How to Rattle an Undead Couple - Hailey Edwards Page 0,24
top of her head. “Where do we go from here?”
“I’m going to ask Neely to stay over. Cruz too, if he’s interested. They can monitor the landline during the day in case we receive ransom demands or other conditions for her safe release.”
The old house had her own phone line so that they could call direct and communicate with her, but only family and friends knew that. To the rest of the world, it was an affectation, a way of shunting callers to the house without granting the immediate access of cellphones.
As much as Woolly enjoyed taking simple messages, she relished hanging up on telemarketers that much more.
“Our top priority is now locating Boaz,” Grier decided. “Do you think Addie can reach him?”
“They should have contact protocols in place,” Linus allowed. “It’s worth asking, but how will you explain the sudden and immediate need to speak to him without tipping her off that something’s wrong?”
Adelaide was practical, and she understood Grier occupied a special place in Boaz’s heart and in his past. She wouldn’t worry he was relapsing if Grier asked her to activate the couple’s emergency protocols, but she would fear he was in danger if standard channels hadn’t worked to contact him.
“There’s not much time left until dawn.” Linus gazed out the window. “I can make the call if you prefer.”
“I’ll handle it.” She waved off his offer of taking the easy way out. “Addie is a friend, and I don’t want her to think I’m doing an end run around her.”
“Involving another person is a mistake,” Corbin said. “Let me try one thing before you take that step?”
“All right.” Grier yawned wide and then growled to herself. “I am not sleepy.”
She was about to slide off her chair onto the floor. The shower, Mother’s abduction, and the magic Grier had expended in the search at Lawson Manor as well as the physical toll had sapped her energy. The gift, and her pregnancy, hadn’t helped matters. She was pushing herself too hard, but he didn’t know how to ask her to slow down.
“You need to prop up your ankles,” he reminded her. “We need to get the swelling down.”
“I know what you’re doing.” She stabbed him with a frown. “You’re tucking the cranky pregnant woman into bed so you can get down to the real work.”
“That’s not—”
“It’s the right thing to do.” She braced her palms on the desktop and leveraged out of the chair. “I’ll hold down the fort.”
“I don’t want to—”
“You should be out there, getting your hands dirty. Not in here, holding mine.” She started toward the stairs. “There’s plenty for me to do on the admin side while you handle the fieldwork.”
“I don’t want you to feel like I’m stepping on your toes.”
“I can’t even see my toes.” She took his arm and leaned on his strength. “You’re fine.”
Once they managed the stairs and he got her propped up in bed, he hovered. “Are you sure…?”
“Go find your mom.” She flicked her wrist at him. “LJ deserves to have a living grandparent.”
“Thank you.” Linus bent to kiss her softly. “I love you.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She shoved him back with a smile. “Nothing says I love you like churros. Just sayin’.”
“Your wish—” he bowed with a flourish, “—my command.”
“On your way out, can you ask Lethe to bring Keet in here?”
“Of course.” He ought to be going, but still he lingered. “Any particular reason why?”
“I have concerns that our baby’s first word will be pfft.” She reached into her bedside snack drawer. “I’m going to introduce Keet to the wonders of educational television and pray the alphabet song sticks.”
Laughing softly, he exited the room to prepare for what must be done.
Seven
At the bottom of the stairs, Linus found Corbin waiting on him and quirked a brow in question.
Eyes downcast, almost guilty, the vampire slung a backpack over one shoulder. “Give me a ride?”
Palming the keys for Moby, Linus nodded thanks to Woolly when she opened the front door for them. “Where are we going?”
While social cues often stumped Linus, he felt the casual question had been posed as an invitation.
“There’s a bunker under the city.” Corbin scratched his jaw. “Your mother commissioned it after the fire.”
The void, never far from his thoughts, began to yawn wider. “I wasn’t aware.”
“Not many people are,” he said, apology clear in his voice. “For good reason.”
“Mother built a safe haven should there be another vampire uprising,” he realized, and he hated how it didn’t surprise him. “I should have anticipated