Sage

I was in my bedroom, the only light coming from the dual monitors on the desk. Pack reports scrolled across the screen: border patrol logs, revenue from the lumber holdings, and a request for mediation between two lieutenants who couldn’t keep their fangs sheathed. Routine bullshit I could do half-asleep.

My phone sat beside the keyboard. I picked it up and thumbed a quick message to Alex.

“Update on Eve?”

Sent. Read. No reply.

Typical. The man treated texts like contagious diseases.

I let ten minutes pass while I signed off on the reports, then twenty. Nothing. Irritation prickled under my skin. I was about to hit call when...