I sat at the table and smiled at Marcus when he brought me another cup of coffee. "Thanks."
Then, I fixed my gaze on Callum. "It's your turn to talk. I need to know all about this company and the guy who grabbed us."
He sat down across from Harrison in the seat that Arien had vacated. The wolf didn't growl, but I could see his lip trembled as he fought a snarl.
"The company is the Fallon Group. Edward Channing isn't the top guy, but he does head several projects. According to what Marcus got out of him and his computer, he was keeping the information about us on the down low. He wanted proof we existed before he brought us to the attention of his boss. Apparently, he was worried that someone he worked with would get the jump on the information and nab us first."
Oh, my God. This was incredible. Unbelievable.
Callum cleared his throat and continued, "This is the only thing that prevented me from killing him. Marcus and I erased us from the memory of everyone there, got rid of audio and video recordings, wiped Channing's computer, and loaded a virus that will spread to any computer networked with his. They might have a stray piece of information here or there, but they shouldn't know what to make of it when they see it."
"So all of you will be safe?" I asked.
Callum's affable expression vanished. "Oh, yes. We will be safe. Now that we know about them, we'll keep an eye on them."
His tone was ominous. I almost felt sorry for Edward Channing and his employer. They were now on the radar of predators and they would not rest until they were certain they were safe.
"How are you going to keep an eye on them?" I asked.
Callum grinned, his fangs sharp and longer than usual. It was a scary smile, one I'd never seen on his face before.
"I planted a few devices while we were there. And as soon as they get their computers up and running again, I'll install some spy software. Now that I know the layout of their business, it won't be too difficult to get back inside."
It was clear he hadn't told Marcus about any of this because Marcus glared at him. "You're not going back in there."
"I am."
"Okay, then you're not going back in there alone."
"I am. There's no discussion here, Marcus. This is what's best for all of us and I'll do it, whether you agree or not."
"No, you won't because you could put us in more danger."
Harrison and I looked at each other then back at Callum and Marcus. They were both on their feet, facing off as though they were ready to resort to physical violence.
"Neither of you is doing anything without input from Macgrath or me," Ava said from the doorway.
The vampires turned as one to look at her. Her eyes glowed lavender and a few strands of her hair moved in a phantom wind. Her power filled the room. Even I could feel it and I shouldn't have been able to as a human without power.
Huh. How did I know that? Probably from the mind-meld thing that Marcus and I had done the last time we had sex. That could be handy in the future. Maybe I could learn to fight by osmosis or whatever they called it.
"You know I need to do this," Callum argued.
"No one said the opposite," Ava replied. "But you do need a well-thought-out plan and you know that. If you go off half-cocked, you'll bring them right back on us again."
Callum didn't argue with that. Probably because she was right.
"And you're not going alone," Macgrath said.
Callum opened his mouth this time, but Macgrath just shook his head and he shut it again.
"You're absolutely right to keep an eye on them," he continued. "But we won't make rash decisions that put everyone in danger."
The stiffness went out of Callum's posture. He was finally accepting what they were saying.
"I won't," he said.
Ava nodded and the light faded from her eyes. Her hair settled around her shoulders and she turned to the table.
