She sniffled and he met her gaze.“Like I told them, the last time I couldn’t get in touch with you, you drove down the side of a mountain on the run from those fucking Seguras.”She tearfully snorted.“I promise I will work on tempering my reactions, but I’m not used to feeling terrified.”
“Welcome to my world, baby.”He kissed the top of her head.“I appreciate the apology, but seriously, I’m not upset.I get it.I probably would’ve been going off on you the same way if you’d just up and left like that without telling me.But I couldn’t risk you Priming me.”
“I know.”She blew out a long breath.“The rat bas—eh, fink is really okay, right?”
He laughed.“Yeah.He’s okay.He was lucky he ran into Jake.”
“Talk about a small dang world,” she snarked.“What are the chances?”
“Hopefully those chances will get even smaller after the lab’s destroyed.”
Something shifted in her demeanor, and he looked at her again.“Dewi?”
“Did you find it?”she quietly asked.
“We’ve narrowed it down.We think so, but we’re not certain because of the satellite pics.We’re working on acquiring un-redacted imagery.Then they’ll send a drone in to get aerial pics.Once that’s happened, they’ll start putting operatives in the nearby town to gather intel, including Primes to compromise the personnel.”
“What are the odds there are shifters still alive in there?Missing shifters?”
This was something he’d rolled around in his mind ever since the idea had hit him.“I don’t know.But I want you to be prepared that there’s a good chance if they do make entry and find people being held hostage, that it might be kinder to kill them than to rescue them, considering their condition.And ifI’msaying that, you know it’s a serious consideration.”
She nodded.“I know.I hate that it’s something you even need to think about, though.I wish I could’ve given you a low-stress life full of nothing but everyday aggravations no more serious than waiting for AAA in the rain during rush hour because you got a flat.”
He kissed the top of her head, nuzzling her hair, breathing in her scent.“I know, baby.I appreciate it.But I love you, and despite the weird shi—eh, stuff, I would never give up having met you.You, and this little girl, are the best things that ever happened to me.”
She laid a hand on her stomach.“And little Eliza Bryn here.”She looked down at her tummy.“Eliza Bryn.Hey there, little one.”
“You do realize the bad thing about having two daughters, right?”he asked.
She let out a low growl.“Scaring off allll the other penises until our girls are in their 50s?”
He snickered.“No.You’ll probably have to learn how to be a girl mom, including braiding hair, doing makeup, buying frou-frou dresses, and throwing tea parties.”
Her jaw dropped.“Son of a bit-iscuit!”
ChapterFour
Beck
Holy.
Shit.
Beck was still in shock.
Good shock, but shock nonetheless.
Beside him, he knew Nami felt the same.
Although she simultaneously felt somewhat slighted that they hadn’t been included in the initial revelation that Peyton was not only alive but had returned with Carl’s father.
Beckgotit.He’d been doing this gig long enough—and still had nightmares about Charles and Chelsea Bleacke’s murders—that he understoodwhythere was sometimes a vital need for deep secrecy, even withholding knowledge from those who were firmly embedded in the inner circle, like them.
Thank the Goddess Badger Primed them both to keep those two secrets, for now, because he knew Nami would want to immediately go to Brianna, Malyah, and Joaquin to tell them, so they would stop worrying about Peyton.And to tell Carl his father was not only alive, but safe.
That couldnothappen.Not when Peyton had a much larger plan underway.
The world still needed to think Peyton was missing and that Jake was missing or dead for that plan to work.It was a bigger-picture kind of sitch.
