Chapter 36

Two weeks had passed,and Sage had not been found.

"Video conference in ten," my secretary announced from the doorway.

"I know," I growled.

He rushed away.

Sig walked through the door. "I see you are in another good mood." He closed the door behind him.

I sighed loudly.

"You look rough, Bredon."

"Sleep is elusive. However, I should not be rude to staff." My behavior unsettled me.

"If you do not take care of yourself, you will collapse." Sig opened his laptop. "That will not help any of us."

"Perhaps Novus will have news…" They had requested the conference.

The tone of a gong sounded from his laptop.

I rounded my desk to join Sig on the sofa.

"Good afternoon," Sig greeted Tex.

"Sig, Bredon." The large redhead's fingers were flying over a tablet as he spoke. "I have news."

I leaned closer to the laptop.

"The tip line is working. We've received over three hundred calls."

"That many?" I was surprised.

"Some were outrageous, but that is to be expected. We discounted the stories of alien abduction without further investigation. Some tips didn't make sense, such as the photo was of a subject who was long deceased."

"People really want that reward," Sig surmised.

"There were a handful that had a ring of truth. Then, we received a call claiming a sighting in Nashville. The caller recalled a conversation with a woman named Sage, and I found her credible."

"Where is Sage?" I asked, feeling hopeful for the first time in weeks.

"She is on the move. I believe your mate is using the bus transportation system, as was our tipster."

"I am not familiar with this system," Sig admitted on our behalf.

Tex tapped a few keys on his laptop. "These are the route maps for the U.S. for the largest carrier."

A map appeared on our laptop's screen. There were multiple red lines crisscrossing the country.

"It is extensive. There is no efficient way to find her." Tex again held his tablet.

"It is an interesting plan," I murmured. "Constantly moving so that if someone saw her in one city, she would be gone by the time a team arrived." Damn, my mate's intelligence.

"I asked those on my team who had recently returned from college, and several used the bus system. The most significant negative for us is that many who use the carrier don't want attention. They might not be open to cooperating."

I let out a disappointed sigh.

Tex held up a finger. "One did suggest placing signage in bus stations."

"Go on…" I was interested.

"We wrote and then ran a program that helps whittle down the probability of which cities she might pass through."

Novus was light-years ahead of the Redds in technology knowledge. They interacted with the human and Lycan worlds. They sent their young into the human world for further experience and education.

"What did you learn?" I asked, curious.

"We should focus on bus stations in larger cities with more travelers. There is safety in numbers."

"That makes sense." I would need to make another payment to Novus for their impressive services.

Sig asked, "What kind of sign? What will it say?"

"We think it would be better if it were personalized. Perhaps something like…Sage, we are worried. Then include a phone number." Tex held up his hand to hold off our comments. "We'll get the regular cranks who see a phone number and call it. But…she might be lonely or homesick and call."

"Will that phone line be staffed twenty-four-seven?" I asked.

"We can do that," Tex paused, "or we can set up a voicemail, and the messages can be dealt with in batches." He tapped his tablet's screen. "You could even go through them."

I liked that idea. In case Sage did call, I wanted to be the one who heard her message. "Set it up. I want access to the voicemail."

"We'll get it done today. I'll update you on when the signs can be in place."

"Thank you, Tex."

"My problem has never been with you or Sig." He ended the conference.

Sig leaned back on the sofa. "This idea sounds promising."

"I have to find her." Something told me our time was running out.