Hunted – 53

Faolán was back seconds later. “Well, he’s able to get in here,” he told Brice tersely.

Brice felt a chill run through him and fought his fear as he said, “That was the plan.”

“I know, I know. But somehow planning and having it really happen…It makes the whole thing…real.”

“Really real,” Brice said with a small smile, though smiling was the last thing he felt like doing at the moment. But he didn’t want either of them to panic…yet. “How do you know he was here?”

Faolán handed him a small box and a note. Brice opened the box first and winced, sucking in a deep breath. “Well at least now we know where…”

“Yeah, tell me about it. I knew the minute I saw it. It has to belong to the body we found at your house.”

Brice then read the note. “And apparently he’s planning on adding to his collection.” He frowned and sniffed the air. “Why didn’t we know the moment we came in that he’d been here?”

“Because he’s much older than us and knows how to mask his scent. Especially when he’s in his human form.”

“Oh, that makes me feel really confident. Particularly when the whole idea is to make him chase me from here to the house. He could get to me, to us, with no problem at all if that’s the case.”

“No. If he was here when we were, we’d know it. It’s just the fact he came and left while we weren’t around that made it possible for him to cover his tracks.” Faolán paused momentarily then said, “It might be time to have Logan join us.”

Brice already had his phone open. “I was thinking the same thing.” After a brief conversation with Logan he closed it again. “He’ll be here in ten or less.”

“Less I’d say,” Faolán commented as Logan appeared, Skye by his side.

When Brice cocked an eyebrow, Logan told him, “She was already in jeans and whatever, and wasn’t about to take no for an answer—stubborn woman.”

“No way you all are keeping me out of this. I told you that already. And before you get pissy, I said I was the brains, not the brawn in this outfit.”

“Yes, dear,” Logan said, dropping a kiss on the tip of her nose. Then he looked at the other shifters and grinned. “I take it the two of you have come to some sort of truce.”    

“You could say that, yeah,” Brice admitted. “However…”

Logan nodded. “It won’t do any good if we don’t stop Maximus.”   

Brice said guiltily, “And since he’s announced that he can get in here, which is my fault for not double-checking that there was no where he could see into the place, I guess that means we have to rethink things.”

“Why?” Skye asked. “I mean, okay, maybe he won’t attack you here, or maybe he will, but the basics still hold true. Wherever he tries to get to you, you can still go to the…” she looked around, as if afraid Maximus might be listening, “to where we planned.”