It was only then that Knox noticed McCauley at her side. A dark suspicion whispered in his mind. Could the child have harmed her? Dario had warned them that he may need to be killed. Knox crouched in front of the boy. "You know who has Harper?"
McCauley nodded, eyes blank. "An old woman."
Not an answer Knox would have expected to hear. "An old woman?"
"Harper called her ‘Nora'."
Knox didn't show his surprise, but Jolene did by letting out a string of foul curses that made him think of Harper – and thinking of his mate, missing and possibly hurt, made his stomach churn.
"Nora passed us to go into the restrooms," said Devon, eyes damp. "She was gone too."
Which meant that either the boy was telling the truth or that Nora had been taken too. Leaning towards the first explanation, Knox asked, "Where did she take Harper, McCauley?"
"There was smoke," said the boy. "It was red and black, and it swirled."
"A portal," said Levi.
"Nora took Harper through a portal?" asked Raini, voice shaky.
"Then it vanished," McCauley added.
Knox stormed out the VIP area, crossing to the restrooms with purposeful strides. He shoved the door open, hoping he'd find Harper standing there smiling; hoping it was all one big sick joke that he'd spank her ass for later. But there was no Harper. There was, however, the energy residue from a portal – it was like static electricity in the air.
He whispered his fingers over the lingering energy. "I can feel it," he said through gritted teeth, knowing the others had followed him inside. "The portal was right here."
"There's no telling where it led," growled Tanner, voice hard as stone, muscles stiff. "They could be anywhere."
Knox? Knox, please say you can hear me.
His eyes closed at the sound of Harper's voice, even though their telepathic link seemed weak and almost distant. I hear you, baby. Where are you?
I don't know exactly, but I'm stood on some kind of energy vortex, thanks to fucking Nora. It's stopping me from using my abilities.
"Harper says she's stood on an energy vortex," said Knox, curling his hands into fists. The back of his throat hurt, and it was difficult to swallow. "It's preventing her from using her abilities." Leaving her defenseless, just as she'd been once before not so long ago.
"You can hear her?" asked Jolene, brows drawn together. "I keep calling out to her, but she's not answering me." The sentinels and she-demons nodded, claiming the same.
"Maybe it's because they're anchored or something," Raini suggested, hands jammed under her armpits.
"I warned Harper to run," said McCauley, tone flat. "She didn't run."
Knox frowned. "To run from Nora?"
He shook his head. "Linda," he said simply, none of the urgency or fear in his voice that Knox was feeling.
Bastard though he was, Knox itched to shake the boy and drag everything he knew out of him.
Maybe he sensed that, because McCauley took a step forward and said, "Read my mind."
///
Because Knox's touch was invited, it didn't cause McCauley any pain when Knox thrust his mind into his. Knox delved into his memories, saw the boy watching the parade. Saw Linda slap a hand over his mouth and drag him into an alley. Heard her speak over the phone that then began to ring.
"What?" Linda snapped at her caller. "Not yet. I'll meet you once I've killed the brat … Of course this is important to me – I want that baby even more than you do, but this kid will pay first. It's not like you need me to grab Harper for you or induce labor; you might be old, but there's nothing weak about you … Fine." Linda then ended the call and turned her attention to the boy in her arms. "All you had to do was love me. But no, you wouldn't do it. You left me. No one leaves me."
Knox watched as McCauley bit her hand and then ran as she screamed, "Ow! Get back here you little bastard!"
Knox then sped forward through the memories, watching a fast-forward version of McCauley fleeing from Linda, hiding in the restrooms, and finally getting to Harper. "You need to run," he said.
Heart in his throat, Knox then watched as Nora talked with Harper before forcing her into a portal. Swallowing hard, Knox withdrew his mind from the boy's. "Thank you for trying to help Harper, McCauley. You can tell your demon that she and I will keep you safe from Linda." Standing, Knox gave the others a rundown of what happened.