"No," Luca whispered as he stared down at the phone, "and that's not like my nana."
"Maybe she's just outside or something."
Luca shook his head. "She always answers the phone, even if she's outside."
"She could be out."
Luca knew Harvey was trying to be helpful by giving him excuses as to why Nana wasn't answering the phone, but he'd already dismissed all of them. "I need to go."
"Luca, wait," Harvey said as Luca spun and started for the door.
Luca paused at the door and glanced back. He didn't want to disrespect the beta even if he felt a gnawing need to get to his nana's house. "What?"
"Let's tell Rob what is going on," Harvey said as he walked around the desk. "We'll get some men together and all of us will go. If there's trouble, you may need us."
Luca couldn't argue with that.
"Hurry."
Chapter Ten
Randal's head snapped up when Luca came running into the small dining room where he was getting something to eat and talking with Rob. He dropped his fork to his plate and jumped up as soon as he saw the pinched look on Luca's face.
"What's wrong?"
"Nana isn't answering her phone." Luca rushed across the room and right into Randal's arms. "You have to believe me, Randal. It's not like her not to answer the phone."
"I believe you," Randal said instantly.
Luca frowned as he leaned back. "You do?"
"Of course I do. You don't lie."
Rob chuckled as he wiped his mouth on a napkin and then tossed it to the table as he stood. "Funny, that's the same thing Luca said about you, Randal."
Randal warmed. "You did?"
"Yes," Luca admitted. "You might have done a few edgy things in the past, but you've never lied about any of it."
He'd done more than a few edgy things, but he'd been forced to by his father. He had never purposely hurt anyone like his brother or threatened someone like his father, but some of the things his father had forced him to do went against everything Randal believed a bear should do.
"I suggested we speak to you and arrange for some guards to go with us while we go check on Luca's nana," Harvey said. "If there's a problem..."
"We'll take Jeb with us," Rob said as he started for the door. "I want to leave Dwayne and Billy here with Casey and Erik."
"I'll let them know."
"Meet us outside in five minutes," Rob directed. When he got to the doorway, he glanced back at Randal and Luca. "Well? Aren't you coming?"
Randal grabbed Luca's hand and hurried across the room to Rob. He'd been a little shocked that Rob was dropping everything to go check on Luca's nana, especially since they didn't know for sure that there was a problem or not.
He held tight to Luca's hand as they followed Rob out of the mansion to the same truck they had arrived in. Randal waited for Luca to climb in and scoot to the middle seat before climbing in beside him. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of him sitting next to another bear shifter, but he hated the idea of him sitting by the window even more. He was safer sitting in the middle.
Randal knew it was only a few minutes before Jeb and Harvey climbed into the truck, but it felt like forever, especially since Luca was a bundle of nerves. Randal couldn't blame him. He adored his nana. She was the only person he'd had growing up.
That was no longer true though.
"She's going to be okay, Luca." Randal patted Luca's thigh in an awkward gesture. "You have a lot of people in your corner now. Alpha Rob and everyone in the clan. We won't let anything happen to her."
