Chapter 778 Chapter 778
Bear opened the takeout container and looked in it. “What do you mean she asked if she could use the phone?” He’d only been up a few minutes after a night of pacing and trying to stop himself from going to get her out of that house.
“That’s what Beck said She signed. He sent it to Carina. She was asking if she could use the phone.” Dane shrugged and took a bite of the bagel breakfast sandwich.
Bear looked at him and then to Eaton. “There must be a reason she’d ask.”
Eaton nodded. “That’s my thought. Dane is fairly certain she could without detection, but we have to wait until we know she’s watching to let her know.”
Bear got up and walked a few feet away. His boots squished in the mud. He spun back around. He knew nothing about sign language. Even if one of them did, Calla couldn’t see them the way they could see her. “What if her needing to use it was important, and something has happened, and she can’t get back to watch for us?” His heart was racing. His animal was pacing. Something could be wrong, and she had no way to let them know.
“Illias messaged.” Eaton took a bite and chewed for a moment. “He had to do some deep digging to find those records because it was from a long time ago. Two girls went missing from the Kermode Bear clan around the same time. Their names were Meddia and Eden. They were cousins, and both were Ballard’s.”
“Meddia and Eden?” Dane looked up from his food.
“Either one could use the name Edda.” Bear looked at his food but still wasn’t ready to eat it.
“That’s what we thought.” Dane went back to his laptop.
Bear turned and looked from one to the other. “So, this Edda could be Griffin’s mother.”
“Yeah.” Eaton nodded.
“Do we tell him?”
Eaton glanced at Dane. “Devin says no. Not until we know for sure.”
Bear nodded. “Good idea. No sense upsetting him.”
Luka snorted. “I’ve seen what happens when he’s upset, so I agree with that.”
Eaton pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked at it. “Beck needs a nap. Who wants to go keep watch for Calla?”
“I will.” Bear went over and grabbed a bottle of water and then stuffed a few protein bars into his pocket. “I’ll lose my mind if I stand here all day.”
“Deacon and the others should be landing soon, and then they’ll head this way.”
Bear nodded. “By tonight, we’ll have enough to go in?”
Dane held up his hand. “I’m still working on the switch. Nate and Fallan think they know how to disable it.”
“Even if we figure it out, we have to let Calla know,” Eaton said, giving him a watchful look.
“If you see her, Bear, you flash three times, so she turns on the phone.” Luka leaned back. “I need a nap.”
Bear nodded and started walking toward the trail to get around to where Beck was. He didn’t know how exactly he was flashing light at her in the daylight, but Beck would have an idea. Hell, if he had to run up to the door and tell her in person, he’d do it.
~
She felt better wearing her clothes again. Calla went outside and looked around. Clouds were heading this way, and she could tell just by the chill in the air that they were bringing snow. Did a storm make it easier or harder for the team to move in? A little of both, she decided.
There wasn’t much movement at any of the houses, but those two guys were out front of Leon’s again. They must be guarding him in an unobvious way. Zipping her jacket up, she walked in their direction. She needed to figure out how to find out where the other locations were. The answer to that had to be in Leon’s. Before she reached them, one of them went back inside. The one with the scarred neck was still outside.
“Morning.” She wanted to ask him outright why he would help someone like Leon, but didn’t. “Pretty sure snow is on the way.”
He looked at the sky. “We still have a month or more of winter.”
“I’m Missy, by the way. I didn’t think to introduce myself last night at dinner.”
“We all know your name.” He looked amused for a second, but his expression blanked again.
She grinned. “Yeah, I guess you do.”
“Zuri.” He said in a strained voice, almost like he didn’t want to tell her his name.
Zuri. She had to get Zain to look up that name. “Did you go for a run last night?”
He looked everywhere but at her. “No.”
She wondered if he had shifted at all. So many of the men that had been in those collars didn’t or were afraid to. “Probably just as well. The mud made it seem like I was moving in slow motion.”
He smiled at that. “My cat is skittish, I guess. He doesn’t come out often.”
“Hey, fellow feline clan. Excellent.” She smiled. “Lion clan.” She touched her chest and tapped her hand.
Zuri nodded and looked even more uncomfortable. “Leopard.”
Calla nodded. She knew a lot of that clan were taken over the years. “That’s cool. I guess you’d outrun me without even trying, huh?”
He chuckled. “I’ve never run with lion clan before.”
“We’ll have to test it out—” She sighed. “—except only one out at a time.”
He shrugged. “I can see if we can stretch that rule.”
She wanted to ask about his neck or where he was from, but the other one came back out of the house.
Zuri’s posture went ridged.
“So, I need to talk to Ellery about boots.” She looked up at that sky. “Maybe some snow boots as well.”
Zuri exchanged a look with the other one and then motioned to the door. “He’ll be sitting at the dining room table working.”
Calla nodded. “Cool. Thanks.” She gave the other one a wide berth because his presence had her cat on edge. She was glad her animal had her head back in the game. Calla was going to need all the help she could get to navigate this situation and come out the other side.