He was tempted to use his Prime on her to make her back down, but in this case, he knew he owed her at least a basic explanation. “We might have to set a trap one day. If it gets to that point, I want a female Enforcer besides Dewi that we can tap for the role, okay?”
“Shedefinitelywon’t like that.”
“Which is why we’renottelling her that part of it. I’m going to say Trevor asked me to bring her over and assign her to Tamsin to be her bodyguard as a personal favor, and that’s not exactly a lie.”
“It’s not exactly the truth, either.”
He returned to his desk. “Not like I’m happy about this but I’m sick of playing defense and getting nowhere. If we’re going to start playing offense I need my pieces in place now.”
Her phone buzzed in her back pocket and she fished it out and looked at the screen. “I need to take this. Love you.”
He nodded and she headed out as she answered, closing the door behind her.
No, he was absolutely certain Dewi wouldn’t be happy about this plan.
Not at all.
Which was exactly why she couldn’t know the truth about it yet.
After thinking about it, he picked up his phone, looked through his contacts, and made a call, drumming his fingers on the desk as he waited for it to connect.
“John? Hey, Peyton Bleacke… Yeah, I know. How are you? … Great. Listen, this is an official call as Pack Alpha today. I’m going to need a rush job on an incoming visa. Woman name of Aisling Walsh, from the UK. Great. I’m going to text you Trevor Clarke’s digits, and I need you to call him immediately when we end this call and get that ball rolling, please. He’s expecting your call. … Yes, thank you. Have a good one.” He texted him Trevor’s info and then dropped his phone onto the desk.
No, Dewi was most definitelynotgoing to be happy about this.
Unfortunately, in this case, he didn’t care about her happiness.
He cared about her safety.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
DEWI
“We don’t tell’em just yet. In fact, we aren’t.”
Dewi stared at Badger. She’d hit him with that question as soon as he’d walked in the door. “Whut?”
It was early Saturday evening, and Badger had literally just returned from his trip to Georgia. Dewi had come home earlier because Duncan offered to stay over at the house in case they needed help with Bebe.
Dewi was feeling the pressure of the ticking clock because they now had less than forty-eight hours until Monday evening, when Lu’ana and Reggie would return to pick up Bebe.
And she’d wanted to plan strategy with Badger alone, without little ears able to overhear.
Or selected adult ears, in the case of Nami, whose nerves were absolutely frayed now.
“We don’t tell ’em just yet,” he said, walking past her with his messenger bag slung over his shoulder and wearing the same clothes he’d left in last night after taking a shower. “Ye got her back on two legs. Now Duncan and I can gently Prime her to want to stay that way, at least fer the next few days or so.”
She followed him toward the stairs. “What’s going on? What’d you find out in Georgia? I thought we had to tell them?”
“Because turns out it’s not so simple.”
“Why?”
“Lass, can Ipleaseto take a shower an’ change clothes? Then we’ll talk. Okay?” He looked back at her. “And if yer of the mind to wave a couple of steaks over the flames for me a few times, I wouldn’t say no. Ye know how I like ’em. It’ll get me talkin’ faster.”
Grumbling, Dewi returned to the kitchen. She and Ken had already eaten and he was currently working in the office on a project for Peyton.
She stayed out of that end of things. If she was supposed to know, they would tell her.
