“Let’s just say he has a certain talent,” Jack said and glanced at Charlie who stared back at him with a look of understanding on her face.
“Could someone else find us like he can?” Gio asked.
“Probably not,” Jack assured him. “I’ve never met or heard of anyone else possessing his gift.”
Jack rubbed his eyes; he hadn’t slept after Charlie told him her dream. He had to plan his next move. Jack had no idea where the island was located, but he expected Mike to return soon with reinforcements, and for those reinforcements to be out for blood after what Charlie revealed.
“If my locator friend isn’t with them, we’ll have to find my friends when they return,” Jack said.
“I don’t think they’ll return to the boat dock, not after what we saw there,” Charlie said. “And the Savages have probably added security to the dock.”
“There’s no way they think anyone would return to this island after getting away from it,” LeNae said.
“No, but they might be afraid more could escape the same way,” Charlie said.
“So where do you think your friends would come ashore?” Kirha asked Jack.
“That’s impossible to say,” Jack murmured.
“Maybe if we climbed to the top of the lighthouse, we could see them approaching,” Darlene suggested.
“I don’t think they’ll come at the island from the direction of the lighthouse,” Jack said. “They won’t take the risk of someone spotting them from there.”
“So what do we do then?” Charlie asked.
“We go back above. We may not find them when they land, but I think they’ll make their presence known pretty fast, and we’ll find them then,” Jack said. “Not everyone will go up at once. We’ll send scouts up first, and they’ll return with updates.”
“And if those scouts get killed?” Mal asked.
“There’s nothing we can do about that,” Jack said. He didn’t mean to sound callous, but they didn’t have any other options.
“That’s a huge risk to take for people who might not come,” Darlene said. “You can’t be sure your friends will return.”
“They’re coming,” Jack said. “I have no doubt about it.”
“And how do you know that?” Kirha asked.
“Because they’re my family, and they wouldneverleave someone they love behind. Now, who is going above with me? We’ll only have to be above during the day, as that’s when they’ll return.”
“You’re sure about that?” Miguel asked.
“Yes,” Jack said. “They’ll be impatient to destroy the Savages, but they’ll be smart about it and strike when these assholes are at their most vulnerable.”
Charlie felt the hesitance as everyone glanced at each other. Dylan gripped her arms around his neck. She wanted to go with Jack; she had to know he was safe, but she couldn’t leave her son so soon after returning to him. She wouldn’t put that stress on him.
Dylan lifted his head to peer at her. “You can go, Mom.”
A jolt of surprise ran through her. “I’m not leaving you.”
“I’m fine. I… uh…” He ducked his head as a blush crept up his cheeks, but then he threw his shoulders back and met her gaze. “I missed you before, and there was the cave-in, but now I’ll know what you’re doing and that you’ll return.”
Charlie’s hands clenched on him; never mind adding stress to him, she couldn’t leave him again. She’d just gotten back to him, and his tears…
She shuddered as she recalled the intensity of his sobs. She would chop off her arms and sell her soul to get him off this island, but what if she went above and didn’t return? What would that do to him?
She lifted her head to meet Jack’s eyes. Primitive vampire instincts screamed at her that she couldn’t let him go out there alone, but her mom instincts were just as strong.
“Go, Mom,” Dylan said. “I want to go home, and I don’t want you being scared for me anymore.”
