~/~/~/~/~
“Is it true?” Kahn demanded, his fists on his hips.
Inwardly sighing, Heath remained at the kitchen counter and continued to pour himself a cup of coffee, preparing for what might be a long night. Somehow, he guessed Kahn had found out about his father’s death and had come to him for confirmation.“Is what true?” he replied, still not looking at Kahn. Maybe, just maybe, he’d get lucky.
“Is my father dead?”
Fuck!“Where did’ja hear that?” Heath asked, pretending to be surprised.
“Dammit, look at me!”
Setting down his coffee cup, Heath slowly turned around and leaned back against the counter. “Okay, now what?”
“Is. My. Father. Dead? And no bullshit, Heath.”
Heath studied Kahn’s face, and what he found there helped him make a decision. “Yes, he is.” Then holding up his hand to stop Kahn, he continued, “That’s all I know. Reeve will be here tomorrow to break the news to your mother and sisters, so save your questions for him.”
Stunned, Kahn remained rooted to the spot, trying to process the shattering news Heath had just confirmed.My father’s dead…finally, I’m free…and so is my mother and sisters. Can our nightmare really be over? Or is it just the beginning of another?
Other than Kahn blinking once, he might as well have been frozen for all the reaction Heath saw, and that was surprising although he wasn’t sure why. From everything he’d heard, Kahn’s father wasn’t supportive of his son’s chosen career, so it could be he was relieved, or maybe it was grief at the loss of his father that now had him acting as a statue. Either way, Heath was at a loss for how to handle the situation.
Closing his eyes, Kahn tried to shut out Heath and the outside world.I need time to think.It didn’t work because he could hear every damned sound around him. Unwilling to remain inthe kitchen, he turned and headed toward the door, praying he wouldn’t run into his mother on the way to his bedroom. She could always tell if Kahn was upset. Just before he left the room, Kahn looked over his shoulder at Heath. “Don’t tell my family…I’ll do it…soon.” After seeing Heath nod, he walked slowly out of the kitchen with his head bowed.
Letting out a long sigh, Heath turned back to his mug, tossing the cold contents down the drain. Filling it again with fresh coffee, he took a swallow, wincing as the steaming liquid burned its way down his throat. Turning off the light, Heath walked downstairs to the soundproof room to call Reeve—something he wasn’t looking forward to.
~/~/~/~/~
Entering Jackson’s study, Reeve’s eyes were drawn to Smokey, before returning his gaze to the Alpha. His animal sensed the tension in the room but it was nothing to worry about; in fact, he could use it to his advantage.
Gesturing to the chair in front of his desk, Jackson said, “Please sit down, Mr. Nicolet.”
Oh…so formal.Reeve held back a chuckle. Glancing around the room, he noticed three new shifters he hadn’t met before…one was a wolf and the other two were bears.Hmmm…they must be Smokey’s mates; so that much is true.Deciding to ignore them for a moment, Reeve focused on the unknown wolf shifter, noting his power that even his animal could feel.
“What do you want to speak to Smokey about?” asked Jackson.
Turning to Jackson, Reeve replied, “It’s a private matter.”
“Not if it concerns Josiah,” Jackson answered smoothly.
“It doesn’t.”
“Then why are you here?” asked Jackson. “This afternoon, you were quite insistent about speaking to him regarding Josiah’s death. Has something changed that I should be aware of?”
Ahh…now Reeve understood the hostility coming from each person in the room. “Actually, yes. There isn’t any need to investigate the circumstances leading up to Josiah Silver Point’s death because once I informed the High Council that you regarded it a legal kill and was satisfied with the outcome, they considered the matter closed.”
“That’s good news,” Jackson replied, smiling briefly. “However, that makes your request to speak to Smokey privately all the more puzzling.”
Nodding, Reeve said, “I understand…but there’s nothing to worry about. I have some information to give Smokey that concerns him, personally. I won’t take more than five minutes of his time.”
Smokey was mystified. He couldn’t think of anything that Reeve…oh shit, he knows about Riley hacking the agency’s files.He probably wanted to issue a warning to stop or else, and Smokey would rather that be done in private without getting Jackson involved.
“I’m not convinced…”
Smokey interrupted Jackson before he could finish. “That’s okay with me…is there someplace we can use?”
Leaning over, Norm whispered in Smokey’s ear, “Are you sure? Theo and I can be there in case he tries to pull any funny business.”
“Not necessary, I’ll explain later,” Smokey whispered back.
