“Yeah, what’s up? Is everything okay?” asked Reeve, his voice a bit tense.
“For now, yes,” Heath replied, “but…I can’t guarantee it for long.”
“Just a minute.” Muting his phone, Reeve turned to Sam, an enforcer with whom he’d been talking. “Give me the room.”
“Sure,” Sam replied. “I’ll be right outside.”
“Keep everyone out…for now.” Reeve waited until Sam closed the door behind him, then unmuted his phone before growling, “What the hell do you mean? Is my mate in danger?”
“Well that depends…have you found Josiah?”
“Not yet,” Reeve growled, frustration evident in his voice.
“You got to be kiddin’ me! What about the bitch’s phone? Can’t it be traced to locate the bastard?”
“Yeah it can, but only when his phone is on and so far nothing. Right now, it’s a waiting game. What does this have to do with my mate? Is Kahn worried his father might find him?”
“Uhm…not exactly,” Heath muttered. “More like he doesn’t believe there’s any reason for him to be in a safe house. According to Kahn, his father had plenty of opportunities to kill him before now if he really wanted to. And, if you want my take on it, Kahn is right. We both know the only reason he’s here is because he’s your mate.”
Frowning, Reeve thought for a moment before asking, “Why is he objecting now? Does it have to do with his request to go to that art gallery?”
“Bingo!” Heath exclaimed. “Look, I understand why you don’t want him to know about being your mate, but if you don’t tell him soon, he’s gonna either leave or call the High Council and demand to return to his place. And I don’t know which is worse…wait I do—if the High Council gets wind of what you’ve done, shit is gonna hit the fan.”
Exhaling softly, Reeve ran his hand over his face. Heath was right. If the High Council found out about Kahn being his mate, his ass would be fried, not to mention his career. The moment he realized his connection to Kahn, he should have notified his boss and stepped aside, but that would have meant leaving his mate unprotected. And neither he nor his animal would do that no matter what the consequences were. There was just no way to justify his decision to keep his boss out of the loop that would hold up to scrutiny, so it didn’t leave Reeve a lot of wiggle room.
Telling Kahn might help right now, but the problem with that was the uncertainty of what might happen at Josiah’s trial. Reeve was sure the defense would try to use Kahn as a witness for their side. If that happened, there was no way Kahn could withhold the fact that Reeve was his mate, especially if the defense delved into his personal life with a fine-toothed comb in an attempt to sidetrack the jury from focusing on Josiah’sheinous crimes. He couldn’t allow that to happen, so telling Kahn they were mates was definitely off the table.
Which left him only one choice—let his mate go to that damned gallery. His animal didn’t like that at all, but grudgingly agreed that at least it would allow Reeve to surround his mate with enough guards so that Josiah would think twice about attacking his son. And, hopefully, this choice would also keep Kahn from contacting the High Council. Decision made, Reeve asked Heath, “When does my mate want to go?”
~/~/~/~/~
Padding through the forest, Josiah halted, lifting his snout. His wolf caught a scent, one he thought was gone forever. His heart sped up at the possibility of what lay ahead as his wolf slowed and moved carefully through the underbrush. Pausing every few steps, his animal sniffed the air to make sure there weren’t any threats nearby. It took longer than Josiah would have liked, but he was being hunted now and caution took precedence over his eagerness. As the scent grew stronger, his wolf dropped to the ground consumed with excitement as he inched along.
~/~/~/~/~
After leaving Jackson, Smokey headed outside, hoping Ghost had some news for him. He still couldn’t shake the feeling his mates were in danger and that meant he and his bear needed answers soon. Pausing in the great room, he sniffed the air—both of his mates were in the kitchen. He wasn’t sure what they were doing but whatever it was, it smelled delicious.
Smokey hesitated, torn between seeing what Theo and Norm were up to and getting some answers he needed. Shaking his head, he headed to the front door, knowing his mates’ safety came before his stomach, even though the smells of honey andcinnamon were making his mouth water. Slipping outside, he paused, checking the area for other shifters before continuing on to his SUV. Climbing in and shutting the door, Smokey pressed Ghost’s name on his phone and waited for him to answer.
“Where have you been?” asked Ghost.
“Talking to the Alpha,” Smokey replied. “I assume you have some news for me?”
“Yeah…starting with Theodore’s parents…Riley can’t find anything about them after they sent their son to Arald’s. The trail goes cold then.”
“They just disappeared?” asked Smokey. “How’s that possible?”
“I don’t know for sure but my guess is they’re dead. That’s the only explanation Riley can come up with.”
Dead!Refusing to accept that possibility, Smokey asked, “Doesn’t a death have to be recorded with the high Council?”
“Yeah, it does, but…”
“And Riley didn’t find a death record for either of Theo’s parents, right?”
“No, he didn’t, but…”
“So, there has to be another explanation,” Smokey growled. “Did he check the Council records for transfers? Maybe they went to another den? That would explain why their house is vacant and the phone disconnected.”
