by Helen Scott
“Blake Humphries.” He seemed as though he didn’t want to answer the question, but his name popped out anyway.
Roman crossed his arms over his chest and raised one hand to tap a single finger against his chin in thought. “Well, Blake, what should we do with you?”
Blake didn’t bother responding, since it was obvious that Roman was more thinking aloud than expecting an answer.
“I think we should let him go,” I said, my voice coming out stronger and more commanding than I’d expected.
“And when he tells Jax where we are?” Micah demanded, clearly not on board with my plan.
“We can take certain precautions before we release him.” I’d thought about it a lot on my run back to the cabin. I didn’t want any more blood on my hands. Before I continued my thought, I moved closer to Blake and squatted down. “I’ll get some of the email addresses for his students off his phone. We can take some dick pics and send them out. Career over, just like that.” I snapped my fingers with one hand while the other swiped his phone off the floor.
Blake stared at me with wide eyes. He and I didn’t know each other, so he didn’t know I would have trouble following through on the threat. He didn’t know that just because I’d killed someone earlier, it didn’t mean that I was okay destroying another life. All he had to know was that I’d had the idea and believe that I was willing to follow through with it.
“That’s a good plan, if we decide to release him. Until we make that decision, I propose we ask him some further questions,” Roman said, his voice silky smooth. It would have almost been the tone he used in bed with me, except it lacked the warmth and emotion I always felt when we were intimate. This, though just as smooth, was cold and empty, devoid of caring.
“We also need to find out how they knew where we were. Where they parked is almost an easy run from where we are now.” I hesitated before I said the next bit, not wanting to drive a wedge of doubt into a friendship, but I knew if I didn’t voice my concern, then I would always wonder about it. “Someone told them where we were.”
If a pin had dropped in the cabin at that moment, it would have rung out like a bell.
“You think my friend betrayed us?” Roman asked, looking at me with concern.
“Maybe not intentionally,” I replied, trying to soften the blow. “Why would they drive to the opposite side of the park from the city and park there? If someone was coming from the city and didn’t have a specific destination in mind, then they would park on the east side not the west side since that’s closer, but they had our coordinates. They knew exactly where we were and how to get to us in the most efficient way possible, though apparently, they were prepared to be wrong, judging by all the camping gear in the car.”
“Call him,” Micah said with a shrug. “Tell him what happened, see how he responds. You don’t have to accuse him of anything, just tell him that the location of his cabin has been compromised.”
Roman gave a curt, sharp nod and headed out the door. I knew he wouldn’t want to make the call in front of Blake. I didn’t blame him, I wouldn’t want to either. That didn’t mean I was going to let him have this conversation completely alone though.
Without looking at Blake, I followed Roman out the door.
The phone was already up to his ear when I got to him.
I heard Brecken’s voice as I got closer. “Hey, man, how’s the love shack?”
“Not great.”
“Don’t tell me there’s trouble in paradise already?”
“Not the trouble you’re talking about. Someone found us, Breck. I don’t know how, but I don’t know if the cabin is compromised. I thought I should let you know either way though.” Roman’s voice wasn’t quite as devoid of emotion as it had been a moment ago with Blake, but it wasn’t much better. I was worried that he might raise suspicions.
Apparently, my worry was misplaced though since Brecken said, “Seriously? I have no idea how! It’s not like anyone knows where it is except us.”
The lie was obvious in his voice—the higher pitch, the rushed words. It was all right there for Roman to hear, but somehow, I wasn’t sure he heard the same lie I did.
“It’s fine, old friend. I just wanted to let you know,” he replied, sounding relieved. It wasn’t an act either. From the way the tension in his face had disappeared and how he shoved his hand through his hair, I was sure he’d taken Brecken’s words at face value.
“I’m really sorry, bud. I wish I knew how they found you, but I don’t.”
