“All dead or fled,” Gunner replied, stroking his hand over my hair. It was obvious he was concerned but he didn’t immediately leap in and start questioning me. He knew my moods better than I did at this point and he’d obviously decided to wait for the interrogation.
Honestly, I appreciated that.
“What about the blonde?” I asked, my temper flashing. “The female who looked Norwegian.”
Zoe’s eyebrows hopped, curiosity evident. “Did you know her?”
“A long time ago I ran across her in an abandoned building in Detroit. She … got away.”
“That seems to be her forte,” Zoe replied darkly. “She got away this time, too. She had a dark-haired male with her. They barely engaged in the fight before taking off. I’m pretty sure they knew which way the battle was going to go.”
I had no idea if that was good or bad news. I decided to file it away to ponder at a later time. Something occurred to me. “What about Jeanie?”
Gunner flashed a smile, although it didn’t make it all the way to his eyes. “I caught her on the second wave. She recognized me. I threatened her, told her to go home. Last time I saw her, she was running that way.” He pointed in the direction opposite of the creek. “She’s probably halfway to her mother’s house by now.”
“Will you check on her?”
He hesitated and then shrugged. “I’ll call out there, maybe send my father. If she’s smart, she’ll have learned from this little adventure. If not, I won’t be able to step in a second time.”
He looked sad at the prospect, but also resigned.
Instinctively I reached out and rubbed his arm. “We’ll figure it out.”
He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “We’ll definitely figure it out. Tomorrow. After a good night’s sleep.”
“Hallelujah!” I threw my arms around his neck and laughed as he held me tight. It felt good to lean, yet again, and I didn’t want to pull away. We still had things to deal with, though.
“What about the people in the accident?” I queried. “You know, that vehicle we found.”
Gunner held out his hands. “I have no idea. We’re not even sure who we’re looking for there. We’ll have to play it by ear.”
That wasn’t the news I wanted to hear but there was little I could do to change that.
“What about her?” Rooster asked, swiping at a cut on his cheek as he inclined his head toward Emma. “I wasn’t actually expecting to take her alive.”
I hesitated, unsure what to say. Sami, per usual, didn’t have that problem.
“She’s Scout’s sister. Her real name is Allegra, by the way. That dude said it was anyway, but he called her Ally.” She jerked her thumb at Ezekiel. “He’s her grandfather, although apparently he claimed to be friends with her grandfather or something — I really didn’t follow that part — and he begged for them to leave the evil chick alive.”
Gunner’s eyes went wide. “No way.”
I simply nodded. Really, what else was I supposed to say?
Zoe moved away from Aric and planted herself directly in front of Emma, her expression dark. “I think it would be smart to end her now. She’ll move on you if you try to play nice with her.”
Ezekiel immediately started shaking his head. “She’s my granddaughter.”
“I’m sorry for you.” Zoe’s eyes flashed with impatience. “She’s still a menace. I don’t care about her. I don’t care about you either. I care about Scout, though, and this chick will kill her if she gets the chance. That means she has to go.”
“Zoe.” Aric’s voice was low and full of warning as he drew his wife’s challenging gaze. He didn’t shrink in the face of her ferocity. “That’s Scout’s decision to make. You’re not in charge here. Not anymore. We got what we came for, which means it’s time for us to go.”
I was taken aback. “Wait ... you’re going?”
The amusement returned to Zoe’s face. “We’re done here.”
“But ...” I felt as if I was losing my emotional backup without warning and I had no idea what to do without her.
“Scout, you’re going to be fine.” She wrapped her fingers around my wrist. “You never needed us.”
I glanced around the remnants of the battlefield, fallen wolves, and small piles of ash everywhere. “I’m pretty sure that’s not true.”
She snorted. “You’re strong. You don’t need me. We did what we set out to do and eradicated the vampires. They’re no longer a threat to us.”
“She still is.” I gestured toward Emma. “She could escape and go after you.”
“Then you’re going to have to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Zoe licked her lips and glanced at Sami before focusing on me. “Under normal circumstances, I would kill her myself. We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to attacking our kid.” She shot Emma a pointed glare. “This situation is different. This is your family. These people have the answers you need. Something tells me, even if she does escape, she’s going to be more interested in you than us.”
“Especially since Sami told her the book was destroyed,” said Rafael.
Zoe extended a finger in her daughter’s direction. “You have a such a big mouth.”
Sami made an exaggerated face. “Look who’s talking.” The girl snuggled closer to her father. “I don’t think you should punish me, Daddy. This is really your fault for treating me like a little girl.”
Aric lightly tugged on her hair and shook his head, pressing a finger to his lips. “You’re in enough trouble. It’s time to be quiet.”
“Mom doesn’t have to be quiet.”
“You’re not your mother.”
Resigned, I snagged gazes with Zoe again. “I was kind of hoping you would hang around and help me figure this out.”
“Have you needed help figuring things out before? You don’t strike me as the sort of person who
