GAME ON - GoM 2

8

Blake read sitting in his favorite armchair by the large windows, enjoying the sun coming into the library from the garden. Marla rested on a couch nearby, earphones on.

Blake's phone rang and he picked up, relaxed and smiling to greet Markus. Until he heard the last news from Bold Peak. That shattered his aristocratic leisure.

"You sure it's him?" he asked, sitting up.

Marla turned off her music and paid attention.

"Positive, sir," said Markus from his office, in the unusually quiet, empty house on the cliff.

"And you're sure it wasn't him who did it?"

"No, sir. It was her. I saw it with my own eyes. And there are more hunters with her."

"Really. Any more good news?"

Markus didn't reply to Blake's cold irony.

"Lay low and keep it safe, Markus. That's all that matters. I'm sending you some backup soon."

"Soon, sir?"

"Yes, Markus, soon."

Blake disconnected, snorting.

Markus looked down at the phone and grimaced. His eyes moved to the cabinet. The Cross glowed in the usual furious red. Good thing the chest had been specially crafted to contain it. Else, the damn thing would burn it. And then it would set the room on fire, and the whole house. With Markus inside. That was the whole point.

All of a sudden he felt alone and exposed there, with that old angry thing that wanted to kill him for only company.

At Blake's library, Marla watched Blake pace up and down, head low, lips pressed tight together.

"What is it, Dad?"

"The priest."

Marla took her turn to sit up at the news. "In Bold Peak?"

Blake only nodded, snorting again.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of him."

Blake halted and turned to her. "No way. You're not going back to that damned town. You hardly made it back the last time you went there. And now it's even more dangerous."

"But Dad—!"

"I need you to handle other things, child."

Marla huffed and rolled her eyes.

That made Blake smile. "Finding the right hunter is just as crucial as keeping the Cross safe, dear. I need you to focus on that."