Chapter 11
“Hey, Mase,” Sawyer called out, as he entered his brother’s office.
Looking up from his computer monitor, Mason rubbed his face before focusing on his brother. “Hey, yourself. What’s up?”
Folding himself into a too-small chair in front of the desk, Sawyer asked, “Isn’t it amazing…the difference in Quin? Ever since he became friends with Theo, our little brother is a whole different person.”
“He seems much happier,” Mason agreed, noncommittally.
“So true…so true. Boy, you could have knocked me over with a feather when Quin moved into the pack house.”
Studying his brother, Mason saw the tension in his brother’s usually relaxed body, guessing it was only there for one reason; Sawyer wanted something, and he was afraid of what Mason’s answer would be.
Thinking about his brother’s comment about Quin, Mason put two and two together.
“When do you want to leave on your grand adventure?”
Dumbfounded, Sawyer’s jaw dropped, his eyes narrowing.
He didn’t know why he was surprised his brother had figured out what he was planning; Mason had that ability, even when he was young.
It was unnerving at times, because unlike his twin brother with whom he shared a very tight bond, Sawyer wasn’t particularly close to Mason; he always considered him to be a stick-in-the-mud kind of guy.
While ‘fun’ was Sawyer’s middle name, it certainly wasn’t Mason’s.
“Why are you surprised?” Mason asked. “You know I knew about your plans to travel. ”
Shrugging, Sawyer said, “So what about my trip? Can I take the motorhome now that Quin doesn’t need it anymore?”
“Where will you go?” asked Mason.
“Down the coast to Huntington Beach…Surf City, USA,” Sawyer said, grinning.
“To surf?” asked Mason, raising his eyebrows in disbelief. “You know how to surf?”
“No,” Sawyer replied, “but I can learn. I found a place that gives lessons.”
“A wolf…surfing?” Mason snorted.
“Hey, what’s wrong with surfing?” asked Sawyer. “Wolves aren’t afraid of water…shit, we used to play in the river all the time when we were kids. Hell, wolves can even swim. Me, I always wanted to surf which isn’t that different from the game we used to play with a floating log.”
“But the river didn’t have sharks in it, did it?” asked Mason. “Haven’t you heard of all the shark attacks on surfers recently?”
“Of course, but you of all people shouldn’t be worried.”
“And, why is that?”
“Because the odds are 1 in 3,748,067 of getting attacked and killed by a shark,” Sawyer smirked. “I have a greater chance of dying by lightning and, consider the amount of time our wolves run, that isn’t as far-fetched as it might sound.”
“So, you did your homework,” Mason replied, his lips twitching as he fought his urge to grin.
“Yep. I researched the route, the places I can park the motorhome to stay overnight, the best beaches in Southern California for surfing, along with who gives lessons. Face it, Mase, Hunter is off in France with his new mate, Mac is busy with his doctoring duties, Quin is spending all his time with his friends, Robin has left and you…well you’re hard at work.
But what is there for me to do…play video games all day and night?
This is the perfect time for me to seize the moment…
and while it isn’t my dream trip, it’s better than me sitting here, twiddling my thumbs. ”
Leaning back in his chair, Mason asked, “How long are you planning to be gone?”
As soon as Mason asked that question, Sawyer knew he had it in the bag. “Two weeks,” Sawyer replied, now more at ease. “Hunter should be back by then.”
Mason considered his brother’s request. Then, making up his mind, he said, “Okay…two weeks. But you have to stay in touch and leave me a copy of your itinerary, including addresses and phone numbers. I’ll send an email to Hunter, letting him know. When will you leave?”
“Day after tomorrow,” Sawyer said, jumping up from his seat, excitement racing through his body. “Thanks, Mase…thanks a lot.”
Smiling, Mason watched his brother literally dance out of the room, secretly envying Sawyer’s free spirit.
~/~/~/~/~
Walking into her sitting room, Oracle sat down, waiting for her guest to appear.
Picking up the book she’d been reading, she opened it to her bookmark and picked up where she’d left off, or tried to, but her thoughts kept flipping back to her upcoming assignment.
Catching a movement out of the corner of her eye, she looked up.
“Hello, Mystia, is everything all right? ”
“No, it’s not,” Mystia replied, “something terrible has happened.”
“And it has to do with Carson?” Oracle surmised.
“Yes…no, well…maybe it will.”
Patting the place next to her on the love seat, Oracle said, “Come, tell me what has you so unsettled. If it concerns Carson, then I definitely need to know.”
