Sucker Punch (First Fangs Club #3) - Kristen Painter Page 0,1
teenager sanctuary. From that point on, any and all consequences were hers to deal with. “No one forced them to kidnap Rico. And if there’s blame to be had, it’s mine for giving you sanctuary. Doesn’t mean I’d change my decision. Or that I have any regrets, other than what’s happened to Rico, obviously.”
Rixaline’s distress seemed to stay the same. Her arms hugged her thin torso. “When do you want to leave?”
“Leave?” Donna frowned. “For where?”
“To take me back to King Dredward.”
Donna barked out a sharp laugh. “That is the last place you’re going. You really think I’d turn you over to that lunatic? Child, you do not yet understand the kind of woman I am.”
Charlie glanced out the penthouse windows, making Donna look too. Dull indigo light edged the horizon, and the stars were nearly gone. “It’s almost dawn. The fae will be asleep soon. Hopefully, that means Rico will be left to sleep too.”
Donna shifted her gaze to her admin. “We have a lot to do in a short amount of time. Let’s start with drafting an email to Artemis. We’ll let her know about Rixaline first and then this situation. I can’t have the queen finding out secondhand that my sanctuary case has turned into something bigger. I need to get ahead of this.”
Charlie nodded as she headed for her office. “On it.”
Donna put her phone back in her evening bag. “Rixaline?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“You remember how to get to the fae stronghold?”
She swallowed. “I do.”
“Excellent. Draw me a map. Show me how to get to the dungeons too.”
Rixaline hesitated. “It won’t do you any good.”
“Why not?” Donna didn’t have time for games.
Rixaline tugged at her ear. “Only those with fae blood or under the control of the fae can see the stronghold. That’s how their protective magic works.”
“That’s an unfortunate complication, but if magic is doing that, then magic should be able to undo it. But we’ll discuss that some more later. In the meantime, draw me that map. Get whatever supplies you need from Charlie.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rixaline headed off toward the admin’s office.
Donna looked at Temo next. “We’re going to need a daylight-capable team.”
Pierce frowned. “You’re going to run a daylight raid?”
“Seems like the best time to do it, since the fae will be the most vulnerable then.”
“But your secret won’t be a secret after that.”
She’d been doing her best to keep her UV immunity under wraps, but that no longer seemed important now. She thought for a moment. “There has to be a way a vampire can temporarily daywalk, right?”
“If a vampire is well covered enough, they can get away with a short daywalk. But you’re talking about something that would explain being out for several hours. That doesn’t exist.”
“There has to be something.”
He didn’t look convinced. “I’ll see what I can figure out.”
“Thank you. Now, Temo. About that team. Put together the best you’ve got or that money can buy. No expense spared. If we need to hire mercenaries, do it, just make sure they know what they’re going up against. No humans. If you want to get Penina to help again, that would be great. Oh, and, Temo?”
His dark brows rose. “Yes, boss?”
“Your fae connections. Reach out to them. See if you can find out anything more about this situation that might be useful. Anything about the layout of the stronghold, the kind of security, anything. No detail is worthless at this point.”
“Will do.” He gave both her and Pierce a nod before taking off toward the stairs that led to the staff penthouse one floor below.
She turned to Pierce, shaking her head and sighing at the awfulness of Rico’s capture. “I can’t believe this.”
“Me neither.” Lines of concern bracketed his eyes. “What else can I do? Just tell me what you need, and I’m on it.”
“Tell me this is going to be okay. Tell me we’re going to get Rico back. Alive.”
He smiled with effort, but it was comforting all the same. “We will.”
She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second to get a handle on her emotions. “I really do want to kill them.”
“You’re not alone in that,” he said. “You may get the chance.”
“This feels…like more than I can handle. This is a man’s life at stake here. Getting him back means basically standing up a military operation.” She put her hand to her forehead. “I don’t have that kind of knowledge. I was a housewife, not a mob boss.”