The screen updated again, numbers scrolling too slowly for my liking. My foot tapped hard against the carpet, the urge to bolt nearly unbearable.
“There,” Tony said. “He stopped for gas on the outskirts of town about twenty minutes ago. Paid with a credit card.”
“Where?” I demanded.
Tony zoomed in on a map. “Station off Route Nine. And—” He hesitated, then frowned. “There’s more.”
“Say it,” I snapped.
“I finally traced the phone signal as you requested,” Tony continued. “Jaime’s phone.”
Coordinates popped up on the screen: a remote cabin in the woods. Old family property registered under Marion’s last name. My blood went cold.
“That’s where he took him,” I said.
“Yes,” Tony confirmed. “That’s where they are now.”
I straightened, already moving for the door.
“No,” Levi said, stepping into my path. “We update Cooper. We get a team.”
“There’s no time,” I shot back. “Jaime said to come alone. Marion still has the gun.”
“That’s exactly why you don’t go alone,” Levi argued. “Chris, think?—”
I shoved him, not hard but enough to make my point. Levi staggered back a step, eyes flashing.
“Watch it,” Levi warned.
“Get out of my way,” I snarled. “He needs me now.”
“This isn’t about you!” Levi snapped.
“Yes, it is,” I shot back, chest heaving. “It’s about him.”
The room vibrated with tension. My wolf pressed hard against my skin again, teeth bared, possessive and furious. Mine. Hurt. Taken.
“What if Marion panics?” I continued, voice cracking despite my effort to keep it steady. “What if he thinks he’s cornered and decides to finish it? Jaime told me to come alone because he’strying to keep him calm. If I show up with the pack, this ends badly.”
Levi’s jaw clenched. He knew it too. I could see it in his eyes.
“Please,” I said, the word scraping raw out of me. “Levi. He’s important to me.”
My throat closed.
“He’s my mate.”
The word settled into the room like a truth bomb, heavy and undeniable. Levi stared at me for a long second. Then he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“You’re impossible,” Levi muttered.
“But you’re not wrong,” he added reluctantly. “Fine. Go. But I’m updating Cooper, and backup will be on the way whether you like it or not.”
“I don’t care,” I said. “Just don’t slow me down.”
Levi stepped aside. “Be careful,” he said quietly. “Don’t be a hero.”
I was already moving.
