Page 80 of Warrior Unraveled

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“I hope I won’t regret this,” Virginia whispered to Wesley an hour later.

After discussing all the details with her colleagues, and establishing certain protocols if things went wrong, Virginia and Wesley had geared up and were now standing in front of the portal, ready to transport to Scanguards. Hamish and Logan, who had outfitted both her and Wesley with weapons, were with them, waiting.

Wes slung his backpack with his witchcraft tools over his shoulder. “Trust me. Nothing is gonna happen to you. I won’t leave your side.” He squeezed her arm in reassurance.

“Virginia,” Pearce called out as he came down the stairs.

She looked past Wesley.

“I’ve programmed a new cell phone for you. It’s a secure line. Only use this one to contact us. And if the line rings, pick it up. It can only be us. Nobody else knows the number.”

She nodded and accepted the cell phone. She slipped it into the inside pocket of her jacket, a jacket Tessa had lent her. It felt a little snug, but it was better than nothing if she didn’t want to shiver. Apparently the weather in San Francisco, where they were headed, was cold and wet at present. It was the rainy season in California, Wesley had explained.

“Are you sure you’ll be able to find a portal in San Francisco?” Hamish said. “I’ve looked through the register of lost portals, and so far, we haven’t found one yet.”

“If Wesley’s theory is correct, that the lost portals are remnants of old compounds, then there will be one in San Francisco. I was assigned to a compound there in the 1960s. The compound was destroyed after it was compromised.” She swallowed away the bad memories. “I’m counting on the stone that encased the portal to have been reused in construction somewhere in San Francisco.”

Hamish let out a breath. “Well, then good luck. Shoot us a text when you’ve arrived so we don’t worry.”

Virginia met his gaze. What she saw in Hamish’s eyes surprised her. He meant what he said. “I didn’t know any of you cared about what happens to me.”

The three Stealth Guardians exchanged looks. Then Hamish winked. “Oh, we’re not worried about you.” He jerked his thumb at Wesley and grinned. “We’re just getting used to having Wes make pancakes for us. Don’t wanna lose the best cook we’ve ever had. Right, guys?”

The other two nodded.

“So keep him safe, will you?”

Virginia caught Wes rolling his eyes.

“We’ll be in touch,” Virginia said and pressed her hand to the dagger carved into the stone wall of the portal. Seconds later, the portal was open. She walked inside, and Wesley followed her.

He immediately put his arm around her waist, before she could stop him. A quick glance at her three colleagues outside in the corridor confirmed that they’d noticed the intimate gesture. But to her surprise, nobody seemed to care. They wouldn’t tell anybody that she, too, had broken some rules.

She nodded at them, then willed the portal to close. Darkness engulfed them.

Wesley pulled her into a closer embrace, and for an instant she resisted.

“Only so you won’t leave me behind,” he murmured in her ear. “Who knows where we’ll land this time.”

“Are you afraid?”

“Not as long as I can feel you.”

She put both arms around him and leaned her head against his.

“Mmm, better,” he whispered and kissed her on the cheek.

Virginia concentrated on San Francisco, on her old compound, on everything she knew about the city, its landmarks, its many hills, its streets and its buildings. She felt the air churn around her and knew they were moving. The portal was taking them away. To the place where she’d made the biggest mistake of her life. A mistake she hoped she wasn’t repeating.

“We’re here,” she announced to Wesley.

“I can’t see anything. It’s too dark.”

“I haven’t opened the portal yet. We need to be prepared for anything.” She eased out of his arms. “Have your weapon ready.”

“Alright,” he agreed. “I’m ready.”