Free Taken (Ava Delaney #4) by Claire Farrell Page B

her thumbnail. “Damn
it.”
    I jerked her
hand down from her mouth, earning a wry smile from her. “She warned
us she wanted to leave,” I reminded.
    “I didn’t think
she would be this quick. The place is cleared out, which means
she’s taken everything of Illeana’s with her. Another dead
end.”
    “Maybe your
hacker bloke will figure something out. And we’re still looking for
witnesses. Don’t worry.”
    She brushed her
hair from her face. “It’s just so frustrating. We’re getting
nowhere fast.”
    “Illeana didn’t
figure everything out, either. We just have to keep pushing.”
    We walked back
to the car. The wind picked up and blew Esther’s loose hair all
over the place. We sat while Esther fumed silently for a few
moments.
    “We’re going to
keep looking while you’re gone,” I said, trying to cheer her
up.
    “It’s not that.
I’m just… what if we find out something big? About someone in the
Council or something. I mean, how do we even start accusing
them?”
    I turned in my
seat. “We’re all in this together. If something comes up, we’ll all
deal with it. Besides, you have Aiden on your side.”
    “What if he
doesn’t believe me?”
    “He’s your
brother. You’re more important than some stupid Council.”
    She raised a
brow.
    “Oh, give me a
break. They aren’t doing anything amazing in the world, you
know?”
    She nodded.
“But they’re in charge. They have power, alliances. Even if we do
uncover something, it could go badly wrong.”
    “You can back
out,” I said quickly. “But I’m not going to.”
    She tapped the
steering wheel and stared into the distance. “I can’t,” she said
finally. “I need to find out what’s really going on.” She started
the engine. “Besides, if it all goes well, I could get a
promotion.”
    I shook my
head, but I understood her point. She had gotten everything because
of her brother. Her home, her money, her job, her respect. Shifters
grew up fast, but in a world of ancient beings, a shifter of her
age was still considered a pup, or in her case, a cub. If she could
prove herself without Aiden’s help, nobody would ever be able to
discount her again.
    “Can you drop
me off at the bar?” I asked. “I need to talk to Gabe.”
    “Yeah, no
problem.”
    She drove off
quickly once she dropped me off at the bar. Inside, I was surprised
to see Callista with Gabe. He handed her an envelope and gave her a
tight hug. He saw me watching and frowned. His lips moved, and
Callista turned to face me, her cheeks flushing red.
    I strode
straight over to them. “I’ve just been to your house,” I said
before either of them could speak.
    “I’m going home
to be with my other sisters. The city has been nothing but bad luck
for us.”
    “Esther still
has questions for you,” I said.
    “I don’t have
any answers,” she insisted.
    Gabe laid his
hand on her arm. “Maybe you should save your questions.”
    “I have more
respect for Illeana than that,” I snapped. “We’re trying to finish
your sister’s work here, Callista. If you have anything to tell us,
now is the time. Please.” I softened my voice the way Carl did when
he tried to get through to someone, and miracle of miracles, it
actually worked.
    She nodded,
wiping away fresh tears with perfectly manicured hands. “You’re
right. And I will keep in touch. I’ll call Esther if I remember
anything, I promise you. But all I know is that when the Council
sent me her belongings, some items were missing. My sisters are old
fashioned, but Illeana wasn’t. She embraced modern technology, yet
none of her gadgets were amongst her things. Even her handbag and
purse were missing. I don’t… I don’t really understand it.”
    Gabe frowned.
“I was telling Callista that they were probably kept as evidence.
We’re still investigating those attacks, after all.”
    Callista looked
confused. “I don’t understand how they could be of any help.”
    “It’s okay,” I
said. “We’ll