Kieran POV
I keep one eye on Mae's phone and the other on the road. I am following the blinking dot that says where Tish is being held. It is getting dark and there are no streetlights to light the way. I hand Dad the phone and look at the houses that line the street.
All of the houses look like they are falling apart. Only a few have lights on. The rest appear to be abandoned.
Dad looks down at the phone. "It looks like it is two houses up on the right."
I park on the street, away from the house. I would be lying if I said my heart was not pounding in my chest. I have no idea what we are walking into, and I don't want to be shot again.
I grab the door handle to exit the car, but Leo grabs me from the backseat. His eyes are glazed over, and I know he is mind-linking with someone. It has to be Oliver or Raven.
Leo's eyes come back into focus, and he shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "Oliver says it's a trap."
"That's it?" I question.
"It is a long story," Leo grumbles. "Just know that it might be a trap."
I lean back against the seat and groan.
Dad smacks me on the shoulder, trying to lighten the mood. "What are we supposed to do? We can't leave her here. She knows too much."
Leo's eyes glaze back over as he continues a conversation in his mind. He grunts as he finishes the mind link.
"Raven told us to be careful," he laughs.
Dad joins in on the laughter, but I don't think it is funny. "So, we are possibly going on a suicide mission for a familiar?"
"Looks like it," Dad says.
"This is bullshit," I grumble. "We should leave her here to rot."
Dad and Leo exit the car and wait patiently for me to get out. I slam my hands against the steering wheel and let out a string of cuss words. I can't believe I am going to risk my life for fucking Tish. She has been nothing but a pain in my ass since I met her.
After I throw my little tantrum, I get out of the car, and slam the door behind me. Dad rolls his eyes at me.
"This is a stealth mission," he hisses at me. "Try to keep it down."
"Try to keep it down," I mock Dad.
"You aren't too old for me to beat your ass," Dad whispers in my direction.
"Will you two shut up," Leo says a little too loudly. "Let's do what we have to do and get the fuck out of here."
Leo begins to storm up the street toward the rogue house. Sticking to the shadows, I rush to catch up with him.
We stop outside of the rogue house, and I lift my nose to the air. I am seeking out the scent of rogues, trying to determine how many might be in the house.
The scent of rogues is definitely in the air, but I can't tell how many are in the house. I look over my shoulder at Dad and Leo, and they seem to be having the same problem.
I sneak around the side of the house to one of the windows. Both the screen and the glass are broken.
Reaching through the broken glass, I unlock the window and slide it open. The wood creaks loudly as it opens, and I cringe. So much for being quiet.
Ducking below the window, I wait for someone to come to check out the sound. But the house remains silent.
Lifting myself into the window, I land silently in what appears to be a kitchen. Stepping away from the window, I make room for Dad and Leo to join me.
'I am going to look for Tish. You two check the house for rogues,' I say through the mind link.
Dad and Leo nod, and then we split up. The house is small. There can't be many places for rogues to hide.
As I walk through the house, the scent of rogues becomes fainter. It is as if the house is empty. Maybe this was nothing more than a wild goose chase.
That's when it hits me. The odd scent of a human. It is strong behind a door at the back of the house.
Letting my claws extend from my fingertips, I prepare myself for what I might find on the other side of this door.
The doorknob turns easily, and I push the door open. There is a set of stairs that leads down into a dark basement.
Karr comes forward, letting me use his eyes to see through the darkness. I walk down the stairs as quietly as I can. As I round the corner, there is a small lamp illuminating the room. Tish is in the middle of the room, tied to a chair and gagged.
I move toward her, checking the corners of the basement for any places where someone could be hiding. The room is bare except for the chair Tish is in.
I pull the gag down from Tish's mouth, and she gasps for air. Something isn't right. She has been missing for several days, and she is still clean. Her body is clean and free of any cuts or bruises. Her hair is shiny and pulled back into a neat ponytail. She doesn't look distressed at all.
I don't untie her. Instead, I step away from her and head back toward the stairs.
"Where are you going?" She yells after me.
"Upstairs," I say as I ascend the stairs.
Dad and Leo are at the top of the stairs when I reach the top.
Dad looks around me and furrows his brow. "Where is the familiar?"
"Down there," I say as I make my way toward the front door.
"We can't leave her down there," Leo says.
"Yes, we can," I respond. "She is the trap. If we take her back to the North Pack, none of us will be safe."
"Raven gave her orders," Dad chimes in.
"Raven is wrong!" I shout.
"We are taking her back to the North Pack," Leo snarls as he heads down the stairs.
I stomp out of the rogue house, no longer caring about how much noise I make. Taking Tish back to the North Pack is a mistake and I refuse to be a part of it.