Sucker Punch (First Fangs Club #3) - Kristen Painter Page 0,9
retaliation, he had Rico kidnapped. I have forty-eight hours to get him back. Actually closer to forty now.”
“How are you going to do that?”
“Oh, you know, storm the stronghold, guns blazing.” Donna laughed a little, even though there was nothing amusing about the way she felt or what they were going to do. “Of course, it’s more complicated than that, and we do have some strategy and no actual guns, but that’s it in a nutshell.”
“We?”
“My team and a team from the wolves. Hey, get this. The alpha of the pack is Rico’s grandmother. And the next in line is Rico’s mother. Alpha-elect, they call it. Can you believe that? Crazy, huh?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Donna gasped. “Mary and Joseph. You knew that already.”
Another long pause. “I did.”
“And you never said anything?”
“It wasn’t deemed necessary.”
“By who? The mother superior?”
“It’s…more complex than that.”
Suddenly, Donna wasn’t sure she knew everything there was to know about her sister.
Chapter Four
Donna made a face at the phone. “You know that ‘it’s more complex than that’ is the kind of answer that only makes more questions, right?”
“I get that.” Cammie sighed. “Listen, even with your team and some wolves, it’s a bad idea to storm that stronghold. For one thing, you don’t know where it is.”
“I’ve got that handled.”
“Okay, let’s say you do. You won’t be able to see it.”
“Working on having that handled.” But how did Cammie know that?
“Donna, the fae are deadly. They’re killers.”
“Technically, so am I. And I am not going to abandon Rico. I understand your concern, but I’m not just Belladonna Barrone, mob wife, anymore. I’m a freakin’ vampire, Cammie. I have skills.”
“And the fae think you’re a delicious snack.” She let out a noise that was somewhere between a groan and a sigh. “Look, I need to take care of something right now, but don’t do anything until I call you back. Okay?”
“By ‘don’t do anything,’ you mean don’t storm the stronghold?”
“Right.”
“Okay, but the something you have to take care of better not take too long. Rico’s clock is ticking.”
“I understand. It won’t.”
“All right. I’ll get a shower while I wait.”
“Perfect. I’ll call you back as soon as I can. I love you.”
“I love you too.” Donna hung up, then got out of bed, walked to the bathroom and flipped on the light.
It was shockingly bright, and for the first time since she’d been turned, she looked like a wreck. Mostly because she’d fallen asleep with her makeup on, and there was no magical vampire skill that could overcome that.
“Ugh.” She cranked on the shower, pulled her nightgown off, and got under the hot water. She stood there for a long while, just letting it stream over her. Finally, she soaped up with the amazing verbena body wash Charlie had supplied her with.
The smell alone was enough to perk her up. But not so much that she forgot about her conversation with Cammie. How did Cammie know so much, like who was in charge of the wolves? And why hadn’t she shared that information before? Might have been nice to know.
Although, it really wouldn’t have changed anything. Rico would have still been Agent Medina to Donna right up to the point that he took custody of Joe and his skanky girlfriend, Carmella.
She tipped her head back and washed her hair. Poor Rico. She said another prayer of protection over him. She wasn’t sure how well received her prayers were these days, but since the pope-blessed crucifix she’d been wearing when she was turned continued to make her immune to the sun, she liked to think they were still getting through.
She slathered on conditioner, then scrubbed her face as she let that sit. LV had said they could bring a good number of wolves with them. What did that mean? Was a good number twenty? Or a hundred? How many wolves were in the New Jersey pack?
Cammie probably knew.
Donna frowned as she washed off the cleanser. Once again, she was behind the eight ball of knowledge because she’d been thrust into this position with virtually no experience and little time to learn. She still couldn’t believe that winning the case against Claudette, her negligent sire and the previous vampire governor, had resulted in her becoming the new vampire governor of New Jersey.
A final rinse and she was done. She wrapped up in a towel and went into her closet to figure out what to wear to meet with Temo’s contact. Instinct said it was best to cover up as much skin as possible, so she