present. There were more of them than Allie had expected. Aside from Elvi and her husband, Victor, Mabel and DJ, Leonora and Alessandro, Dani and Decker, Magnus and Tybo, and Tricia as well as the four children, Stephanie had come too, along with a couple named Drina and Harper that she’d introduced as “part of my family too.”
“Teddy looks worried,” Magnus commented next to her, and Allie silently agreed. Port Henry’s chief of police had concern written all over his face and, she realized, wasn’t moving with confidence so much as urgency.
“I’ll see what’s wrong.” Tricia slid out of her seat and hurried to meet her husband.
The people around the table, which was really several small tables pushed together so everyone could sit together, fell silent as they watched Teddy and Tricia talk. If Teddy looked worried, Tricia looked positively alarmed by whatever her husband told her. She also turned abruptly and made her way back to the table at a quick clip.
“We have to go,” she announced the moment she reached them. She also took Allie’s arm to urge her to her feet.
“Why?” Allie asked with surprise.
“What is happening?” Magnus asked at the same time. But he was already standing and taking Allie’s other arm even as he reached for Liam, who had been sitting beside him with Teddy Jr. on his other side.
“You know how I said this is a small town and strangers would be noticed?” Tricia asked. “Well, two vans, two pickups, and a couple cars are circling the downtown, all packed full of what Teddy suspects are rogues.”
“Christ,” Tybo muttered from behind Allie. Everyone was on their feet now and moving up to surround them as Tybo asked, “What’s the plan?”
“There are too many to take on with the children and civilians around,” Teddy said abruptly. “I suggest we head back to the house and call Lucian. See what he wants to do.”
“We’re going back out through the kitchen to the parking lot,” Tricia announced, and Allie glanced anxiously toward Liam. Magnus immediately lifted the boy into his arms. Settling him on his hip where Allie could see him, he then caught her hand again and Allie offered him a grateful smile.
“Wait at the back door for me to give you the go-ahead,” Teddy instructed. “I want to make sure they’re still on Main Street. I don’t want you rushing out the back just as they cut down the side street to turn around or something.”
Tricia nodded, and gestured for Tybo to lead the way. She then followed closely, pulling Allie along.
The kitchen was hot and bright white, a sharp contrast to the restaurant’s colorful dining area. It was also occupied by the cooking staff, who all turned startled gazes their way when they entered, and then stepped back out of the way as they moved through the cramped space.
“Wait at the door for my okay,” Tricia reminded them, releasing Allie and stopping at the beaded curtain that hid the kitchen from the diners.
Tybo glanced back and immediately took Allie’s arm, keeping her close behind him as he continued to the back door. Pausing there, he put his free hand on the handle and then turned to look back toward the beaded curtain.
Heart beating rapidly, Allie turned to look back too, but there were so many people crowded up behind them that she couldn’t see anything but the stressed smile Elvi offered her.
“It will be fine,” the other woman said reassuringly.
“Fine, my ass,” Mabel said, not bothering to hide her worry. “Teddy’s in a panic and he never panics.”
“There must be a lot of the buggers,” DJ said grimly.
“Two or three per pickup, four to six per car, and two to twelve or more in each van if there are people in the back,” Victor calculated. “There could be anywhere from sixteen to forty or more people in the six vehicles.”
“Stella said Abaddon had thirty or forty people that he’d turned when she was with them,” Allie told them anxiously, and then added, “But that was four years ago. There could be more now.”
“And we have what?” DJ glanced around. “Five hunters?”
“Hello,” Drina said with annoyance. “I think you’re forgetting that Katricia and I are hunters too.”
“And Stephanie’s a hunter in training,” Elvi said proudly.
“And I used to be a mercenary,” Harper said with dignity. “I can handle myself.”
“I was a soldier and can handle myself too,” Teddy said firmly as he and Katricia hurried to join them. “Time to go, people. Tybo, check to