We secured Roland in a storage unit Nate had acquired in the distant past. Under an alias corporation that was owned by other corporations, and yet other corporations, masking his ownership in a web he said would take months to untangle. He had boxes filled with battery powered lights, water, and other bug-out items. When asked about it, he had replied simply, “This is one of many shelters I have in Missouri.”

Ah, the power of money. But if it kept Roland safe, I couldn’t be too disgusted by the strange world Nate lived in. But with money like he had, why did he spend time picking fights with monsters? Helping me? Going to auctions? Starting schools? He could have just as easily sat back on his mountains of money and done nothing, watching the world spin on by.

It was curious.

Nate had stepped outside for a few minutes while Claire and I saw to Roland. When he came back, he sat on a box, resting. It took Claire twenty minutes to feel confident he wasn’t about to die, and I told Nate I was going to check on my father.

“He’s safe. I saw to it,” he said in a soft tone, eyes still closed.

“Those wards didn’t stop the vampires at my apartment.”

“I took additional measures,” he said, waving his phone, eyes still closed.

“What?” I asked in disbelief.

“Let’s skip past the part where you yell at me, angry I didn’t ask your permission first, and focus on the fact that your dad is safe. His safety is more important than your pride. Right? Give me a sliver of trust. I’m not the one who has lied to you, so stop taking your anger out on me.” He did open his eyes, then. And they were challenging, daring me to argue. And with the last statement, he did shoot a meaningful glance towards Roland, reminding me of the real source of my anger. I didn’t say anything, biting my tongue. He nodded satisfactorily. “I’m going to go get some rest. There’s roll up mats, blankets, and pillows in those boxes,” he pointed absently. Then he Shadow Walked, leaving us staring at each other.

I turned to Claire, who shrugged back. Roland was asleep. “I’m going to go check on him. Can you stay here and watch over Roland? I might end up staying with my dad overnight. I can Shadow Walk him here if we have any… visitors.” She nodded, obviously not happy about me going off alone, but understanding my decision.

I helped her unpack the bedding supplies, turning on a few more lamps, bathing the storage unit in blue light. Thirty minutes later, Claire urged me to hurry up and get going, shoving me towards the door.

I let out a slow breath, and tried to remember how I had Shadow Walked on my own on the roof of the hotel. I had wanted to be away from the sound I had heard behind me — Nate. Maybe if I just imagined where I wanted to be…

I found myself standing in the driveway near the garage door at my dad’s house. A faint echoing crack reverberated around me, but no louder than if a tree branch had snapped in one of the yards.

I rushed to the door, knocking loudly. The porch light turned on and my dad came downstairs, bleary-eyed. “Callie? I thought you were… Come in. Hurry,” he said, glancing over my shoulder.

I did, sitting down in the couch in the living room as he sat on the recliner, still trying to wake up. “What are you doing here, Callie? It’s late.”

I nodded. “I just… wanted to check on you.”

He nodded, barely reacting. “A friend of yours came by. Well, he used acquaintance. Older gentleman. Nice guy. Different,” my dad said, eyes still looking blood-shot for some reason. I frowned. A friend of mine? My dad sensed the silence and looked up. “He gave me a gift… and told me he would keep an eye on the place. He also gave me this marble in case I felt in danger. Said to use it only in emergencies, but that it would send me to safety if I broke it at my feet.” He held up a familiar glass marble, shaking his head. Not disbelieving, but… incredulous.

One of Nate’s tiny traveling balls.

Part of me was upset at Nate for obviously involving another of his friends in the mix — this older gentleman — but part of me also wanted to hug him. He hadn’t asked. Hadn’t tried to persuade me. He’d just made sure my dad was safe, only mentioning his actions after I told him I wanted to check on him.

My dad cleared his throat, and I looked up. “I trust him, Callie. Trust me on that…”

I nodded absently, wondering why my dad felt so trusting of him. He had mentioned a gift, but I could tell by the look on his face immediately after saying it, that he didn’t want to talk about it. Had Nate’s friend bribed my dad?

I had told Nate not to involve his friends in the matter. Especially not with my dad. But… he had done it to protect him. Didn’t that count for something?

But deep down, I still didn’t know Nate well enough to fully trust him. Not that he was a bad person, I presumed he was quite the opposite, but just because he was against bad guys didn’t mean he didn’t have ulterior motives of his own. After all, many bad people killed other bad people. To thin the herd. Remove competition.

I didn’t think this was the case, but the problem was, I just didn’t know.

Regardless, this elder gentleman had given my dad a gift of some sort to prove his good faith, and amazingly, it had apparently been enough to do just that, converting one of the most skeptical people I had ever known in a single encounter.

But who had Nate sent? Not Gunnar or Ashley. They weren’t old. And what had this gentleman given my dad? Because he had given him this gift in order to prove who he was or that he had my dad’s best interests at heart. Only then had the man given my dad the glass marble. Which meant that the sphere wasn’t the gift. And my dad was not very material, so what gift could have changed that? A gift more special than a sphere that could teleport him to safety.

Somewhere.

Perhaps somewhere not so safe. Somewhere only Nate knew of.

To use against me? Against Roland? Or was I just being paranoid?

I peppered him relentlessly, frowning at the joyful glaze in his eyes whenever I pressed about this mysterious ‘gift.’ But my dad refused to elaborate. “I promised,” he said. Which only inflamed my curiosity.

I had finally admitted defeat, and told him that the man worked with Nate Temple. My dad had been surprised to hear that. Downright stunned, actually. Which only added to the puzzle in my mind. The man hadn’t said he worked with Nate? Why not, if there was nothing to hide? Was that good or bad?

I let out a breath, content that my dad knew he might be in danger, if not the circumstances that caused the danger. “I’m staying here tonight, but if you even have a suspicion of danger, I need you to promise you will use that marble, and immediately call me after.” He agreed, trying to usher me upstairs into my old room, but I wanted to be on the couch by the front door. That’s where an attack would come in. He finally left me downstairs, and went to bed.

I felt better knowing he was safe. And that he would call me if he used the marble, letting me know where it had taken him. And that he was safe.

And so that I could rescue him from Temple if needed.

A fitful, restless sleep took over after I had triple-checked every door and window leading into the house, even setting obstacles before each door so I would wake if someone broke in.