"Sister Omega," he says, his voice cold, familiar.
The sound of his voice hits me like a blow.
I have heard it before.
The night of the ritual flashes through my mind. The woman. The chanting. The man's voice addressing the room.
"Cormac!" I say to Tommy.
Zaria's voice shifts. The warmth drains out of it, replaced by something raw and terrified.
"We have Callum's mother," Cormac says calmly.
The words freeze me in place.
What the fuck? He is lying to her.
"Come to the Old Ruins alone," Cormac continues, his tone smooth, venomous. "Or she dies, and Callum becomes an orphan because of you."
The recording ends.
Silence crashes over the room, and I stare at the screen, my mind working over everything.
"That's all of it," Tommy says quietly.
I stand there, breathing slowly, my mind replaying every word. Every inflection. The way her voice changed when she realized who she was speaking to.
Then it hits me.
Not all at once or cleanly, but it creeps in as the pieces click into place.
She didn't leave to betray me.
She left because she thought she was saving my mother.
Jesus Christ, I was an idiot to think she was using me.
I grip the edge of the desk.
I was wrong. I was so fucking wrong and I’m so thankful that I am.
I thought the worst, and she's out there thinking she's saving my mother.
"What do you want to do, sir?" Tommy asks.
"I don't understand," I say, half to myself as I think everything over.
"What, boss?"
"Cormac isn't stupid," I say slowly. "He'd have to know I'd hear this."
Tommy shifts. "You think it's a trap?"
I look at him. "Definitely. But one I don't have a choice about walking into."
I move toward the door, my jaw tight. "I need you to call Declan and gather a group of our most trusted men, and get them here." I stop and look back at Tommy. "And Octavian," I add, turning back to the door. "He knows about her. Bring him in. I'm going to take care of my sister and Mom."
I pause, my hand on the doorknob.
