Page 122 of Resolve
He doesn’t.
“You’ve stolen assets, destroyed my properties, killed the board, and murdered Gifted Enterprise employees. I hope you’re prepared for how I’ll bleed out every member of your Guild before you. I’ll break my mistake of a daughter as well as the other useless defects with you. But first, you’re going to have to make a choice.”
Dane’s glaring at the phone, his hands clenched and jaw grinding while Kellan looks a breath away from exploding into his new draconic form. Jackson watches the phone with an intense stare, listening to every word like he’s memorizing each threat he makes so he can mete out the punishment for it. Alice, Sam, and the others are clustered around us, fear sitting heavy in their postures and stares.
“A choice?” Aiden questions.
“I’m going to send you two coordinates. One will lead you directly to me. The other has some assets of mine being offloaded due to the shortage you’ve caused me. Alice has a third location, where you’ll find the final spy child. Choose to save the others, or come for me. There won’t be time to do all three. You have twelve hours before I go underground to rebuild Gifted Enterprise. I’d rather start this fresh with you lot gone, so I’m giving you this opportunity. I’mcurious to see which you’ll choose.”
The call ends.
“Every time I think this guy can’t get any worse, he proves me wrong,” I mutter, glaring at Elias’s TV in his living room.
“He’s trying to split us up,” Dane growls as we watch three real-time satellite views across the globe in three boxes.
That’s right.
The locations are on separate continents, just to be sure we’re as far away from each other as possible. And the satellites all conveniently allowed Dane to access these exact spots with crystal clear viewing.
The first one is an ocean port, where it’s the middle of the night. On it, people in collars and chains are being loaded into a shipping container. Hisoffloaded assets. Once they’re in a shipping container and on a ship, it’ll be impossible to find them. The ship coincidentally leaves the port in eleven hours.
The second is a building with a retracted roof on an island. Inside is Tobias, tied to a gurney and feeding blood into a large collection bag. The sun’s only rising here, which means he's going to burn to a crisp by midday while his body is already drained. Charles is taking his gift for his use and killing him at the same time.
The last box shows a large house in a tiny island town. The location where Charles is supposedly waiting.
“That one’s mine,” Portia bites out, a sharpness to her tone that I’ve never heard before. I snap my gaze away from the screen for thefirst time since Dane pulled it up to look at her. She’s leaning forward on the couch, her hands gripping her thighs as she focuses on the first one. She’s dressed casually today in mini shorts and a halter top, her long brown hair falling in soft waves to her mid-back. As if sensing my stare, her vibrant green eyes meet mine with unrelenting will. “Let my group handle the one at the port.”
I shouldn’t be surprised she’d jump to help the ones about to be trafficked after what she went through. But hearing her story and seeing exactly how formidable Portia is when she sets her mind to something are two completely different things.
“Hold it there, Rainbow,” Kellan drawls, his arm thrown over the back of the couch at the end while he fiddles with one of Jack’s knives pointed into his thigh. Elias casts him a look of disapproval for the nickname, but Kell is already continuing. “Splitting up is exactly what he wants us to do. If we jump when he says, we’re just walking into another one of his traps.”
Portia pops up like she’s ready to fight him. His grin sharpens. “I don’t care if it is. We can’t let them get away before they disappear to who-knows-where! This is their best shot to be saved.”
“It’s already too late. You’d never make it in time,” Aiden counters.
She jabs a finger at Reid. He’s standing behind the large couch, where Tinsley’s sitting, his arms crossed with an expressionless mask in place as he regards the screen. “We would if he took us there. We could be there in minutes, right?”
Aiden frowns. “And take away our only teleporter until you’re finished? I can guarantee it won't just be this one container. He’ll throw everything he has at you to keep you occupied, if not to make you prisoners as well.”
Portia’s hands fist. “Then Reid can leave us there. We’ll handle whatever he throws at us.”
“I can arrange transportation home for us and the prisoners,” Elias intervenes. “However, that would exclude us from your fight with the president, as I doubt we’d return in time.”
Portia spins to me, her hair flying behind her as she bends and clasps her hands in front of her. “Rae, I know I promised to be there—”
“No, don’t apologize,” I say, stopping her. “I know you need to do this. And youarehelping us. I don’t think I could live with myself if we ignored them to go after Charles. I’ll feel better knowing you’re there to save them.”
She pulls me into a hug. “Thank you! Thank you!” she breathes, her relief palpable. Portia stands and points at Elias. “Call the others and tell them it’s time to kick some butt. Get ready and meet me at my apartment in ten.” Kellan cackles at her ordering Elias around, and Dane coughs behind his hand. “Oh!” She spins to Reid. “I didn’t even ask! Would you mind dropping us off there? Rae kind of already said yes, and I know you’re her half-brother and would do anything to help her, and so this is kind of like helping her by helping me—”
Reid’s eyes flick to mine while she rambles on. I give him a small nod—my way of agreeing that I'm asking for this, too. He puts his hand up. “Only if you stop talking.”
“Yes! Thank you!” she gushes, already breaking that request as she runs around the couch to the door. Portia somehow stops on a dime in her heels at the door. “Oh, I didn’t tell you where to meet us. My apartment is next to Rae’s. The one on the right. ’Kay, bye!”
Elias sighs. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some phone calls to make. Goodluck with your fight. If you determine the resources you need, feel free to send me a message. I can’t guarantee when I’ll see it, but I will as soon as I can.” He smiles at me and bows his head. “Be safe, Raegan. For Portia’s sake and mine.”
I can’t help but return his smile. “Thank you, Elias. For everything.” The words don’t seem like enough after all he’s done to help us, to help the Guild, when he didn’t have to.
“Thank you,” Aiden offers him just before he leaves.
