“A rush fee?” Nessa asked.
“Told you.Pricey,” Jasper joked.
Murphy disconnected the call, grumbling under his breath as he looked through his contacts once more.
Who was he calling now?
He put the phone back to his ear as it rang again. “Constantine,” her mate greeted. “I need another favor.”
Nessa’s heart dropped. What would the vampire demand this time?
Marcus turned in his seat, watching Murphy curiously. Even Zeke glanced at him in the rearview mirror, looking as nosy as Nessa felt.
“Can you meet with me on my territory? I need you to compel someone. A human, yes. No,” he growled suddenly. “My mate is off-limits to your mind tricks.”
He wanted Constantine to compel Angelo?
As soon as her mate finished the call and turned off the phone, Nessa grabbed his arm.
“What was that about?” she asked, needing clarification.
Murphy lifted his hand from her thigh, running his fingers through her hair. He toyed with the strands as he answered, “I don’t think you want me to kill your brother.”
Her denial was instant. “No, I don’t.”
Even though Angelo had let her down before … He’d shown up today when she’d needed him. Had risked his life by trying to save hers. She didn’t know where they stood, or if they’d ever be on good terms, but she didn’t want him killed.
“I know,” Murphy confirmed tenderly.
Angelo spat out a string of garbled words from the back of the vehicle and then grunted in pain.
“Oops, my bad,” Colter said with a grin. “Bumpy ride. My elbow slipped.”
Murphy rolled his eyes before continuing, “Your brother can’t know that we’re shifters, Nes. Constantine can compel him to forget. Not everything; I’ll ask that he keep his memories of coming to rescue you. But anything supernatural related needs to be wiped from his memory. For everyone’s safety.”
“I understand.” Thank God, Murphy had thought that far ahead. There was still so much about his world, about her new life, that she didn’t know.
But you’ll have a lifetime to figure it out together, she reminded herself, a lightness settling in her soul that she hadn’ttruly felt in years. She almost smiled, but a sudden thought intruded.
“Wait.” She cocked her head. “What if Angelo is resistant to compulsion, like I am? What do we do then?”
“You can’t be compelled?” Zeke looked at her in the rearview, eyes wide with surprise. “Hot damn, that’s a neat trick.”
“She is immune to dominant waves, too. My mate is a remarkable female,” Murphy praised.
“That’s great, but what do we do if this douche”—Jasper pointed at Angelo—“is immune too?”
Absentmindedly, Murphy twirled a strand of Nessa’s hair around his fingers. “We’d have to keep him in the dungeon until we determine whether it is safe to trust him. Given his past with Nessa, and us not knowing his intentions in coming here, I don’t know if that will ever be possible.”
Nessa stared at Murphy, bewildered. “You mean the dungeon isreal?” She thought they’d been making some kind of horrible joke!
They’d really kept Dante trapped in a freaking dungeon?!
She looked over her shoulder, her eyes connecting with the back of Dante’s head. She felt sorry for him now more than ever.
“The dungeon is necessary,” Murphy stated. “If you’re worried about its location, you shouldn’t be.”
“It’s not in your basement, is it?” Nessa shuddered.
