“But that’s impossible.”

Maya smiled. “I’m close to a solution. I can sense it.” Then she looked around. “Which way?”

Still thinking about Maya’s words, Faye pointed to a door. “Through there.”

Moments later, they were in the enclosed walkway that connected the main house with the plantation kitchen. Just in time, as it turned out: David and Kathryn were getting ready to leave.

Their eyes filled with fear, Maya’s patients looked at them.

“We’re so grateful,” David started, “really, we are. But we can’t stay any longer. They’ll find us and kill us. You have to let us go.”

Maya pointed toward the outside. “They’re already coming up the driveway. You can’t go out there now. You’ll run right into their arms.”

A sob tore from Kathryn’s chest and she wrapped her arms around David, holding onto him as if hiding her face in his chest would prevent her from being found. Faye’s heart went out to her. She’d been frightened like that too once. She knew what the girl was going through.

“I have another solution,” Faye said. She knew she should talk to Cain about it first and get his approval for what she was about to do, but the lives of these two vampires depended on her acting without delay.

She reached for Kathryn. “I’ll keep you both safe.”

40

Cain charged into Thomas’s room, John and the others behind him. Thomas looked up from his computer.

“Is the cell phone working?”

“Yeah, it’s juiced up.”

Cain looked around the room, suddenly alarmed. “Where’s Faye?”

“She’s with Maya.”

“I told you to watch her. With the Mississippians right at our doorstep—”

“Don’t go all apeshit on me. You’re not the first vampire who’s suddenly acquired a mate. She and Maya know what they’re doing. They’re just making sure the two escapees won’t run into our unwelcome visitors.”

Cain hesitated for a moment, but instinctively he knew Thomas was right. He couldn’t watch Faye twenty-four-seven just because he didn’t think he could continue living without her.

Faye, my love, are you all right? He sent the thoughts to her via their telepathic bond.

It took only seconds before warmth spread inside him and he felt rather than heard her response. Of course, I’m all right. Is anything the matter?

Satisfied that their mental connection was working, he sent her another thought. Everything is fine.

Then he jerked his thumb back at John while addressing Thomas. “Show him the text message. Show him how he lured me into the trap.”

Thomas stood up from the desk and unplugged the charger from the phone. Then he swiped over the screen and navigated to the right spot. “By the way, there was no password on it. I’d call that a security risk.”

Cain felt his eyebrows snap together. “I always had a password on my phone.” He remembered it clearly.

Thomas handed the phone to John. “Here. That’s the message.”

John stared at the screen and read it. Then his head shot up and he glared at Thomas. “What is this? Are you trying to set me up?” He stabbed his finger at the display. “I never sent that message!”

“Says right there,” Thomas replied pointing to the top of the display, where the caller’s name appeared. “John. Are you denying that’s you?”

“It must be another John. It’s not me!” John turned to Cain, his eyes pleading. “You must believe me.”

Disappointed that John still didn’t want to fess up, Cain took the phone from his hand, pressed the contact button in the top right corner of it and then the call button. “Do you need another proof?”

The phone rang. And rang.

Cain brought it to his ear, when he suddenly heard a click and somebody breathing. He stared at John in disbelief. John hadn’t moved, hadn’t pulled his cell phone from his pocket, yet somebody had picked it up.

“Hello?” Cain said into the phone, but the call was abruptly disconnected. He pointed at John. “Who’s got your phone?”

John dug into his pants pocket and pulled it out. “I do.” He swiped over the display and unlocked it with his password, then navigated to the call app, before holding the display up for Cain to see. “No call from you.” He motioned to the phone in Cain’s hands. “I don’t know who you just called, but it wasn’t me.”

“Did you change your number in the last year?” Cain asked, trying to make sense of the situation.