“No, I just saw the people there and know people congregate around coffee shops.” She looked up at him. “Smelling coffee from a mile away is probably one of the greatest gifts a dragon could ever possess.”
“I have my uses.” He grinned and they hurried along the street toward the coffee house.
After grabbing two steaming cups of coffee, they stood in the street and took their bearings. Nothing looked familiar to Amber, but she’d only visited the part of the city where Fabian lived. Exploring a world filled with lots of people was not her thing. She preferred the wide-open space to wide-open streets.
“I have no idea where we are,” she admitted.
“It doesn’t matter,” Kelos assured her. “We don’t need to know where we are, we only need to know where we are going.”
“I need to call Fabian.” She nodded and pulled out her phone. Tapping the screen, she scrolled through until she found Fabian’s original phone number and pressed dial. “What happens if they trace the call?”
“Try to keep the call short. All you need to know is where he is and if we can go to him. But whatever happens, as soon as the call has ended, we move.” He looked up at the buildings surrounding them. “Cameras. This way.”
As Amber held the phone to her ear and listened to the ringing, he led her down a narrow alleyway. Kelos scanned the walls as they walked, only stopping when he was satisfied no cameras were watching them.
“There’s no answer.” She looked at her phone screen as the call went to voicemail and hit dial once more. “What if we’ve come all of this way for nothing?”
“We will have to work smarter.” Kelos shrugged. “We can either give up and go home, or we can go to where you picked up Margie and the kids. From there we can try and figure out which direction they came from.”
“We don’t have a lot to go on. I met them at a café. I never went to the safe house. And Margie had no idea of the road name or anything. She only remembered a blue door,” Amber said as the phone went to voicemail once more. She was willing to go along with Kelos’s idea since it was better than nothing but if Fabian had been moved to another house, this would be a fruitless task.
“You’re forgetting my special talents.” He raised an eyebrow and grinned. “I’m confident I can sniff out the house.”
“What?” Her hand wavered and she had to focus on keeping the phone to her ear. “You think if we go to where I picked up Margie and the kids, you will be able to find where they came from?”
“Possibly.” Kelos chuckled. “I like your confidence in me.”
“It looks as if we might have to test that theory.” She put her phone in her purse and pulled out the piece of paper she’d written the address of the café on. “Let’s grab a cab and go to the café. We just better hope Fabian hasn’t been moved.”
“You trust me.” He sounded surprised.
“I do.” She wasn’t sure he’d be able to follow Margie’s scent back to the safe house, but she was going to let him try. There was little else to do other than drive around the city looking for a blue door.
They hurried down the street looking out for a taxi. After ten minutes, Kelos managed to hail one and Amber handed over the address.
“Did Margie mention anything else about the safe house other than a blue door?” Kelos asked quietly. “Any scents or sounds?”
“No.” Amber shook her head. “But Elliot did say something about smelling pizza. After I picked them up, he wanted to stop and get some.”
“Anything else?” Kelos asked.
“No. Maybe you should have asked them before we left,” Amber suggested.
“Maybe I should have.” He turned to look out of the window. “I forgot how noisy it is in the city.”
“I’m not a fan.” She reached out and covered his hand with hers. Although it didn’t do a good job of covering it, Kelos’s hands were huge in comparison. “I like your place better.”
He slid his arm around her shoulder, and she nestled into him. “I like any place as long as you are there.”
“You are so sweet.” She pressed herself closer to her mate, seeking comfort from him as the taxi drove them to their destination. But as she snuggled up to him, grateful for the warmth of his arms around her still chilled body, her phone rang, and a bone-shaking shiver passed through her.
“Who is it?” Kelos asked as he relinquished his hold on her and she sat up, phone in hand.
“Unknown number.” She tapped the screen and put the phone to her ear. “Fabian?”
“Yes,” her brother whispered down the phone.
“Where are you?” she asked, her voice quiet.
“I’m at the safe house. I thought we agreed you wouldn’t call my phone.” She could barely hear his voice.
“I’m back in the city. We were worried because we hadn’t heard from you,” she told him, feeling guilty for breaking her word not to call.
“It’s been…difficult.” He paused. “You shouldn’t have come back. It’s not safe.”
“If it’s not safe then you should get out of there.” There was another long pause. “Listen, Fabian. If you want me to, I can come get you and take you somewhere safe. You can still come back and testify. But until the court case, no one could get to you.”
“Amber, I don’t want you putting yourself in danger for me,” Fabian hissed.
“Just say the word and we can come get you and you could be with Margie and the children before the morning.” Amber wanted to go get him. She needed to know Fabian was safe. “Please, Fabian. Just tell me where you are.”
“Who is we?” Fabian asked quickly. “Is Margie there with you?”
“Don’t worry, Margie isn’t with me. But I
