A quiet sob issued out of her throat. She covered her mouth with her hand and bowed her head. A long curtain of her dark hair fell, blocking her emotions from us.
I didn’t know her well enough to physically comfort her, and it likely wouldn’t have been welcome, so I didn’t reach out. Instead, we stood shoulder to shoulder, and when she was ready, I would be there.
Rourke made a small sound. “Look, there’s something sticking out of the wall.”
“Where?” Kayla’s head shot up, hope breaking in her voice.
Tyler saw it too. “It’s tucked into one of the holes on the far side.” Tyler gestured to the wall.
Sure enough, a rumpled piece of paper, barely visible, was stuck in a remnant of obliterated sheetrock near the window.
Kayla went forward to claim it, picking her way over the obstacles carefully, stumbling and sliding as she went.
Rourke rested his hands on my shoulders, gripping them tightly, leaning over to whisper in my ear. “Whatever that note says, it’s not going to be welcome news.”
I nodded.
That note wasn’t going to contain anything we wanted to hear, but hopefully it would lead us to Jax.
A sudden feeling of déjà vu washed over me, and I shivered. Rourke, sensing a change, rubbed my arms, a small growl issuing from the back of his throat.
We were all gathered in this place, at this time, for a reason.
I knew it for certain, and foreboding flooded through me.
Juanita had told me I would find my destiny once I found Jax, and whatever was in that note would lead me to him. Whatever it dictated, I had to do, without fail.
We watched as Kayla plucked the scrap of paper from the wall and read it to herself. She glanced at me, meeting my gaze. “It’s for you.” She brought me the note, her face set.
Once it was in my hand, I spread it open, so we could all read it. It was printed in pristine block letters:
I HAVE THE BOY, THE WOLF, AND THE FEMALE VAMPIRE.
IF YOU WANT THEM TO LIVE, THERE IS ONLY ONE OPTION.
YOUR LIFE FOR THEIRS.
It wasn’t signed, but we all knew who it was from.
Three words were written in the bottom right corner: THE PONTE VECCHIO.
“She has Danny and Naomi,” I said, anguish filling me. Enid knew there was a possibility I wouldn’t trade my life for Jax, someone I’d never met, but she knew there was no question I would for Danny and Naomi. I’d allowed them to leave Florida on their own, after Danny had almost been killed. It had been a mistake. One that I would now pay dearly for.
I fisted the note in my hand, crumpling it, fury blinding me. I didn’t trust myself to speak.
“The Ponte Vecchio is a bridge in Florence, Italy.” Marcy was the first to comment, her voice filled with quiet contemplation. “That’s an odd place to send us, but Florence is the epitome of old magic. It swirls around that city like a thick carpet of smog. Tons of places to hide three strong supernaturals against their will.”
Tyler added, “Florence is also home to the Mediterranean Pack. This is no coincidence.”
Of course it wasn’t.
There were no coincidences.
“It’s also where the Romanian witch told me there had been recent disturbances when I called about my missing aunt,” Marcy added. “Tally might be there too.” Her voice shifted to hopeful. “When we find that old bag of bones, and those responsible for kidnapping her, heads are going to roll, and when I say roll, I mean they are literally going to come off the shoulders and bump down those cobblestone streets.”
Everyone’s eyes landed on me.
“So what are we going to do?” Tyler asked.