But he wouldn't find her quickly enough to prevent Eleanor from taking some form of revenge on her.
'No!' he said quickly, then cursed himself for a fool when he saw the flash of amusement in the wraith's dark eyes. 'What do you want?'
'I want the boy,' Eleanor spat. 'And I want him before the night is over. Or you'll not see her again, Shapeshifter.'
He stared at Eleanor and saw only death. If he or Maddie escaped out of this mess alive, it would be something of a miracle. 'The boy has left with his parents. I have no idea where they've gone.'
'Then you had best hurry and find out, hadn't you? Dawn is only two hours away.'
Two hours in which to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. 'And when I find him?'
'Take my ring with you. My mark is still on the child, and the ring will tell me when you have found him. I will contact you then to make the exchange.'
He ran a hand through his hair. 'I want Maddie alive or no deal, witch.'
'Then hurry, Shapeshifter. The snow is threatening, and she wears only a T-shirt.' The insane sound of her laughter echoed around the room long after her image had faded.
He stared at the ring for a long moment. If he made any attempt to find Maddie without first getting Evan, he had no doubt that Eleanor would kill her.
He grabbed his coat and Maddie's bag and headed for the door. He only had one hope of finding Evan quickly. He just had to pray the FBI agent was in a mellow, helpful mood.
Chapter Seventeen
'Well, well, well.' Mack leaned his chair against the wall and looked more like a smiling shark than ever.
'This is an unexpected pleasure. I'd anticipated having to issue a warrant to get you in here.'
'Cut the crap, Mack. I need your help.' Unable to stay still, Jon began pacing the width of the small office Mack had obviously claimed as his own.
Mack's chair hit the floor with a thump. 'What's happened?'
'Eleanor has taken Maddie hostage again. She'll exchange her for Evan.' Jon swung away from the intensity of Mack's gaze and stalked across to the window. Ten minutes had passed, ten minutes in which anything could have happened to Maddie. He gazed down at the empty street, watching the rain pelting across the pavement. Imagined it doing the same to her pale skin.
He closed his mind to the image and swung back around. 'I need to know where the kid is Mack.' His voice was almost savage, but he didn't care. 'He's my only hope of getting her back alive.'
Mack eyed him neutrally. 'You can't exchange one death for another.'
'I don't intend to.' He ran a hand across his eyes. They felt gritty and sore, as if he hadn't slept in a week. But this was a nightmare only just beginning. He dug the ring out of his pocket and showed it to the agent. 'This belongs to Eleanor. Through it, she will know when I find Evan. Only then will she tell me where the exchange will take place.'
The big man leaned forward and studied the ring. 'It's magical?'
'Yes.' He bit down on his impatience and flipped the ring in his palm. 'Through it she used to track Hank's movements. Now she'll track mine.'
Mack leaned back in his chair and regarded him evenly. 'I gather, then, that Hank is dead.'
'Yes.' He hesitated, then shoved the ring back into his pocket. 'If you hurry, you'll find what's left of his remains up near Castle Peak.'
Mack frowned. 'How did he die?'
'Does it really matter?' He slammed his palms down on the desk and glared across at Mack. 'He's dead. And Maddie will be, too, if we don't get a move on here.'
Mack continued to regard him steadily. He briefly considered throwing the FBI agent against a wall or two to shake the information out of him, but past experience told him it wouldn't make a difference. The big man would budge only when it suited him.
'What if I tell you that I don't know where he is?' he said softly.
Jon snorted. 'I'd call you a damn liar.'
Mack grinned—all teeth and no emotion. 'Have you considered the prospect that Eleanor will come for you and the boy once you find him? That Maddie may be dead right now, anyway?'
'Maddie's alive.' He could feel it in his heart, in his soul. If she died, he would know. If she died, there would be nothing left but the need for revenge. 'Eleanor won't come to us personally when I reach Evan.
She'll do so by spirit. She wants me to witness Maddie's death. She wants to make sure I suffer.'
'And you are suffering, aren't you? What if this is all part of her game?'
'Damn it, just tell me where the kid is!'
'No.' Mack's quiet statement cut through his heart like a knife.
Jon stared at him. 'What do you mean, no?'
'I mean no, I won't give you the boy.' He hesitated, then rose quickly from the chair, as if he could feel the anger building on the other side of the desk and wanted to escape its path. 'Not unless I come with you.'
Jon laughed harshly and pushed away from the desk. 'You're insane.'
'And you're a hairsbreadth away from a murder charge!'
Jon slammed his palms back onto the desk. The force of his blow made the whole desk shake. 'You can't charge me for killing someone who was already dead!'
Mack stared at him. 'What in hell do you mean by that?'
He sighed in irritation and pushed away from the desk. He really didn't want to get into all this right now.
It was only wasting precious time. 'The thing masquerading as Hank Stewart wasn't born in this lifetime.
It wasn't born in your grandfather's lifetime. It clung to life through the blood of others, and through Eleanor's magic.'
The FBI agent blinked. It was the only indication that he was even listening. 'You're saying he was some form of zombie?'
'Sort of.' What Hank had been he didn't really know. And he didn't really care. The man was dead and could no longer hurt Maddie. That was all that mattered.
'But… zombies are shambling creatures with no brain or emotion. Hank was human.'
Jon shook his head. 'You've been watching too many horror movies. Now, tell me where Evan is.'
'I don't think it's a wise move—' 'What's not a wise move is all this screwing around! Because believe me, if it costs Maddie her life, there won't be a prison on this Earth strong enough to hold me—or keep me away from your damn throat.'
If Mack was in any way intimidated by the threat, he didn't show it. 'As I was saying, I don't think that's a wise move—unless I come with you.'
Jon watched in silence as Mack dragged his coat off the back of the chair and quickly donned it.
Finally, the FBI agent met his steady gaze and gave him another bland smile. 'But I do think I finally have an answer for the question I asked yesterday.'
Jon raked a hand through his hair. Somewhere along the line he'd obviously lost the point of their conversation. 'What question?'
'You really do care for this woman, don't you?'
He avoided Mack's knowing gaze and studied the storm-held night beyond the window, wondering how cold it was getting up in the mountains. Was it was snowing up there yet? 'Yes. I really do. But I can't let you come with me, Mack. Eleanor's too dangerous.'
'I agree.'
He looked back in surprise, but Mack's gaze was determined.
'From what I can gather, she's got the better of you twice now. A third time might be unlucky for
