surviving.”
Gia dragged her gaze away from him and turned the next corner. It still felt wrong not to use a signal, but now that Calum had told her that it made sense. She watched in the mirror. No lights or, as Calum had said, interruption of lighting in the area behind them. That man knew things.
“How the hell did he beat us here?” Calum sat forward, “he better not have ridden the clutch this time.”
Gia smirked, realizing that Calum and the prince had to be friends, for him to sound so annoyed with him.
She slowed the van and was shocked to see a helicopter fifty feet in front of them. Three large, armed men stood beside it.
“Okay, Terah, let’s get you over to Rayne. You’ll love her.” Shaelan told her. “Make sure they have warm blankets, Cal.”
Calum jumped out of the van, “move fast and silent.” He nodded to Deacon, then turned and jogged toward the chopper.
Gia watched Rayne and Shaelan help Terah walk across the pavement.
“So, where is our ride?”
“Oh,” Gia jerked her head back and shifted her run pack around, “let’s see.” Pulling out the envelope, she opened it and looked at the paper folded inside. “It says. Use the envelope of money in the glove box and go to,” she frowned, “I can’t read this address.” She held it out to Deacon.
He took it and read it, then blew out a breath. “We have to backtrack a lot to get here.” He turned to watch Calum helping Shaelan into the chopper. “Start driving, a chopper taking off in the middle of the night is bound to draw some attention.”
Gia watched Calum run back toward his car. She put the van into drive, “he’s not going with her?”
Deacon chuckled, “and leave his car behind, no. She probably went to keep an eye on Terah.”
Gia accelerated and went back out the street they’d come in on, “you’ll have to give me the directions.”