“Couldn’t we just ask Hamish?”
“He might see something that we miss.”
“Then why not bring Hyacinth?”
“I want her kept in isolation. She was interrogated, and I’m satisfied she wasn’t involved in this.” He heavily sighed. “Not that it helps Tamsin, but Hyacinth was as much of a victim as Tamsin. She suffered decades of abuse, and Faegan murdered her son. She’s practically catatonic now.”
“Then what’s our next step? And how long do I have to keep poor Gillian in the dark?”
“Not long. Where’s Badger?”
“Hold on.” She did something. “Light’s on in his cabin. I think he’s there.”
“Can you take me over there to talk to him?”
“Hold on. Let me grab the baby?—”
“Wait, don’t do that. I have Ken’s work phone. I’ll call him from that. Don’t go to sleep yet. Once Badger helps me tell Gillian, I’m going to have him call Duncan and Trent into your cabin so I can call you back on speaker. Don’t tell them what’s up.”
“Okay. Love you, you fucking asshole.”
Peyton laughed. “Love you, too, brat.”
“Wait!”
“Yeah?”
“Can you…do me a favor?”
Something about her rare, vulnerable tone made him pause. “Depends on what it is.”
“Can you delete all the angry texts and voicemails I sent Ken while you have his phone? Please? I don’t want him reading those.”
“Dewi, I don’t know if I?—”
“Please? I mean, if you have his personal phone, I’d appreciate you doing that, too, but I don’t want him…” She choked up and it ripped at Peyton.
He remembered the baby he stood guard over in the hospital, the toddler who never smiled.
The young woman he hated to appoint as Head Enforcer, but knew it was the right call to keep her from turning into something they couldn’t control.
The woman they thought might never find happiness.
“Okay, sweetie,” he gently said. “I’ll do it. But I’m not going into his personal phone. And I’m going to tell him I did it in case he wants to restore them.”
“Fair enough,” she softly said. “Thank you.”
“Love you, kiddo.”
She sniffled. “Love you, too. Dick.”
He was laughing even as she hung up on him.
He grabbed Ken’s phone, quickly deleted all the texts—holy shit she can type fast—and the voicemails without reading or listening.
His next call was to Badger.
The old shifter answered, his voice wary. “Ye all right then, Ken?”
