I lean on the back of the seat in front of me, burying my face in my crossed arms, exhaustion hitting me like a bus. This has been the longest seven hours of my life. That’s not even an entire work shift…
Wait.
I straighten, an idea hitting me. Someone is normally in the office at Heaven & Hell by ten, and I believe I’m owed at least one last paycheck. Or a hefty advance. Sending some cash my way is the least Drew can do after the disaster he led to my apartment by giving out my address.
When the intercom announces the next station, I glance at the route map on the wall, charting the fastest course to the club. I’m on the opposite side of the city and I’ll have to change trains a couple of times, but it shouldn’t take me much longer than an hour to get there.
I relax into my seat, relieved to finally have a plan—as crappy as it may be. I’ll be out of Chicago and on my way in no time.
In the back of my mind, my wolf whines…but what about Julien?
Nine
Julien
Nearlyanhourhaspassed since Brody and I lost sight of Keir and we’re no closer to locating him. Every instinct I have screams at me not to give up, but my brain knows continuing the search without some idea of where Keir might be heading is useless.
Fated mate or not, I don’t really know him—yet—and I definitely don’t know how he thinks. The fact that he jumped from a moving vehicle to escape me and I still have no ideawhyproves that much. The bond between us is too new to be useful in finding him, and scent tracking is nearly impossible in urban environments.
Which means all Brody and I are doing right now is running around the city with no direction.
I haven’t spent much time in Chicago and that time has been mostly limited to various hotels and I somehow don’t think I'm going to find Keir at a luxury hotel, or any hotel really. He’s running scared and, if I don’t find him quickly, he’s going to take himself right out of Chicago. That is, if Rossi doesn’t catch up to him first.
I sigh. “We need to go back to the hotel. Talk to Remy. He might have some ideas.”
Brody nods in agreement. We return to the SUV and head to the hotel. Hopefully Remy can come up with some sort of plan to point us in the right direction. My brother is pretty good at reading people and predicting their actions. He always has been. That’s the main reason I named him as procurator—a legal agent who can act in my stead and second only to Dante—when most Alphas choose someone more physically formidable.
I can fight my own fights, not that those happen very often in my pack, but what I can’t do is navigate the intricacies of interpack relations. At least not very well.
How in the hell Remy landed himself in that situation with Rossi’s men last night, I’m still not sure. It’s not like him to take off on his own like that.
But that’s a worry for another day…
Back at the hotel, Remy leaps up from the couch as Brody and I enter the two-bedroom suite. My brother glances behind us at the closing door and his brows pull together.
“Where is he? Didn’t you find him?”
“We found him,” says Brody. “We also lost him.”
“Lost him,” says Remy in a flat voice. “What does that mean?”
I sigh and drag a hand through my hair. “I’m not sure what happened. I got there before Rossi had time to do anything but threaten him and he left with me without a problem. But when he started asking where we were going…”
“You told him,” says Remy.
“Well, yeah.”
Remy actually rolls his eyes. “I warned you he was skittish.”
I give my brother a hard look. “But you didn’t say he was liable to jump out of a moving vehicle.”
Remy raises his brows. “Really?”
“Really. Once he heard there were a bunch of Alphas in town, I’m surprised he even waited for Brody to slow down.”
Remy winces. “I got the impression he’s not fond of Alphas.”
“Well, isn’t that great?” I close my eyes and let out another sigh.