My stomach soured. Brecken had lied, I felt sure of that, but I had no proof, nothing except my gut instinct. Roman had known the man longer, so I wasn’t sure if that would make him more blind to Brecken’s lies or more easily able to spot them. Whatever it was, I decided to keep my mouth shut.
If nothing else, Roman had just told the man that I thought had let Jax know where we were that his initial soldiers had failed to bring us in. If we got another wave, then I’d have a much harder time believing Roman’s friend was innocent.
When Roman hung up and looked at me, I saw his gaze flick past me for a split second and realized that Micah had followed us out as well. A mask slipped over his face, blanking it of all emotion as he said, “We need to get as much information out of Blake as we can. I think we may have to resort to violence to prove our point. Killing him isn’t on the table, I know that, but if he believes it is and that telling us the truth will save his life, then it will get him talking.”
I stacked my hands on my hips as I said, “Whatever we do, we should do it quickly and get a backup place ready so that we’re not stuck here if it’s not safe.”
Roman’s sharp glance told me that he knew exactly what I was insinuating. I didn’t care though. Our safety was more important than stepping on his feelings.
“Can we at least eat breakfast before we beat the shit out of him?” Micah asked as his stomach growled.
Roman’s mask cracked, and I saw the hint of a smile peek through. “You’re right—we should eat. I’ll get the food started.”
He strode away from us, the leaves crackling under his feet as he went and disappeared inside the cabin. I knew Micah was waiting for me before he made a move, and while I wanted to follow immediately after Roman, I also needed to get something off my chest.
“I think Brecken was lying.”
“I thought as much,” Micah replied. He scuffed the ground with his foot, playing with a pinecone as though it was a soccer ball. “Roman doesn’t seem to share the same opinion.”
“Not so much, no.”
He kicked the pinecone over to me, and I toed it around for a bit before kicking it back to him in a weird little game that was like a cross between soccer and hacky sack.
“What do you think we should do?” I asked eventually. The smell of meat cooking filled the air, even outside the cabin, and now my belly was rumbling along with Micah’s.
“We don’t know Brecken as well as Roman does. I think we should follow his lead for now. If something else comes up and we have reason to doubt Brecken’s word, then we bring it up with Roman at that point. I think if we try and do it before then, we won’t get anywhere. That’s just my opinion though.”
“And about Blake?”
Micah frowned as he kicked at the pinecone again. “I think Roman’s right—the guy knows more than he’s saying. If he won’t voluntarily tell us, then we’ll have to try and get the information out some other way.”
The pinecone crumbled with the force of Micah’s kick and the fact that it was aimed more into the dirt than at me.
“Does anything seem off about him to you?” I asked as I found another pinecone and kicked it over to Micah.
He caught it and rolled it from foot to foot, clearly practicing some standard soccer drills of some kind. “You mean the way he keeps watching you like you’re a fucking pork chop?”
Micah could have knocked me over with a feather with that statement. Blake had been checking me out? After the figh
t we went through and the snarky comments, it surprised me.
“Are you two coming in or am I just eating this all by myself?” Roman called from the doorway of the cabin.
I turned to look at him and found him with a white apron tied around his waist that for some reason, I found incredibly sexy. Apparently, I loved a man who could cook. Who knew?
Oh, right. I did when I about melted into a puddle after the two of them made me breakfast that first morning.
Had that really only been a few days ago? It seemed like so much had happened between then and now.
Micah wordlessly headed inside, and I followed. Awkwardness washed over me as I glanced in Blake’s direction, and something twisted in my gut—no, my chest. I jerked my gaze away and went to the other end of the table, as far away as I could get from him and still be near the kitchenette.
Roman was plating some eggs and bacon, and apparently, he’d found pancake mix somewhere, because he’d even managed to make some of those and was flipping the last one between loading up the plates. He’d barely set the plate in front of me before I was scarfing it down, hungrier than I’d expected and not embarrassed in the least bit by my appetite. For years, I’d had to hide how much I ate in front of humans, not that I spent a lot of time around them, but still. Having the freedom to eat as much as I wanted when I wanted was glorious.
