Black Wings, Gray Skies (Black Hat Bureau 4)

17

Hands trembling, I dialed Camber as I pocketed my wand and strapped on my kit. The black witch might not be working alone, and Aedan might not be the only hostage. The Black Hat rogues—and what else could he be?—traveled in covens. I couldn’t plan my next move until I confirmed the girls were okay.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring

Ring.

With Colby looking on, I ended the call and told her what I feared most. “No answer.”

Less than a minute later, my phone screen lit, and the display showed Camber’s number. “Hello?”

The beat of silence prior to an indrawn breath on the other end stretched for an eternity.

“Hey,” she panted. “Rocko got out of the pen, so I had to drop everything and chase him.”

“Rocko?” I soaked up the sound of her voice as Colby flew a victory lap. “One of the puppies?”

Her grandmother, Dotha, bred Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

“Puppy? No. That’s the wrong word.” She snorted. “Ringleader. Instigator. Troublemaker…”

“Have you spoken to Arden today?”

“No.”

That single word spread ice through my chest in a crackling sheet of uncertainty.

“Remember how much trouble Mrs. Gleason got into last year on New Year’s?”

“She almost burned down my house.” I had to file an insurance claim for a new roof. “It rings a bell.”

“On the way home from work yesterday, we noticed her unloading boxes of mixed fireworks. She had at least six of them on the porch, and her trunk was still open. We told our parents, in case things got out of hand. Again. But last night, her display was weirdly subdued. Hardly a fire hazard at all.

“Arden’s mom is worried Mrs. Gleason is stockpiling, and she knew Arden had a free day, thanks to the outage. So, she dispatched Arden to investigate. Mostly, she wants to know if the police need to be called, which is almost always yes. I would have gone with her, but Gran needed help.”

For all our sakes, I volunteered, “I’ll warn Aedan to keep an eye out.”

“Arden was going to ask him to join her after the electrician left, but he didn’t answer his phone.”

Poor Aedan was too busy being kidnapped by yet another crackpot who tracked me to Samford.

“He’s still at the shop,” I assured her. “The electrician ran late.”

“Oh good. She’s always paranoid if he doesn’t answer he’s ghosting her.”

“I have another call,” I lied to clear the line. “I just wanted to check in while I had a minute.”

“We’re all good here.” A puppy barked in the background. “Hope I see you soon.”

“Me too.”

Before the screen went dark, I dialed Arden, but the call ended after one ring.