Well, fuck me sideways. If my simple life wasn’t being blown wide open now, I imagined it would be soon. But she could just keep on wondering. I felt no need to divulge my private life to her or anybody else for that matter, even if red flags had been raised.

I smiled sweetly. “Oh, Carlos offered that, did he? That was very nice of Private Lopez.” I kept my smile pasted on, just for good measure.

The commander blinked, and I swear she was about to grumble in irritation since I wasn’t spilling the beans, but a mask of professionalism descended over her face instead. “The reason I needed to speak with you is because there was another break-in attempt at your apartment.”

The pasted smile melted off my face. “What? Is Tessa—”

“Your sister is safe,” Commander Klebus added in a hurry. “She’s still at Practically Perfect and being guarded by SF members. I’ve kept firm locates on her all day, but when I informed her of another break-in attempt, she said I should defer all information to you.”

I managed a jerky nod. “How did you know they’d returned?”

“I left several squad members on the premises, to monitor for further activity. Just before lunch, four new supernaturals arrived, but as soon as my squad members engaged, they vanished.”

“So you didn’t catch them?”

She shook her head. “I’m afraid not.”

“Holy shit.” I stared at her, gaping. “They’re really trying to get me—I mean, Tessa,” I corrected in a hurry.

Her eyes gleamed, but whatever was veiled in their depths disappeared in a blink. “They are, which is why I no longer think it’s safe for either of you to stay in Chicago in any capacity.”

“Whoa, what?” I reeled back in my chair. “But Tessa and I are staying at my friend’s house. It’s a heavily warded high-rise. It’s more than safe, and tonight we’ll be having protective wards put around our apartment. It should be secure in a few days.”

The commander’s lips pursed. “I don’t think you’re understanding the gravity of the situation. I don’t think protective wards will be enough.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’re fighting a very intelligent and sophisticated organization. We’ve already uncovered that this goes beyond a single man—Jakub as you called him. Whoever he is, he’s not new to this game. He’s walking around our society, capturing supernaturals from their daily lives, and taking them to various locations throughout the globe without any trackable means of finding them—until Mr. King got involved.” She steepled her fingers. “The other supernaturals that Jakub abducted, and whom Mr. King rescued, all had protective wards in place, but it didn’t stop their abductions.” Her words dripped with ice, and even though vamps were known for being indifferent to most things in our society, Commander Klebus was an exception. She was clearly furious at such atrocities.

“Is this all linked to the European mafia?” I asked.

“Possibly.”

“So this isn’t just the club in New York? There are more places?”

She nodded slowly. “I can’t reveal too much given the sensitive nature of this information, but yes. That club in New York was only one location where we believe captives are being held. We believe there are more locations as we still have a dozen powerful supernaturals unaccounted for.” She leveled me with a hard stare. “And next time you see your mate, will you please remind him not to set any more facilities on fire? It does do a number on our evidence.”

For a moment, I didn’t reply. She’d just referred to the Fire Wolf as my mate, as if such a thing were perfectly normal. I was so tempted to tell her that he wasn’t my mate, but then remembered the only reason I was off the hook for explaining how those two supernaturals died in my bedroom was because the hunter had claimed responsibility for it as my mate.

I gave her a weak smile.

“Anyway, as I was saying,” she continued, “you and your sister will need to leave Chicago. Since we can’t trust this group to tell you and your sister apart, you’re both in danger.”

“But what about our shop?”

“Do you have employees who can manage your business while you’re away?”

I gaped. “Well, I guess so, but that’s asking a lot of them.”

“If you explain the gravity of the situation, I’m sure they’ll understand.”

I leaned back in my chair. “So you’re convinced that this group will eventually get my sister again?”

That gleam in her eyes returned. “On the contrary, Ms. Davenport, we now firmly believe that these men are only looking for you, and we’ve come to the conclusion that you were the intended target all along. However, your sister could be used as leverage, so she won’t be left open. She will be protected too.”

My eyes bugged out. She knew. The SF commander knew that I had been the intended target all along, not my sister. But how did she know? I figured it was either that damn report I’d given her which had pretty much spelled out how strong I was, or it was something they’d uncovered in their investigation.

I settled further into my chair, letting it all sink in. Inside, a little part of me withered. The SF officially knew about the strength of my witch powers, but did they also know about my forbidden one?

I was too afraid to ask.

My shoulders slumped. So many changes were happening so quickly. Just last week, I’d been doing my own thing, enjoying life, creating potions, crafting spells, and now this week my secret was being revealed to more and more people, I’d nearly died in my apartment, and now I was being kicked out of my hometown and asked to abandon my business. And all to avoid being kidnapped by some psychotic supernatural with an agenda we still didn’t understand. Fuck that guy.

Rage bubbled up inside me. Hot, scorching, and consuming rage.

Fuming, I straightened. More than anything, I wanted to break something. Preferably Jakub’s head. Yes, that would do nicely. I could take his noggin and crack it against the sidewalk like an egg splattering open on a frying pan. A dark smile spread across my face.

“Ms. Davenport?”

My smile wiped clean. “Yes?”

The commander placed her forearms on her desk. “We have several safe houses available. All of them would ensure your safety.”

My jaw dropped. “Safe houses?” Oh gods. This is real.

She waved toward the far wall, and with the push of a button, a magical holograph of earth appeared. The globe spun, the continents ablaze with color. Shimmering cities appeared throughout the countries.

Several times, the holograph changed, zooming into various locations, but moving too fast for me to see what country or continent it had landed on. A mixture of terrains and buildings, all heavily guarded with Supernatural Forces members patrolling the perimeters, appeared in each display.

“What are those?” I asked.

“The SF commands several secure facilities throughout the globe—safe houses for supernaturals in dangerous situations such as yourself. Seven are currently open. Do you have a climate preference for where you go?”

I sputtered. “Wait, are you saying that I have no choice in this? That the SF is going to force me to leave Chicago no matter what?”

“Of course, you have a choice, but the question is, how much do you value your life and your freedom? Staying in Chicago leaves you in grave jeopardy.”

I blinked, not able to believe what I was hearing. Just four days ago, this woman hadn’t believed me when I’d said there was a threat. Now, she was telling me I had to leave the country. Or not. I had no idea where any of the safe houses were located.

A heavy dose of silence passed between us before the commander sighed. “There is one other option, if you don’t want to be in SF custody.”

“There is?”

Her face gave away nothing when she said, “Your mate has offered to provide protection for you amongst his pack.”