“If anything happens to me…” He started to say. He stopped. Shook his head. “I’ve never had to consider the possibility of anything happening to me and not having Sean and his people in my corner to back me up. Those days may be over now.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she gets somewhere safe.” Candace promised. She didn’t know why, but she felt somehow responsible for the young woman, involved with her welfare. If she couldn’t bring these warring shapeshifters to justice, if she couldn’t even stop the bloodshed, at least she could possibly make a difference by helping out someone who, like her, had been unwittingly drawn into the conflict.
“Her family’s here too,” Ballis reminded her.
“We’ll take care of them also.”
“Right. Thank you. Thank you both.” His glance shifted from one to the other of them. “I’ve got to go.” He didn’t look scared or anxious exactly. Grim, set, determined. That shifted just a little, the hardened veneer cracking as he looked at Candace and added almost embarrassed, “When she wakes up, she’s probably going to be mad that I left. Tell her—tell her I love her.”
“Tell her yourself,” Gary answered gruffly. Candace shot her partner a surprised glance. Normally, of the two of them, she’d be the one to respond with discomfort over a sentimental moment. Her surprise faded when he added, “Come back alive so you can tell her.”
Ballis quirked a half-smile. “I plan to. We’ll see.” He nodded at them both. “Thank you again.”
He didn’t waste further time on pleasantries. He left. The sound of the door shutting reverberated in the corridor, hanging in the air as Candace and Gary studied each other. Gary was the first to say it.
“You think he’ll survive this?”
Candace shook her head. “I don’t know.” She hated to admit it, but she felt a measure of worry for the guy. Which was crazy, considering how hard she’d initially gone after him.
“Elia may still want his blood. Mrs. Costas had to give her husband some kind of story if she went back to him. Ballis showing up is going to blow her cover. It’s going to boil down to who Sean Costas believes, his wife or his henchman.”
“Wait. Elia wants his blood?”
Too late, she realized Gary wasn’t fully informed of what had gone down in her life during the past couple days.
“Coffee first, then we’ll talk,” she said, heading into the kitchen. “You said the pot’s nearly full. We may use all of it before we clear the air on this one.”
Chapter Thirteen
He was apprehensive. There wasn’t any doubt about it. Carter couldn’t recall the last time he’d been truly apprehensive to face his employer. However, he knew he was taking a risk returning to the Costas compound. Ciara would have gotten there first, if the detective’s assumption was correct. She would’ve had to tell Sean something. Some explanation as to where he, Carter, had gone. Even if she didn’t try to pin the blame on him for anything like the Stones’ disappearance—which he supposed she probably had—whatever lie she’d spun to conceal why Carter had vanished that night was going to shatter the minute he showed up. Not to mention, when he showed up to inform Sean that the wife he adored was teamed up with his bitterest enemy—
Yeah. This won’t end well.
He and Sean had always had a good relationship, but Sean loved Ciara, no matter what Ciara believed. Would he be able to accept that his wife had betrayed him, the shifters he’d spent his lifetime protecting, and everything he stood for? If it came down to simply Carter’s word against Ciara’s, who would he believe?
Carter dropped his head against the seat of the hired car driving him to the Costas compound.
What about Ellie?
Maybe he shouldn’t have left her. Sean had promised long ago that Ellie would be looked after, but he’d given Carter, the Talos, that job. Carter had married her. She was his wife. If today went south and Sean chose against Carter, would he also choose against Ellie and her family by default? Sean wasn’t particularly vicious to those who hadn’t personally crossed him, his family, or his enterprises, but he also didn’t like leaving loose threads. Would he consider Ellie that—a loose thread?
I should’ve just collected her family and left with her, he thought for the hundredth time. Should’ve left this whole mess behind and gotten out.
He didn’t know why he hadn’t. Honor, he supposed. Some misguided sense of honor. Or loyalty. Or simple gratitude to the man who had taken him in all those years ago, taught him to exercise his abilities, helped him build his place in life. He couldn’t simply throw all that away. Maybe it was his life, his role as the Talos, dedicated to Sean like he’d been dedicated to Ellie. Furthermore, Sean himself was also at risk if Ciara continued to conspire with Elia. He was their main enemy, and at some point they’d go after him personally. Whether now, or when they harnessed the power of the Stones—if they ever did. At the very least, he owed it to Sean to warn him what was going on so he could be on his guard.
Arriving at the main gate of the Costas compound, he got out of the car and paid with money the cop’s partner had loaned him. He could’ve driven the car that he and the police detective had escaped in last night, but it was shot to pieces and streaked with blood. No sense bringing further attention to himself if he could help it.
He hadn’t missed the surprise on the driver’s face when he’d given her the address, and he didn’t miss the surprise when he got out and told her he
