When the guy fell to his knees as if the orgasm had been something special, trying to recover, Jenna grabbed the cash out of his hand. When the girl tried to protest Jenna taking off with all the money, Jenna backhanded her hard enough to force her to the ground next to the guy.
If you only wanted to rob them, you could have done that without degrading yourself, Brennus’ voice rebuked in the back of Jenna’s mind.
When I want your opinion, father, I will ask for it. Jenna walked into the motel office, paid for a room and turned down another trick on her way out of the office. Once in her room, Jenna stripped down and climbed into the shower. She felt like she hadn’t been clean in months, though it had only been a couple weeks since her last shower. Admittedly, all the running from Cadifor had been the main cause of the multiple layers of soil on her clothing. Still, she missed her garden tub, her Jacuzzi, her swimming pool; everything she had owned with water in it.
She took her time in the shower and then drying herself, enjoying every minute of the simple pleasure and considering all the things she used to take for granted. Jenna filled the tub with water again and threw her dirty clothes in with what was left of the half used complimentary bar of soap that had been on the sink. She did her best to clean the majority of grime from her jeans and shirt. In the middle of lamenting having a lack of a clean change of clothes, her cell phone rang. Jenna hadn’t actually answered it since she started running. The battery was all but dead. She was almost afraid to pick it up.
Cadifor could have gotten your number, Brennus warned.
So what if he did. There’s no GPS on it.
There are ways.
Jenna grabbed the phone up, partially because she knew her father didn’t want her to answer it. Well then it doesn’t matter if I find out who might be calling. They’re probably already on their way and this is a warning that I’d be better off to wait and give in.
You underestimate Cadifor. That can be added to your list of mistakes to date.
Is there anything you believe I can do right?
Brennus didn’t bother to continue the argument. He knew that it wouldn’t do any good.
Jenna flipped the phone open violently. “Hello?”
A husky voice on the other end of the line didn’t bother with pleasantries or introductions. “I might be able to help you.”
“Who is this,” Jenna asked cautiously.
“It doesn’t matter. You want somewhere safe to stay? Where the lycan Council can’t touch you?”
Jenna paused. Of course she did, but she didn’t recognize the number on the caller ID or the voice. Still she had no one to trust and was out of options. “I’m listening.”
“The Council and the Circle are having a meeting. I need it stopped.”
Now Jenna knew it wasn’t Cadifor. He would never come in between the Council and the Circle’s new friendship. “How?”
“That’s up to you. When I hear that the meeting didn’t happen, I’ll call you back.”
Before Jenna could say anything else there was a click on the line. She immediately tried to redial the number, but there was no answer. By the third attempt her phone completely died.
Pacing back and forth across the room, Jenna mulled over her options. I’m not going anywhere near the Council and I don’t really know where the Circle is. Even if I did what would I be able to do to stop a Council meeting?
Brennus waited patiently for her to decide that she should ask him for an opinion. She stubbornly refused to talk directly to him. Finally he gave up waiting for her to ask for help.
I can’t believe you’re taking this phone call so seriously when you don’t even know who it was or what the motivation might be. I would assume that it’s someone either trying to flush you out, suggesting that you go somewhere near the Council is suicide. Or it’s someone trying to use you for their own purposes. Either way I’m fairly sure that if you believe you’ll actually get somewhere by following such a ludicrous suggestions as to attempt stopping a Council meeting, you’re more likely to end up dead than anything else. Not to mention that if you mess with the Council further, the chances that you’ll ever be able to resume your standing as a pack Alpha will be even more lost than they already are.
Father, in case you haven’t noticed, there will be no resuming my position with the pack Council. Either it’s into hiding for the rest of my existence or find a way to bring down the Council.
There was a long silence in Jenna’s mind. Neither Brennus or Jenna could believe what she was actually thinking.
It’s not possible to bring down the pack Council. It’s been in place too long, has too many ancients running it, and too many resources at its disposal. You have nothing. Brennus was starting to think that his daughter was insane.
Jenna approached the bathroom mirror and stared at her reflection as if she was looking another person in the eyes. Nothing is impossible.
* * * *
Cullen continued to debate whether he should be turning around and heading back to the Taigh-Osda or not. Aislinn’s uneasy feeling had never gone away. As faint as it may be at this distance, Cullen could still feel her anxiety and fear for their unborn children. The one thing he did decide was that regardless of what the Council needed, there had to be a way of doing it from Aislinn’s side. He wasn’t about to let anything happen to her.
Keith turned up the dirt road that led to the Council manor. The large black SUV bumping along only added an extra dimension to Cullen’s upset. He had never been so unhappy to see the manor looming on the mountain side. Immense and imposing, stone work made the manor look like it had been imported from some bad horror flick. Too new to look like a legitimate castle, it had all the trappings of modern society. From the heated stone floors to the Jacuzzis in the suite bathrooms, it was more like a luxury resort than anything else. Not that you could that from the outside.
Keith pulled into the parking area, which was really just an open field, and parked next to the array of other vehicles that were scattered about the clearing. Both men got out of the truck, slamming their doors shut behind themselves and walked silently up the stone pathway to the manor.
This was Keith’s first visit to the manor. Normally Cullen dealt with Council matters on his own. But in this case there was the potential for too much that would need Keith’s special expertise. Cullen wasn’t about to admit that whatever the Council wanted, his mind would be split, considering Aislinn, and he needed Keith to keep himself on track.
Keith opened the door for Cullen and followed him into the huge building, playing the dutiful second. Gaping at the vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows, tapestries and carved woodwork, Keith was only more amazed at the vast array of people he saw walking the halls. Not knowing which of the men and women were ancient Council members and which were merely part of the Council entourage, Keith thought it best to remain a step behind and to the left of Cullen. There was something reassuring in keeping his place obvious in these surroundings.
Cullen grinned reassuringly over his shoulder at his best friend. “I don’t know of any lycan who could come into this place and not be a little intimidated. Though, I have to admit, I find it funny to see that you do know your place. I may never have guessed it outside of here.”
Keith smirked. “Yeah well I’m not fool enough to give you too hard of a time in front of the Council. But rest assured that I’ll make up for it when we get out of here.”