After she sat down, Mystia said, “Someone created a light sphere, today…and used it.”
“What is that?”
“It’s used to locate and spy on people.”
“A spell?” asked Oracle.
“Not in the usual sense. A light sphere is conjured up by the mind of a witch or warlock,” Mystia explained.
“Most unusual, but why are you concerned that someone made one today?”
“Because it has sent ripples throughout the magic world,” replied Mystia. “The last time someone made one, the Witches’ Governing Council searched for the witch responsible but was unsuccessful.”
“I do not understand, is this something forbidden by the Witches’ Council? And why does this concern Carson?”
“Here,” Mystia said, waving her wand. After an old book materialized in her hand, she opened it to a page and, handing the book to Oracle, said, “Read this.”
As she read the fable, Oracle’s understanding about Carson’s gift grew. Then, reaching the end, she paused before raising her eyes, wanting to be sure Mystia was correct. “How do you know Carson’s mate is this person? ”
“After the magic world detected a light sphere last time, I designed a spell that could tell me the location of the witch who created it. This time, it led me to a place in France…exactly where Carson is headed. Oracle, the ability to do this is very rare and, as you read in the story, it can be extremely dangerous.”
“Which would be very bad for Carson,” Oracle murmured.
“Exactly. When are you leaving for France?”
“Any day now,” Oracle said, “I am waiting for the Fates to give me the order.”
“It may be too late,” Mystia said, “especially if the Witches’ Governing Council had another witch use a location spell to try to find who’s responsible for the latest light sphere.”
“I cannot go without permission, but you could. You will be able to protect him in the meantime.”
“I can at least try, but there are more powerful witches that may interfere.”
“If you need to, bring Carson and his mate back here,” Oracle said, “at least, that would be better than leaving them there, at the mercy of a witch they have no defense against.”
“You’re right, I’ll go as soon as I let Jimmy know what I’m planning to do.”
Reaching over, Oracle hugged her friend. “Thank you, Mystia. Hopefully, I will be there soon.”
~/~/~/~/~
After boarding the private jet, Glenn sat down in one of the club chairs.
How the Hare was able to convince Dire Enterprises to make it available on such short notice was beyond him, but he was grateful.
It was going to be a long flight and a real bed on the plane for him to sleep in was a bonus he hadn’t expected.
“Good evening, Mr. Thatcher,” the steward said, “it’s good to see you again, sir. Would you like something to drink before takeoff?”
“Hi, Paul,” replied Glenn, smiling, “it’s been a while, hasn’t it? Anything new happening?”
“Nothing much,” Paul answered, grinning, “nothing…except my pilot training.”
“No shit! That’s fantastic!” exclaimed Glenn. “So pretty soon you will be flying this bird, huh?”
“Well, not that soon. I still have a ton of flight hours to do before I can get my pilot’s license.”
“Hell, you’ll have those done in no time at all.”
“I hope so. Now, are you ready for your favorite drink?”
“More than you know…thanks.”
“Be back shortly.”
Opening the file folder his handler had given him, Glenn poured over the information in it.
The Hare was telling him the truth about it containing nothing more than Glenn already knew—his mother was kidnapped in broad daylight even though the agency had her under surveillance.
Fucking jack-offs! How hard can it be to protect one woman?
Glenn didn’t know who his mother was hiding from; she refused to tell him anything other than she didn’t want to ‘involve’ him concerning her problems. That was the only time he could remember having an argument with her.
Reluctantly, he’d backed down, acquiescing to her wishes.
Instead, he negotiated with the agency for her protection in exchange for him not quitting; the only condition he insisted on was that his mother would never discover she was under the agency’s surveillance.
As far as he was concerned, it was a perfect solution, giving him peace of mind.
Perfect…until now. Cursing at the turn of events, Glenn was at a loss.
Where the hell do I start searching for her?
I don’t even know who took her! Opening his laptop, he began compiling, then sorting the reports received over the years concerning his mother, hoping to find a pattern that would give him a clue.
“Here you go,” Paul said, “one very dry martini with a twist.”
Glancing up, Glenn grinned. Taking a sip, he groaned. “Damn, I swear, yours are the very best. Someday you’ll have to show me how you make it.”
“Uh-uh, a lady never tells,” Paul said, smiling.
“Don’t blame you,” replied Glenn. Taking another sip, he felt the smooth drink blaze a path through his body, relieving some of the tension that had tied him up in knots after reading his handler’s message.