Night Terrors (Sarah Beauhall Book 4) by J. A. Pitts

more. “I want to answer all your questions, but we have to do it properly.”
    “How do you know about me and my brother?”
    He let his arm drop once again. “Fair question,” he said, leaning back against the wall opposite her. “I have associates who are familiar with your”—he hesitated—“current activities, let’s say.”
    Heat flashed through Katie. The thought of them spying on them, on Black Brair. Her thoughts flitted back to the bugs they’d found in Jimmy’s house.
    “Did you bug my brother’s house?” she asked.
    He sighed, his shoulders sagging and his confidence waning. “We did,” he said, taking another step away. “I really just need to make contact with you folks. My order was on friendly terms with your parents. Before they disappeared.”
    Katie’s head came up so fast, her teeth clacked together. “How do I know you didn’t make them disappear?” she asked. Anger rose in her and the dark voice in her head started to howl.
    “We’re watchers,” he said, holding up one hand, showing his wrist and the tattoo exposed under his coat sleeve. “Bestellen von Mordred,” he said. “We shared information with your parents. We were allied, I swear.”
    Katie marched over to him, grabbing him by the shoulder. “Where are my parents?”
    “Whoa, there,” Charlie said, shrugging her hand off his shoulder and backing away. “I don’t know much, honestly. I’m not even supposed to be talking to you, but I’ll tell you what I know.”
    “Start talking,” Katie said, squaring up to him and clenching her hands into fists. “Either tell me something I want to hear or get the hell out.” Her temper was flaring to the danger zone.
    Charlie held one hand up as if to forestall an attack. “Mrs. Gottschalk knows more than I do. We should really meet with her. I honestly don’t know much.”
    “You,” Katie said, poking him in the shoulder with one finger. “What do you know?”
    Charlie paled, the fear coloring his features in shades of white and grey. That just made her even more angry. She wanted someone to throttle, not cow. “Iceland,” he said, glancing back over his shoulder to the open doorway. “They were meeting some people about a new archeological dig. Rumor had it they’d uncovered evidence of Jómsborg.”
    Katie shook her head, confused. “Pardon?”
    “Viking sect,” he said. “Rumored to have a homeland in the south Baltic sea region. Crazy warriors according to legends. No real evidence they existed, though. Nothing concrete.”
    Katie’s anger began to ebb. “They went to Iceland to look at an archeological dig?”
    “That was their starting point, or so our sources say.” Charlie looked innocent enough. Just a guy trying to have a conversation.
    “Is that the official reason for the trip, or the secret reason?”
    Charlie laughed a fearful guffaw. “Touché. That is the secret reason. Officially, they told both the Icelandic and United States governments that they were just sight-seeing.”
    Katie stepped back, leaned against the wall by her classroom door. “That makes sense based on what I know,” she said. “But why are you talking to us now? Why haven’t you contacted us sooner?”
    She’d hit a nerve there. He looked down, shuffling his feet. “Politics,” he mumbled.
    “What?”
    He looked up at her. “Honestly, political bullshit. Our order is afraid of every shadow, double-checks and rechecks everything just to make sure we’re safe—in the shadows—in control.”
    Now it was Katie’s turn to chuckle. “You sound disgruntled.”
    “Hell, yes,” he said. Suddenly he looked more in control. “Gottschalk will totally kick my ass, but I have to tell you. They’re scared out of their minds that you folks are going to fuck things up and bring the wrath of the dragons down on all of us.”
    Katie made a thoughtful pout. “That was brutally honest.”
    Charlie shrugged again. “Look, if Sarah has”—he leaned in to