The mysterious group on the other end of the Cal’s Diner phone line was the only reason I’d found West. They told me he and his pack would be safe, and they’d been right.
What would they know about Benji O’Connor? Feral bullets? Would it be helpful for anything at all? Could they have information that was worth the risk of asking for it?
I shouldn’t be making this decision on my own, but I wanted to help. They’d sacrificed so much for me.
My finger lightly tapped the call button.
I would be vague with my questions so it wouldn’t put Talia or my brother’s pack at risk.
“Cal’s Diner in the picturesque city of Banfield. Anything I can help you with today?” Starfall’s animated voice came over the line.
I recited the code I’d been given years ago and had used on a semi-frequent basis since then. “Will you serve me if I drive a scooter through your drive-thru?”
Two clicks sounded across the line. “We’ll do our best. Wanna place an order for drive-thru pickup?”
“Yes, please. A tropical pineapple smoothie and teriyaki chicken bites.”
A short pause and single click signalled it was safe to drop the ruse. “Line is secure,” she said. “Although I’m not sure if you’reas secure as you should be, Vi. Your location is tagged as the Alfieri property. You know, like the mafia family?”
Her tone was suspicious, but not harsh. I hadn’t thought about the location, but of course she knew where I was. It was stupid to call after all.
I took a few deep breaths, trying to come up with a lie.
My hesitation had Starfall speaking again, more urgently now. “Vi, if you’re not safe, cough twice. Or smack something loudly. Whatever, but do it exactly twice.”
“No, that’s not it!”
They didn’t need to bring out the cavalry. They would have if I’d been in danger. It was kind of what they did; helping omegas in need. At least that’s how they’d pitched themselves to me.
“No one here wants to hurt me. But, um, someone wants to hurt a friend of mine, and I wanted to see if I could get more information from you.”
“We don’t get involved in mafia business.” That voice wasn’t Starfall’s chipper one. It was a smoother, more posh female tone. “Too messy.”
“I understand. I’m sorry,” I said.
“Wait, don’t hang up.” Starfall caught me when I was halfway to ending the call. “Muse is always too hasty. Tell me what’s going on—we might be able to help if it’s not too close to their criminal enterprises.”
“I’m cautious, not hasty. Don’t promise the poor girl anything.”
“You have a weird definition of a promise, if that’s what that sounded like to you.” Starfall laughed. “Go on, Vi. Details.”
“I’m looking for Benji O’Connor.”
Surely that wouldn’t be too much information to give them, right? I chewed my lip. Maybe I should just hang up.
Starfall stayed silent for a moment, but when she spoke her tone was somber. “You don’t want to meet him. I promise.”
“I don’t want to meet him,” I agreed. “But, um, a very close friend of mine needs to find him. Urgently.”
“Is that very close friend an Alfieri? We don’t take sides on mafia issues,” Muse said.
“Yes, but it’s not a mafia issue. Well, I guess it kind of is because she’s a mafia daughter, but it’s more of an omega issue.”
“Vi, did you make friends with the Alfieri daughters? How? No one even knows who they are.” Starfall sounded excited. “I’ve always wanted to meet them.”
“West is going to kill me for calling you and telling you about all this,” I mumbled. “He doesn’t trust you. Can we leave it at the bare minimum?”
Muse heaved an annoyed sigh. “As a bare minimum, we need to know why an Alfieri daughter needs to find Benji O’Connor so desperately.”
