“Go.” Rían’s brittle smile cracked my heart. “I won’t leave his side.”
Thanks to our harried exit, two enforcers had shown up to ask questions, which gave me an escort. I was glad to have them, but I wouldn’t have waited for them otherwise. I was too afraid.
“Let me pull up her location.” I had never been more grateful the GPS app she tracked me with granted me access to her as well. “Looks like she’s near Claybourne Avenue.”
“Makes sense,” the enforcer on the right said, nodding. “Newbies have training there today.”
Dread slid a cold finger down my spine. “How many newbies are there?”
“Five,” the enforcer on the left answered. “Six before Becca was poisoned.”
The pair exchanged a loaded glance then pinned me with their stare.
“Do you think that’s what happened to Liam?” Right Side gritted his teeth. “To Sloane?”
“I hope I’m overreacting, but I want to make certain.” Cold fingers squeezed my heart, and I backtracked to Rían.“Goldie.”
“She ate the pancakes too.” Rían was quick on the uptake and palmed his cell. “Give me a second.”
With Sloane gone, Goldie would be in Fayne’s care most likely. Not that it mattered as much with phone service restored, but still. I couldn’t catch a breath until Goldie’s chipper greeting rang out, her laughter balm to our fears. Thank God for shifter hearing. I wouldn’t have been able to rest if I hadn’t heard her myself.
Head tipping back, Rían strove for a calm tone. “Did Liam stop by this morning?”
“I don’t think so, but Gran woke Sloane and me while the pancakes were still hot. We ate and left early, so he might have come by after that.”
With Sloane’sno food left behindmentality, she wouldn’t have left a crumb for him to find. That meant breakfast was in the clear. The dragonsbane had come from another source.
“Okay. Thanks.” He exhaled softly. “I need to go, but we’ll talk soon.”
No doubt he would want to deliver the news about Liam to her in person.
After ending the call, he dragged a hand down his face. “She’s safe, which means the pancakes weren’t the problem.”
“Liam goes out of his way to bump into Sloane.” Though he would deny it to his last breath. “They could have crossed paths after she left the house. Liam didn’t order food at the diner, so maybe he was eating on his way there.” Hard to keep a trim figure if you ate greasily delicious breakfasts every day, even for a shifter. “She could have stolen his meal, or part of it, and ingested the bulk of the poison.” Which meant we needed to examine her ASAP. “Do you have contact information for the other newbies?”
“Not offhand.” Left Side frowned. “I’ll call Seamus and see if he can get in touch with them.”
With a tight nod, I left Rían with Liam and jogged down the hall. I wasn’t sure what dragonsbane would do to a wolf shifter, if anything, but it had knocked Becca on her ass. Her mixed heritage played a role in how it affected her, but I wasn’t willing to risk Sloane on a maybe.
Before we heard back from Seamus, we arrived at the location indicated by Sloane’s phone.
A massive parking lot, marked off for various outdoor classes as well as spaces for vehicles, led up to a shining gym.
The enforcers had been here, but they were gone now. They had left their bottled waters, towels, and a few yoga mats behind. The flashing dot on my screen wasn’t exact. I couldn’t tell if Sloane went for a run on what appeared to be a track behind the building or if she had stepped inside for a workout.
“I’ll check the building.” Right Side took off at a jog. “Wait here.”
“Will do.” Left Side planted his feet. “Do you want to try calling her again?”
“Good idea.” I dialed the familiar number, but it rang and rang and rang. “Still no response.”
“They run ten miles a day. Outdoors. In all weather.” He eyed the track. “Pete is known for confiscating phones to keep the younger generation focused. That could be why Sloane isn’t answering.”
“Thanks.” I couldn’t find a smile for him, but I was grateful. “I hope that’s all there is to it.”
Otherwise, whoever was out there poisoning innocents was about to meet the dragon scratching her fiery talons down the inside of my breastbone, clawing to get out and wreak vengeance.
nine
