“What thehellis really going on?”she asked.
Peyton’s answer bothered her even more.“We don’tknow, Dew.Abundio Segura, Manuel’s uncle, has a completely legal business on paper. But we’ve had informants pass the news that there have been a few weird hits on stuff. Like someone trying to get more information about the Idaho compound, seeking info on Carl and Mateo, even looking for Brianna. There were hits on Carl and Mateo’s old bank account, the one Abundio knew about, and apparently some woman showed up at their apartment and was snooping around. They tracked her back to Abundio’s. They’re still working on trying to ID her.”
“Shit.”Dewi slowly shook her head.“Carl and Mateo said they deliberately misled Manuel to steer him in the wrong direction about who and what we are. So that his uncle would simply think he was insane.”
“They did,”Peyton agreed.“This isn’t on them. But we’re entering a whole new era where it’s stupid easy for some asshole to hop on Google Earth and start poking their snouts where they don’t belong. Even thirty years ago, Gillian could’ve easily taken fifteen minutes and cranked out a bogus ID for someone that would’ve stood up to law-enforcement scrutiny here and abroad. Everything’s computerized now, so we’ve lost that luxury. It’s getting more difficult to relocate people, and it’s only going to get harder from here on out.”
Trent added his thoughts.“The sooner we get people moved and settled, the faster they can build new lives here, and that means they’ll blend in more easily. We can keep better tabs on everyone, protect them. We’ve got two more Primes we want you to take a look at for Enforcers—andyes,obviously, you get final say on them. We want them both stationed on the East Coast, since our numbers are building more in that region. That way we have someone who can reach any part of their particular territory within a couple of hours to help smooth trouble over, if necessary.”
“You mean Priming cops or government wonks, if necessary?”
Peyton grimly nodded.“Exactly.”
“Why is this a secret from the others?”she asked.“Especially Badger, Duncan, and Beck?”
The brothers exchanged another glance before returning their focus to her. Peyton spoke.“Because I was passed a rumor on the phone twenty minutes ago that there might be a rogue shifter. Possibly a wolf. They’re maybe willing to sell information on shifters, especially female or pregnant wolves, to a government. Not the first time I’ve heard that rumor, either.”
Anger flared through her as she pointed at the door.“You think one ofthem? Because I will lay down myfuckinglife foranyof them. I trust themcompletely. They arenottraitors.”
“Calm down, Dewster,”Trent said.“Notthem. We don’t know if the rogue is a Prime or not, or even where they are, yet. Honestly, we’re not one hundred percent positive it is a wolf. For now, the fewer people who know this, untilweknow more, the less chance of this getting out there and causing fear. We’ll tell Beck, Badger, and Duncan later tonight, once everyone else has left. I want to loop Joaquin in, too.”
“Why?”
Trent’s gaze darkened with his anger.“Because Malyah isn’t—”
“Pregnant yet, but she is a mate,”Dewi finished as the truth hit her. “And Joaquin is an Enforcer. Dammit.”She let out a grumble.“And Nami’s pregnant, too. Son of a bitch.”
The brothers nodded.“Exactly,”they both said.
“We need to include Carl and Mateo. They’ll need to know this to protect Brianna, and Tamsin. Might as well include Martin, too. He’ll need to know, since he’s local.”
Peyton nodded.“You’re right.”
Dewi had a thought.“Wait. You said ‘a’ government, not ‘our’ government. Is that really why you didn’t want me going to help hunt that corgi fuck? Because you think someone wants to sell us out? Maybe me in particular?”While it wasn’t a state secret that she was pregnant, no telling who now had that info. There were probably no wolves in North America, or at least affiliated with the Targhee Pack, whodidn’tknow who she was.
Her expectant mother status was probably news all over.
Peyton grimly nodded.“Yeah. This latest rumor is separate from the Faegan stuff. That they want to try to grab a pregnant wolf. Preferably an Alpha. And let’s add to that if Faegan does get desperate enough, who’s to say he won’t go to some government or military organization, show them what he is, and promise to team up with them and deliver a lot more if they’ll protect him, or at the very least pay him? It’d be bad enough having one shifter traitor. But someone like Faegan? He could do alotof damage across various shifter species.”
Dewi silently groaned.“Not because he’s a good guy and connected, but because he’s a bad guy with a lot of contacts we might not even know about. Shit.”She sighed.“And the only known female Prime Alpha, who happens to be pregnant right now, would be the jackpot of a lifetime for some fucking scientist.”
Her brothers nodded.
That put an entirely different spin on things.
She released their hands and spoke aloud. “Let’s get them back in here. You’re right. We need to relocate people as soon as possible.”
* * * *
Once they finished with the other Enforcers, Peyton, Trent, and Dewi dismissed everyone except Duncan, Badger, Beck, Joaquin, Martin, Carl, and Mateo.
Their core Florida team.
Peyton quickly summarized what was going on, including the new rumor, and swore everyone to secrecy. It was with no small measure of satisfaction that Dewi sensed their collective outrage, to a man.
No, she’d literally bet her life—and the life of her unborn daughter—that there were no traitors within her Enforcers. Even if she had missed something, Peyton, Badger, or Duncan would have picked it up. Especially in the wake of the Endquist attack. In the past nearly fourteen years since she’d been the Head Enforcer, Dewi had either tested and selected the men for their position, or if they’d already been Enforcers when she took over, she’d talked with them, checked them out.
Badger looked especially enraged by the news. “If that barmy sod dares show his bloody face in the States,” he growled, “we’ll have someone kick his fuckin’ cunt in if I don’t beat ’em to it.”
