“I reached out to Jimmy the second Tansy told me,” he continues. “He emailed me about two minutes ago. He found the fucker.”
“You know where he is?” Heat surges through me asevery instinct flares with the need to get my hands on the fucker.
“Yes.” Warren's eyes flash, mirroring my own excitement. “Jimmy got his name, address, work history, and where he’s stayingright now.”
My jaw tightens. The urge hits fast and feral, a vivid, visceral need to destroy the man who touched my omega. He hurt her. I don’t know what exactly he did, but he won’t live to do it again.
“I figured you’d want to handle him yourself,” Warren says.
I don’t answer right away.
Because the truth is, I want to.Fuck, I want to.
The idea of hurting this asshole, of ripping out his throat and seeing the light drain from his eyes, lights something ugly and satisfying in my chest.
But then something flickers through my bond with Tansy.
It’s light and warm.
Her laughter brushes against me, bright like sunlight breaking through heavy rain. It’s distant but unmistakable.She's very happy right now.
And the contrast with my own rage damn near guts me.
I close my eyes briefly and force myself to breathe.
“You handle it.” I open my eyes, looking directly at Warren.
His brows knit together. “Are you sure?”
“No,” I say honestly. “But I know you’ll do a good job.”
“Cass,” Warren shakes his head, not understanding, “your knee is on the mend. I think if people see you out and about, even with the cane?—”
“My bond with Tansy is too new.” I lean back in my chair, hands clenched tight enough that my knuckles ache. “I’m still learning how it works. If I get my hands on this fucker, there’s no chance I’ll be able to keep my emotions contained. Whatever I do to him, there’s a very real chance she might feel it. And I can’t risk that.” I let out a defeated sigh. “I don’t trust myself to keep that kind of violence from bleeding through to her.”
Warren studies me for a long second, then nods. “Okay.” He stands up. “I’ll handle it.”
I stay exactly where I am, watching as Warren moves toward the door, trying like hell to breathe through my rage, holding onto the echo of Tansy’s laughter like a tether.
The sound of the latch clicking shut is still fading when I reach for my phone and look up the right number.
I take a deep breath, then tap the name, concentrating hard to close my emotions within my bond, blocking Tansy out.
The asshole answers on the third ring.
“Mr. Vexler,” Dr. Pace says. Brisk. Professional. “I was meaning to?—”
“What the fuck did you give her?” I snap.
The silence on the other end is immediate, humming through the line. I can practically hear Pace flinch. I let it stretch, feeding on his fear.
“I’m not asking again, Pace,” I warn. “What the fuck did you give my omega?”
“I, I don’t know what you’re?—”
“Don’t lie to me!” I growl, my control cracking.“You fucking lied to Beck. You told him it was a goddamn booster, even saying that Warren and I approved it, and you know damn well we didn’t approve shit.”
“Please, Cass.” He sounds panicked. “Let me explain.”