It was similar to the way I felt about running or working out. In front of humans, I’d always had to be careful not to let on how fast or how strong I was. Alone, it was okay, but being able to be myself and push myself to my limit with two men that I loved? Priceless.
The hunger finally started to subside as I cleaned off my second plate of food. I got up to put my plate in the sink when I heard a statement that I knew was like putting a match to a powder keg.
Blake’s voice was full of reprimand as he said, “You should feed your mate more often. I haven’t seen anyone eat like that in years.”
“What did you just say?” Micah demanded, surprising me. After all, he’d been the one calling for us to ignore him before, but now? The look he was giving Blake was full of murder.
“I said most people value their mates more and take care of them, unlike you two idiots.”
Dammit. Was he trying to get himself killed?
I hadn’t even turned from cleaning my dish during all of this, but I wasn’t surprised when the sound of fist on flesh reached my ears, followed by a groan of pain. When I did turn and look, I was surprised to find Roman standing over Blake, fist raised to hit him again.
“Wait,” I called out before I realized what I was doing. “Let me talk to him. Let me try one more time, then you guys can do whatever you want.”
Roman didn’t say anything and stalked away with Micah hot on his heels. The cabin door slammed behind them, and within seconds, I heard a low howl and growls. The two of them were sparring outside in wolf form. Probably for the best, since it would help them get some of the aggression out. I didn’t want to think about what I was doing or what would happen if Blake didn’t open up to me any further.
The rest of the eggs and bacon were still sitting on the stove, the heat from the pans almost gone by that point, so I scooped them out onto a plate and grabbed a fork. I wasn’t sure when, but at some point this morning, Blake’s free hand had been tied back up. It was a good excuse really. I knew if I gave him a fork, I’d be handing him a weapon, and that thought made me extremely uncomfortable. I didn’t even make it over there before turning around and exchanging the fork for a spoon. It was at least a little less stabby.
“Do you want breakfast?” I asked.
“You’d untie me so I could eat?” Blake asked, confused.
“No, I’d feed you though.” My mind flashed to some of the kicks he’d used during our fight, and I had to suppress the urge to tie his feet to the other table leg. I knew if they were loose, I was technically putting myself in the danger zone, but I also had the feeling that if I showed such little trust in Blake, then he wouldn’t have any reason to trust me in turn.
“Fine,” he grumbled.
I sat down on the floor next to him with my legs facing the other direction from his so I was at least not in the direct line of fire. Carefully, I loaded up the spoon with some scrambled eggs and held it out. I’d seen enough TV over the years that even though I hadn’t seen it in real life, I knew this was how parents often fed their children.
“Open up,” I said, almost telling him to get ready for the plane to land. I bit my tongue, though I couldn’t quite stop the grin as I brought the spoon to his lips, and airplane noises sounded in my mind.
“It’s rude to laugh at someone who’s just trying to eat. If you’re going to be a bitch about it, then don’t bother feeding me. I’ll happily starve,” Blake snarled once he’d swallowed his mouthful of eggs.
“I wasn’t laughing at you, asshole. I was thinking of planes and trains.” I didn’t know how to explain it without sounding like an idiot.
I didn’t have to explain though, because he scoffed and said, “Oh, so you think I’m a kid you have to take care of, is that it? How old are you even?”
“No! And I’m old enough, dammit. Just shut up and eat.” I held out another spoonful of eggs.
He took it, glaring at me the whole time, as though I was still laughing about it. Which I definitely wasn’t. Not even a little bit. I picked up a rasher of bacon and took a bite off the end.
“I thought this was supposed to be my breakfast, not your second breakfast,” he grumbled as I held the bacon out for him.
