Page 88 of Twist of Fate

“No.”

“Good. I’d hate to think the furniture was growing on you.”

“The castle would have provided better chairs.”

“The castle would probably have grown me a couch and tucked a blanket around my legs.”

“If that was what you required.”

Luke looked at him for a moment, his expression softening before he turned back to the phone. “I’m okay.”

Connal had begun to recognize the difference between Luke saying he was unharmed and Luke asking not to be pressed. This was the latter. The bond tugged restlessly beneath his skin, but Connal let the silence return and waited beside him.

Tyson moved quietly between the monitors and the black device protecting their connection. Beyond the conference room, Connal’s brothers maintained their positions. The building continued its ordinary human functions around them, unaware that six creatures from another realm waited inside it for one man to decide their next move.

One hour passed, then another.

By the time Luke’s phone vibrated against the table, the last light had vanished beyond the windows, leaving only the office reflected in the glass. His hand closed around the phone before the sound ended.

“Hale,” he said, glancing at the screen.

Luke opened the message and read it without speaking.

Connal waited until his gaze reached the end. “What does he say?”

“Do not attempt delivery. Maintain possession of the package. Remain off-grid.” Luke’s eyes narrowed as he read the final instruction again. “Contact my office at nine tomorrow morning from a secure line.”

“He does not ask what happened at the warehouse.”

“No.”

“Why?”

Luke set the phone on the table. “Either he already knows, or he doesn’t want my answer in writing.”

The possibility that Hale had known about the trap brought Connal halfway out of his chair. Luke caught his forearm before he could stand.

“We don’t know which one it is,” Luke said. “That’s why I didn’t accuse him.”

“You are willing to obey him without knowing?”

“I’m willing to let him think I am.” Luke released Connal and looked toward Tyson. “Did the protection hold?”

Tyson checked the black unit connected to the office network. “Nothing in the exchange identifies this location. If anyone attempts to follow the path, they will find several convincing lies before reaching a dead end.”

Luke nodded. “Then we’re done here.”

The speed of the decision reassured Connal. Waiting had been necessary while Hale’s answer could give them useful information. Now that it had arrived, remaining inside the office would only create an unnecessary risk.

Tyson sent a brief message through his device. “The others are returning.”

Luke powered down his phone before disconnecting it from the protected network. He packed the charging cable and laptop into his backpack and closed it. Before lifting the strap over his shoulder, he checked the small watch pocket at the front of his jeans. The drive was still secure.

Zer entered first, Avaneel’s glow briefly visible through his dark hair before she tucked herself more deeply beneath it. Keir followed from the second stairwell. Asterius arrived last, carrying the unmistakable restlessness of a warrior who had spent too long guarding an entrance no enemy had attempted to use.

“Please tell me something happened,” Asterius said.

“Hale answered,” Luke told him. “The delivery is suspended. I’m supposed to keep the drive secure and contact his office tomorrow morning.”