I tapped my foot as the phone rang. I shouldn't be doing this but I can't help myself. I needed to make that son of a bitch suffer for what he did to Jessica.

"Tanner McClain's phone, best friend Jared speaking." Ugh. Just what I needed, the devil incarnate.

"Let me talk to Tanner," I demanded.

"He can't come to the phone right now."

"Why the fuck not?" I hate this back and forth.

"Would you believe me if I said he was dead?"

"Ha, ha. Never in a billion years would I believe you did any harm to him. You love him."

"Yeah. It's a real curse to feel, but I'm preaching to the choir, aren't I Finn?"

"I don't have time to play games with you. Just tell Tanner that I want Derek brought to me alive."

"What makes you think we made it to where Jess is? Don't you care about if she's safe?"

I froze. How could I have forgotten to lie about not knowing where she was? Damn it. I really needed rest. "Of course, I care. I just didn't think you'd tell me. How is she?"

"Cut the bullshit. You didn't ask because you know exactly how she is. It's just my luck. That freak of nature somehow got her back to you didn't he?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I lied.

"Whatever. I don't care where she ended up. She will find her way back in my hands eventually. If you do ever find Derek though, let me know. I want my money back. What kind of clan leader loses a human girl..."

"So I assume you two are headed back to the states?"

"I meant it when I said Tanner couldn't come to the phone. I left him in a hotel in Australia with nothing more than a bag of O negative. He tried to kill me, he can find his way home by himself."

I wanted to call his bluff again but his voice sounded so level and his story was so detailed. The mother fucker was telling the truth.

"Wait so then how am I supposed to find—"

The line went dead.