Page 58 of The Tracker's Rage

“What about the side effects?” Rosalina asked. “Do you have those afterward?”

“No.”

“Wow. That’s great.”

Jake frowned. “So you’re thinking that if you touch Stephen’s pendant, you might be able to see something.”

I nodded. “It’s worth a try, at least.”

“You would have to be close to him,” Jake said.

“Yeah,reallyclose,” Rosalina put in.

I shrugged. “I don’t think that will be a problem. I got close before.”

“Did you ever?” Rosalina said in a singsong tone.

Jake balled his hands into fists. “I don’t like this plan. Stephen is dangerous.”

“That sounds to me like jealousy talking,Jakie,” I said.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why not?”

He threw his hands up in the air and paced around.

“I’ll go tonight,” I said.

“Why don’t you focus on your agency?” He spread his arms, gesturing around. “Forget about all this other crap.”

“I can’t,” I admitted to them and to myself. “I have to help. I can’t turn a blind eye to what’s going on in the city, especially if it’s something I might be able to stop.”

“I’ve always admired that in you, Toni, your desire to help others, to right injustice, but the more I dig into this, the deeper the rabbit hole goes. You don’t want to get caught up in it.”

“But you are,” I said. “And from the sounds of it, you’re getting more entangled by the day.”

“I have no other choice, but you do. Please, Toni. Could you listen to me for once?”

“I just did. I heard everything you said. But I make my own decisions.”

He seemed to consider what to say next, glanced at Rosalina. “Even if you drag your friends down with you?”

Ouch!He knew how to hit where it hurt the most.

To my surprise, Rosalina put him in his place.

“Uh-uh, you leave me out of this,Mr. Knight. I’m a grown woman, able to make my own decisions too, as you well know. No one drags me anywhere. I go voluntarily.”

Um, did that mean she was willingly letting me drag her down?Crap!

Jake switched his attention to me and changed tactics. “I’m sure Blake told Stephen you’re a werewolf, but he’s not supposed to know. You’re going to let him ‘find out.’” He made air quotes.

“I’m done hiding who I am,” I said. “So I guess the answer isyes.”

“That might not be such a good idea.”

“Why not?”