Page 39

“Worse,” Silas added quietly, “these wards have a tracking function. Whoever designed them now knows exactly which guardians responded tonight and likely where we are now.”

Rook’s mind raced. An occultist with that level of knowledge would need years of study, access to restricted texts, and probably direct observation of guardian physiology to get anywhere close to knowing how to do that. “How many people have that kind of expertise?”

“In Madison?” Silas’s expression was grim. “Based on the complexity of the work, I can think of maybe two possibilities, and both of them are extremely dangerous.”

Ethan’s phone buzzed against the table. He glanced at the screen, and he frowned. “That’s weird, it’s gone midnight, and my theater manager wants to know why I missed my shift tonight. I didn’t even think to call in. Admittedly, that’s not like me, but that’s still a weird time to message me.”

“You were rescuing hostages from a trafficking ring,” Julian said. “That seems like a reasonable excuse to me.”

“I’m not going to tell him that.” Ethan tapped the screen, his frown deepening. “I didn’t think to tell anyone at the theater I wouldn’t be there. I didn’t even think…”

Another text came through. Then another. Ethan froze, his index finger hovering an inch above the screen.

Rook moved behind him, reading over his shoulder. The first message was from the manager - just generic nonsense about the missed shifts and how Ethan usually showed more professional responsibility.

But the second message was a photo. Someone had left a “gift” in Ethan’s theater locker. A silver pendant hanging from a delicate chain - pretty enough if someone liked that sort of thing. But what caught Rook’s eye was the blood-red stone at the center of the pendant. It was gleaming.

The third message was from an unknown number: I saw you left this behind and wanted to make sure you got it back.

Julian took the phone from Ethan’s hand and studied the photo. His face went pale. “That looks like a tracking sigil.”

The only word Rook heard was “tracking,” before his shadows exploded outward. Two coffee mugs shattered against the wall, and the tactical table buckled under the force of his rage, metal shrieking as shadows dented the reinforced surface.

“Someone was hoping to mark you,” Julian added quietly. “Whoever made this wanted to be sure they would always know where you are at any given moment.”

NO! Rook’s shadows filled the room.

Chapter Twelve

Ethan’s analytical mind kicked into gear, bypassing the panic his body desperately wanted to indulge in. It had been a long freaking night, and he was running on pure adrenaline at this point. “Someone marked me before the warehouse raid.”

“What do you mean?” Rook’s shadows tightened around his shoulders.

“The pendant. It was placed in my locker at some point after my shift Thursday night, because I went into it then to collect my things, but before my intended shift tonight that I didn’t call in and cancel.” Ethan stood, pacing to the tactical table despite the crater Rook’s shadows had left in the surface. “Which means whoever left it connected me to guardians before Voss disappeared. Or they marked me for an entirely separate reason.”

“What separate reason?” Thorn’s voice was flat.

“The trafficking.” Ethan met his eyes. “Voss approached me multiple times over the past month, the same way as he did Fiona. However, unlike Fiona, I’ve never been on the dating scene, and I’d been happy with my job the way it was. Perhaps he earmarked me for a special customer, and the pendant was their way of keeping track of their purchase.”

Rook made a sound like grinding metal.

“Or,” Julian added slowly, “it’s possible Rook drew attention when he intervened with Brad outside the theater the night he met you. Someone observant might have noticed Rook’s...intensity. And Rook was in the theater Thursday night, and you two had a conversation after hours. If someone was watching…”

“I wasn’t exactly subtle.” Rook’s admission came through clenched teeth.

Ethan pulled the laptop closer to him. Downloading his files onto a bigger screen made it easier to see the patterns he knew were there. He opened the file connected to theater personnel. “To get to my locker, someone needed backstage access, and the only people who have that are staff and board members, such as Grant Voss, for example.”

He pulled up his timeline spreadsheet. “Voss has approached me five times - twice directly and three times indirectly, that I’m aware of. Three weeks ago, he stopped me when I was working, offering me a consulting opportunity. From what I’ve documented, it seemed like a standard recruitment pitch offering flexible hours, excellent compensation, and opportunities for career advancement. I declined.

“Two weeks ago, he followed up on that previous conversation, basically suggesting I was wasted in my current position and could do so much better for myself. I declined again.” Ethan scrolled down. “Last Monday was the indirect approach that I learned about after the fact when he questioned Fiona about my dating habits. She told him that I was aggressively single, and he backed off.”

“All indications that he was escalating.” Silas moved to look over Ethan’s shoulder at the documentation. “He was effectively testing your boundaries, mapping your social connections, and determining how isolated you might be, or whether or not you might be missed if you disappeared.”

“Yes.” Ethan highlighted another entry. “He also asked my manager about my typical shift schedule twice in the past ten days. Ryan thought he was planning a surprise for staff morale.” The words tasted bitter, especially now that Ethan knew what he had been doing. “Ryan’s always been an idiot.”

Rook’s shadows tightened. “Who could’ve touched your locker?”

“I’m not sure knowing that would be very helpful.” Ethan quickly ran through the list in his head. “Staff lockers are in the back hallway near the service entrance. During shows, that area is high-traffic - ushers, stage crew, bartenders, and catering staff. Between shows...” He pulled up his access log notes. “Maintenance has keys. So does building management. Board members can request access if they need to leave something for specific staff.”