Page 58 of Warrior Unraveled

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“Here. I’ve found the person who last spoke with Faldo.”

Virginia looked over Pearce’s shoulder. “Who was it?”

“Council member Cinead.”

A man she respected tremendously. A man beyond reproach. “What was discussed?”

A frown appeared on Pearce’s face. “That’s just it. There’s no note in the log. And Cinead knows better.”

Pearce pointed to an entry on the screen, and she read it. Apart from the time of the communication it said nothing. Only that Cinead had made a call to Faldo.

Pearce shrugged. “I mean, it’s possible that because of the attack on the compound the log hasn’t been updated yet.”

As much as Virginia wanted to believe that, she couldn’t. “He spoke to Faldo several days before that. Cinead would have had plenty of time to add his notes to the log.” She tapped Pearce on the shoulder. “Log out and let me log in. If he entered a confidential note, I should be able to see it with my security clearance.”

Pearce followed her instructions, then let her take his seat. A moment later, she looked at the same screen again. There was one short note. “Settle D,” she read.

“Do you know what that means?”

She looked at Pearce. “No. But I’m going to find out.” She jumped up. “By now all council members should be back in their private compounds. I’ll pay Cinead a visit.”

“You should take Aiden,” Pearce suggested. “I’ll call him back from his perimeter watch.”

“No,” she said. “I’m going alone. I don’t think Cinead will tell me what this is all about if I bring a guardian who isn’t even supposed to know about this confidential note.”

Pearce seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then he said, “You’re the boss.”

“I’ll be back soon.” She marched out of the command center, a dagger in the sheath at her hip, another one hidden in her boot.

The members of the council still hadn’t been informed that she and Wesley were alive, and she knew that by visiting Cinead this fact wouldn’t stay a secret for much longer, but it was more important right now to get the truth from the elder council member.

Fifteen minutes later, Virginia entered Cinead’s private home on the foggy coast of Northern California, in a small town called Half Moon Bay. Upon her arrival, a guard ushered her into the library.

While she waited in the large room that was both warm and inviting, with a comfortable sitting area in front of a fireplace, and thousands of volumes of books, she reminded herself that she wasn’t an enforcer anymore. She needed to be careful how she handled Cinead. He was a fine man, a staunch defender of their laws, and he’d experienced much hardship in his life: losing his only son as an infant, and his beloved wife decades later. Virginia glanced at the paintings that graced the mantel, memories of a happier life.

At the sound of footsteps, she tore her gaze from the painting of Cinead’s infant son, and turned to greet her fellow council member.

“Virginia! You’re alive!” He rushed to her and embraced her for a short moment. “When the guard said it was you, I almost didn’t believe him.”

She nodded. “Wesley and I got out just before the compound blew. Much has happened since we—”

“Wesley? The witch? Where is he now?”

“A safe place.” And she wasn’t going to reveal where.

Cinead cast her an assessing look. “I thought you went after him to kill him, because you believed that he was the one who led the demons to us.”

“I did, but then a demon attacked me when I went after him in the lead cell. The witch risked his own life to save mine. Stupidly, I might add.” Because jumping on the demon’s back, knowing how much stronger their enemy had been, had been foolish on Wesley’s part. Foolish—and brave. “I had a change of mind after that.” And that was all Cinead would get out of her when it came to the subject of Wesley.

“So now you believe that he’s innocent?”

“Of leading the demons to us, yes. And that’s why I came to see you. I’ve started an investigation into how the demons could have found the compound.”

“Alone?”

She shook her head. But she had no intention of telling him who was helping her. Not until she knew for certain that Cinead had no part in the demon’s scheme.