Lori sighed. “You know how he always talked about running a bar when he retires?”

I didn’t, but that didn’t matter. “Did he buy a bar?”

“He’s got himself a job at the Steel Horse. He says he wants to get a feel for the business.”

The Steel Horse was a border bar that sat on the invisible boundary between the Pack and the People’s territory within Atlanta. It was a neutral watering hole and I had a lot of pull with its owners. “Hypothetically speaking, if someone offered you your old Guild job back, would you be interested?”

There was a pause before an urgent whisper filled my ear. “Kate, you get me out of here, I’ll buy your drinks for a year. If I have to pipe cream on one more carrot cupcake, I’ll stab myself.”

“Thanks for your help.”

I hung up. The Steel Horse wouldn’t open for another hour or two.

The answering machine’s light blinked at me. That’s right. More messages.

I pushed the answering machine’s button again.

“This is the attendance department of Seven Star Academy. Your student, Julie Lennart-Daniels, has been marked absent in the following periods . . .”

Julie didn’t skip school. I went cold.

“First . . .”

She wasn’t sick this morning.

“Second . . .”

Curran would’ve taken her straight to school.

“And third.”

She was absent for the entire morning. Curran and she never made it to school.

“Please provide the necessary documentation within two business—”

The magic wave washed over me. Damn it, just what I needed.

I grabbed the phone and dialed the Seven Star Academy. Work, damn you.

A beep. Another . . .

“Seven Star Academy, this is Emily.”

“My name is Kate Daniels. Did Julie ever come to school today?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Please call me as soon as she shows up.”

I hung up and dialed the house. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring . . .

What the hell could’ve happened?

“Leave a message,” my own voice said.

“Curran, where the hell are you? I can’t find Julie. Julie, if you are there, pick up the phone. You are not in trouble. I just need to know if you are safe.”

Silence.

I hung up and dialed Barabas.

“I don’t have it yet,” he said.

“Did you see Curran leave this morning?”

“Yes.”

“Did he have Julie with him?”

“Yes.”

“Is he back?”

“No. I was here all morning. I would’ve heard the car.”

“Call me if you see him. Please.”

I hung up.

Julie and Curran were gone. Just like Eduardo. It would take an army of ghouls to take Curran down. He would die before he let them have Julie. Where could he have gone with her?

I dialed the Keep, the front guard station.

“You’ve reached the Pack . . .” Artie said.

“It’s me.”

“Consort . . . I mean, not Consort. Ex-Consort?”

“Is Curran at the Keep?”