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to a hidden frequency and removed all location identifiers.”
    “Care to explain that in English?” Toryn asked gruffly.
    “It means that no one else will be able to listen in on your conversations. Just the person on the other end of the line. And no one will be able to ping the phone to figure out its location. Rickert is having me procure them for all the warriors to use when they’re on this side of the portal.”
    Toryn still wasn’t sure what all that meant, but if Rickert was okay with it, then that was good enough for him. He took the phone from Sean, and the guy gave him a crash course on how it worked.
    “I’ll grab a bite to eat and then if I don’t hear from you, I will…uh…run a couple of errands. So no hurry. Just call me if you need me for any reason.”
    “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
    Toryn thought he detected a hint of sadness in the guy’s demeanor. He debated whether to say anything or not. Finally, his curiosity got the best of him. “Everything okay?”
    Sean met his gaze for a moment then looked away. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
    “Are you sure? Because if there’s something I can do…” He let the offer trail off.
    The truth was, he owed him. The guy had done him a solid today, even though Toryn had been a total dick ever since they met. Rickert had him working on computer stuff back at the Iron Haven. There was plenty for him to do, and yet he’d dropped everything in order to help Toryn.
    Sean rubbed a hand over his face. “It’s nothing really. I just thought I’d swing by my old neighborhood. See if I can get a glimpse of my family from the street.”
    Ah. So that explained why the guy had been so willing to help. “You still don’t think it’s safe to let them know you’re okay?”
    Sean shook his head. “It will never be safe. I cannot take that chance. It’s not worth it.” He cleared the emotion from his throat then looked up to the sky, as if searching the heavens for strength. “I’d rather my wife move on and my daughter grow up without me than have them be in danger again because of me.”
    Guilt for being so distrustful of this man stabbed at Toryn like a blunt knife.
    This was a dangerous line of work they were in, fighting against the Pacifican army. With the exception of Rickert, Asher and Vince—whose women were as tough as they were—all the warriors with families kept them on the other side of the portal. And for good reason. They’d be prime targets for the army if they knew about them.
    But Sean wasn’t a warrior. After heavy lobbying from a few of the men, he was released from the jail pits, but he was banished from Cascadia forever. He was a man without a home.
    Sean nodded once, pressed his lips into a thin line. “Good luck. I hope you find her.”
    Toryn wanted to say that he hoped Sean was successful, too, that he’d somehow be able to get a glimpse of his loved ones when he drove through his old neighborhood. But he kept his mouth shut. Even for him, that would be too cruel.

Chapter Five
    S omething wasn’t right .
    Pressing the phone to her ear and covering the other one with her free hand, Keely strained to hear what her sister was saying.
    Becca didn’t sound like herself. Something was off about her. Like she was under the influence of someone…or something.
    Crap. Was she using again?
    Becca used to have a drug problem, back when they were going through all that stuff with their parents, but that was behind her now. She’d been clean for years.
    Becca should’ve been yelling at Keely that she hadn’t gotten to the shop with the money on time. Or pleading with her to help, to do something to get her away from her captors.
    But Becca was saying none of those things. In fact, she didn’t even sound frightened. Rather, she was going on and on about some great opportunity. Kept referring to it as her “big break.”
    Keely didn’t understand. Was her sister being coerced or threatened into saying this? “Becca, what’s going on?