We spent the following week building a plan around everything Cole's information had given us, Mabel's rituals, Ronan's tactical mind, and my own stubborn refusal to sit safely behind compound walls while everyone else decided my fate on my behalf.
The location Cole believed most likely to be Callahan's current base sat nearly a full day's ride north, an old hunting lodge deep enough in wooded territory that satellite images showed almost nothing beyond tree cover, but enough activity in the surrounding roads over recent weeks to suggest regular use by someone determined to stay hidden.
If we're right about this, Ronan said, laying out the final version of our approach in front of the assembled inner circle, we go in quiet, confirm Callahan's presence, and extract proof before he knows w
