Nadine sped up to make sure the asshole in the next lane over didn’t try to cut her off. “That we have the Dominion Sect breathing down our necks again.”
Patrick glared out the windshield at the cop car ahead of them. “Yeah.”
“Should I be hearing this?” Jono asked from the front seat.
Nadine tilted her head in Jono’s direction and didn’t take her eyes off the road. “What’s with the wolf?”
Patrick made a face. “The seer we’re tracking down ordered Jono to stay with me.”
“Immortals? Again?”
“When is it ever not immortals? Remember Cairo?”
“As if I could forget that battle.”
“That’s what we’re up against, only they’ve fixed their mistakes.”
The amount of swearing Nadine spit out in no less than three different languages was expected. “I should’ve taken the grenade launcher.”
Before Patrick could ask why she hadn’t, his phone rang. He saw Casale’s name on the screen and answered it.
“Collins. Line and location are secure,” Patrick said.
“I got a suspect on his way to the PCB, and you’re not on-site. What the hell is going on?” Casale demanded.
“He’s a distraction. MO doesn’t fit and the magic at the crime scene doesn’t belong to him. I’m tracking down Marek in case the Dominion Sect is targeting him right now.”
“You still think he’s who they ultimately want?”
“He’s what will power their ultimate goal. A spell like the one they’re killing for needs a large sacrifice at the end to anchor it. Marek technically has more magic than a mage, even though his power only translates into visions of the future.”
“I was afraid you’d say that. I have officers going to his known locations here in Manhattan. I’ll let you know if he’s at any one of them or not. Where are you?”
“On I-278 about to hit I-495 on our way to the Hamptons.”
“What’s your final destination? I can call another department and have them send units over to the house.”
“No more cops. This isn’t a fight they need to be in the middle of.”
“Collins—”
Patrick cut him off. “No. They won’t be able to handle what I think we’re heading into.”
“You might have jurisdiction of the case, but it’s still our job.”
“And I’m telling you they can’t handle it. Allied forces could barely hold the line against hell during the Thirty-Day War. How do you think your first responders will fare when they don’t have the support the military did?”
“If you’re so certain this case is turning into that mess, then maybe we should reach out to the military,” Casale snapped.
“We have two days until summer solstice, and I’m going to do everything I can to stop it. I told you I needed a week, and my time isn’t up yet.”
“Sounds like it’s getting close.”
“And my job is to stop it, so let me do my fucking job.”
“You can do what you have to, but I’m going to send officers to your location to handle the aftermath. You’ll need representatives from the PCB on-site to deflect questions and handle the media.”
“Fine. They can keep our escort company on the sidelines.”