“I think I at least qualify to be onto elevenses by now.” I let the reference hang at that, and when a twinkle sparked in his eye, I knew that my theory about the professor being a big nerd was right. It didn’t hurt that the background of his phone screen was a Stormtrooper helmet. Sure it wasn’t a given that people who liked Star Wars liked Lord of the Rings, but I felt like it was a safer bet than whether or not Blake was going to answer my questions.
When he’d finished his bacon, I held up another spoonful of eggs. “Is there anything you can tell me about why Jax wants me?”
Blake shook his head.
More eggs. “What about how you found us?”
Another shake of the head.
“Why do you still want to be in Jax’s pack?”
After he was done with the latest spoonful of eggs, he said, “Because it’s a strong pack and will only get stronger.”
I wanted to snort at that statement. If Jax was anything like our previous alpha, then he’d just end up tearing the pack apart again with his need for power and control.
“Why do you think that?”
A rasher of bacon this time, trying to reinforce answering my questions with things he wanted. It didn’t work though. “Jax is a strong alpha.” The way Blake said it sounded more like he was repeating something he’d heard over and over again without really thinking about it.
“You know, if you don’t talk to me, then you’re going to talk to them. I’m the good cop in this situation. You should take advantage of that.”
“I didn’t think good cops were murderers,” he said quietly before snatching the eggs off the spoon I had been holding in front of him.
I was up and back to the sink as though he’d poured boiling water on me. Also, I was worried I was going to lose my breakfast at the thought of what had happened. I still hadn’t told my mates and it was eating me up, so I knew I’d have to tell them soon, but I didn’t want them to think less of me. I was being selfish. They had a right to know who they were mated to.
The more I thought about Blake though, the more I felt like his reactions and refusals to answer questions were almost like he was trying to alienate himself from us. We would be happy to just let him go, let him walk away, and move on from all of this. There was something else going on as well. Something that made me uncomfortable.
“Did you get anything?” Roman’s voice made me jump so severely that I dropped the plate and the r
est of the eggs ended up on the floor. He was next to me a moment later, a soothing hand running up and down my spine. “Sorry, angel, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s okay.” My voice was all breathy, and my heart felt like it was still fluttering in my chest. “And no, I didn’t.”
“It’s not a problem,” Roman said, his voice low and soothing in my ear. “We’ll get what we need, don’t worry.”
I stood frozen at the sink for a moment until I heard a punch land. Then another. And another. Each one felt like it was hitting my soul, not Blake’s body. And I wasn’t sure how long I could take it.
11
Nina
I heard their questions and Blake’s denial, or just straight up silence, each round making me feel worse. As the violence continued, I felt like a spring that was being coiled tighter and tighter until I exploded.
“Enough!”
When I spun around, Blake spat some blood out onto the floor and glared at me, or tried to, given the state of his face, but I kept my gaze on Roman and Micah. I couldn’t let this go on any longer. If Blake was really going to be so resistant to answering our questions, then we might as well just let him go.
“What’s wrong, beautiful?” Micah asked as he came over, his bloodied knuckles dripping on the floor as the metallic tang of Blake’s blood seemed to overwhelm me.
“We can’t do this. If we do this, then we’re just as bad as Jax. Blake is only being loyal to his alpha, so why are we punishing him for that?”
Roman had walked over while I was talking, bringing a fresh wave of the scent of blood with him. It was enough to make me want to run for the door and not look back. Instead, I held on to the counter by the sink until my knuckles were white and my fingertips started to dig into the stone.
“We’re not punishing him, we’re trying to survive. That’s it. Jax is the one who sent him after us, this is Jax’s fault. He had to know that there was a good chance one of them would be captured or killed. The fact that he only sent two wolves after the three of us tells us A, exactly what he thinks of us, and B, how little he thinks of the members of his own pack.” Roman sounded disgusted, but I knew that while he might’ve been old-school about some things, he wasn’t a violent man by nature. I could never be mated to someone whose first instinct was violence. Compassion, empathy, the ability to talk through and reason was what I found attractive and what both of my mates usually led with, not fists and kicks.
