smiled. “He headed out at first light to talk to his contacts in his underwater city. He’ll be back by afternoon. He also wanted me to tell you he’s sorry, but considering what’s happened, he’s going to have to postpone your meeting with Teredia.”
Teredia. He blanked for a second before remembering she was the Mermaid Ion had wanted Zach to marry. Though Zach hadn’t met her yet, Ion had claimed the alliance would help Nantha tremendously, by virtue of family connections. In the photo he’d shown Zach, Teredia was stunning.
When Zach had asked why someone who looked like that would need an arranged marriage, Ion had laughed. “It’s complicated,” he’d said. “I’ll let her tell you, if you’ll agree to do this for your sister.”
Zach had given his tentative agreement, with the caveat that he could back out if Teredia and he weren’t a match. He didn’t have much of a social life—engineers weren’t known for their scintillating conversational skills—so he’d told himself it wouldn’t hurt to try and be open to new experiences. Then he’d promptly put it to the back of his mind. Clearly Ion hadn’t.
“That’s fine.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I can’t even think about that right now. But I’m glad Ion’s going to be back tonight.” He told her about the meeting at Broken Chains that night at eight. “Can you make sure and let him know?”
“Of course.” She carried his plate and hers to the sink. “I’m looking forward to meeting your friends. I just wish it was under better circumstances.”
He started to point out that they weren’t exactly friends, but decided against it. Whatever she needed to believe to make herself feel better was okay with him.
“Thanks for breakfast, Mom.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you at Broken Chains, tonight.”
The sadness in her gaze echoed how he felt in his heart. He sighed and left. He knew the drive back to Texas City would feel twice as long as usual, but he wanted to go home and change before making those phone calls.
On the way there, his cell phone rang. Caller ID showed Unknown Caller. His heart skipped a beat. While it was possible someone was calling who’d seen his poster and had information about his sister, he had a gut feeling this was something else.
“Did you get the note?” a low voice growled. Masculine, he thought, though the voice-garbling software made it difficult to tell.
“I did.” He kept his tone even, stifling the rage that filled him. Somehow, he managed to keep it contained. “How did you get this number?”
“Never mind that,” the anonymous person said. “Have you considered my offer?”
Though there were many ways Zach could have responded to that, he knew he didn’t have time to waste. “Consider it? I have no idea where I’d find virgins, never mind virgin Mermaids.”
“Really?” The caller sounded unconcerned. “If you don’t, then my little captive’s father should know. Ask him. Otherwise, tell him his daughter is going to die. You have one week. No longer.” And then, with a click, the person ended the call.
Stunned, Zach stared at his phone. He punched Redial, but only got a recording stating that the call could not be completed as dialed.
Clearly, this meant the letter writer had been serious. While he could infer from this that Nantha was still alive and they might be able to save her, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he couldn’t be part of some sort of sacrifice. Two innocent lives for his sister’s? No.
But would Ion feel the same way? For the first time ever, Zach wasn’t certain his stepfather would do the right thing.
While this was something else he’d discuss with the Shadow Agency, he decided he wouldn’t tell June just yet. Due to the letter’s implications, he could only imagine her reaction. No, when and if he decided to fill Ion in, he’d need to catch the Merman alone before he went back to the ocean.
For the first time, he wondered why the captors had chosen to reach out to him rather than Nantha’s father, especially since they wanted virgin Mermaids.
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