He looked up to find her studying him with a little frown. “Getting Burton’s address from my dad.” He hit Send.
Her shoulders eased, and her expression lightened with relief. Then she was moving into him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and hugging him tight. “Thank you.” It came out choked.
He set his phone aside and held her back. He wanted to demand she stay out of whatever this was, but that would never happen. Better that they deal with it together, even if he didn’t like their odds.
Resigned to the inevitable, he said, “Something isn’t making sense here.”
“I know, but he’s the only link we’ve got.” Her voice was muffled as she kept her head on his chest.
Grayson ran a hand down her back, comforting them both. “And if that’s the whole point?”
Her head lifted and tilted back. “At least it’s another piece of the puzzle.”
On the counter, his phone vibrated. Without letting her go, he reached back and grabbed it. On screen was a response from his dad—an address followed by a simple Why?
Cass turned his hand so she could see the phone’s screen. Her fingers tightened on his wrist, and then she gave him a pointed look.
“He may not be home,” he said.
“Okay, so we have Candace track his phone.”
When he twisted his wrist gently, she let him go. He called Zane, putting him on speakerphone.
The Hunter picked up with an abrupt “What?”
“Need Candace to track Burton’s location.”
There was a pause. “Grayson, don’t be a fucking idiot.”
“Cass wants to talk to him.”
“No, she wants to confront him,” Zane snapped. “You two are going to get yourselves killed.”
Cass frowned, temper coloring her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but Grayson quelled her response with a look. “Just get me a location.”
“Fuck, fine!” Zane all but snarled then hung up.
Grayson set his phone aside, his gut churning as he held Cass’s gaze. There were secrets in the green-gold depths and, even more concerning, a war between guilt and determination. His heart sank, but he managed to keep his voice level. “Are we walking into a trap?”
Her gaze slid away, and she started to pull back, but he tightened his hold, keeping her in place. Her hands went to his chest, her fingers curling into his shirt, but what she didn’t do was answer.
Frustration made him sharp. “Cass.”
“Yes.”
Her quiet, reluctant admission lit the fuse on his simmering anger. He let her go and took a step back, worried he would resort to shaking her, as that rage burned through him, searing away his patience. Grayson locked his emotions down and refused to let her wince at his reaction penetrate his consciousness.
“When were you going to tell me?” he asked. Something flashed across her face, too fast for him to catch, and his anger went ice-cold. “Maybe the better question is, were you going to tell me?”
Color came and went in her face, but she held her ground. “Yes, I was going to tell you.”
He wanted to believe her, but it was hard. He folded his arms and continued to watch her, his doubt a silent accusation.
“I was, Grayson.” She moved to him, her eyes on his, her hands coming up only to stop short of touching him. “I was,” she repeated without looking away. “I wouldn’t risk you like that, but I don’t have much to go on. Just flashes.” Her hands fisted at her sides as he continued to watch her. “They have my mom.” She was pleading now. “They’re hurting her. They want her to pay because she interfered with their plans. I know that much.”
Questions whipped through him, but only one escaped. “Who’s ‘they’?”
A muscle jumped in her jaw. “I don’t know.”
