War of Hearts (True Immortality) - S Young Page 0,30
well built. But no matter how congenial Conall was, humans seemed to sense they were no longer the top of the food chain when he was around.
“Pay phone?”
The man frowned in confusion.
Fucking great.
Conall held his thumb and pinky to his mouth. “Pay. Phone.”
His brow cleared. “No.”
“Do you have one I could borrow?”
Another frown.
Fuck.
He mimed some more, feeling like an arse, but the man cottoned on and pulled his phone out of his pocket and gestured to Conall. Grateful, Conall thanked him and took the phone. He didn’t know Ashforth’s number, but he knew James’s.
His beta didn’t pick up.
Conall was just about to throw the stranger’s phone at a wall in disgruntled impatience when the phone rang again. It wasn’t James’s number, but it was the UK country code. “Conall,” he answered abruptly.
“What happened to your phone?” Ashforth asked.
That man’s voice was beginning to goddamn grate. Conall moved away from the cashier. “Why is James not answering his?”
“I told you I want to be in control of this, Conall. I can’t have you communicating with your beta behind my back. James agreed to the confiscation.”
Outrage rose from his gut, but Conall stifled it. Now was not the time. “My sister is okay?”
“She’s as well as when you left her.”
“I’ll want to speak to her and James in the morning. That’s not a request.”
Ashforth hesitated but then, “Of course. Now will you tell me what has happened?”
“Someone who knew what I am attacked us. Thea got the better of me in the confusion. I came to and the car, my phone, and my money are missing.”
“Someone else is after her?”
“Aye. Now I know that, I can be more vigilant.”
“I told you she was tricky.”
“Aye, an understatement. I need a car, money, and a new phone.”
“Find out where you are, and I’ll arrange everything. I’ll also track down the other car. She probably abandoned it, but it’ll give you a starting point.”
Conall curled his lip, impatient to catch up with the lethal brat. “No need. I know where she is.”
“Of course.” Ashforth sounded extremely satisfied, gloating almost. “It’s wonderful to know she’ll never be able to outrun me again.”
Outrun me, Conall corrected inwardly. She’ll never be able to outrun me. That knowledge created an unexpected feeling of satisfaction for Conall too.
“I’ll see if I can find out who might be after you,” Ashforth continued. “Now, where are you?”
Conall returned to the cashier to ask where they were. Finally, after a long moment of miscommunication, they figured it out.
Conall waited at the petrol station for an hour; he felt the cashier’s eyes constantly on him. Just as he was sure the guy was readying to call the police, two cars pulled up outside, and a stranger got out of the first. The man strode inside, his eyes going straight to Conall’s.
“Chief MacLennan?” he asked in a thick, Polish accent.
Conall nodded.
“Come with me?”
Following the man outside, he huddled next to Conall and handed over the car keys. He then discreetly passed over a wad of cash, along with a new phone. After Conall thanked him, the man nodded, walked to the second car, got in, and the car drove off.
Conall pondered this, wondering at Ashforth’s connections, that he could pull this off in a little over an hour. He threw his rucksack into the car and turned back to the station. Grabbing some food he could snack on as he drove, he paid for it and then added extra as a thank-you for the use of the phone.
The cashier remained unsure, but he smiled his thanks and Conall tried his best not to hurry. Neither he nor Thea needed the police joining the hunt as a second outside entity.
As he pulled onto the motorway, steering with one hand and holding a protein bar with the other, he ripped open the packaging with his teeth and made a sound of anticipation in the back of his throat. Thea Quinn would be back in his grasp and he would enjoy the moment she realized he hadn’t been bluffing—when it finally sunk in that no matter where she ran, he could find her.
It would be interesting to see if she gave up on the manipulation and decided the solution was to rip his heart out.
Not that he would ever give her the chance. He was far more understanding of her capabilities now.
Conall frowned as he followed her scent, realizing she’d turned southwest instead of west toward Germany.