That means I’m going to have to break her confidenceAlex thought.She’ll just have to live with that when we get her back. Because we will get her back. I love her. I need her.
* * *
They went upto the ranch, a place that was camera-free inside. Kyle called in Shane. When Shane got there, Wolf got Tex on the phone and up to speed. Once they’d all quickly talked and figured out a plan, they went back to the kennel’s conference room. Kyle sent Mack and Flint to man the front gate, since he’d told the support staff to stay home today—using the excuse that most of them had been at the festival the night before either working or enjoying the music and they deserved the next day off—to keep things on the lowdown for now.
Thirty minutes later, Alex had told the team everything he knew about Sylvie’s suspicions, about Tom and Frank’s involvement, and about going undercover.
“I wish we’d known,” Kyle said.
“I wish I could have told her more about whatweknew,” Alex answered. “I wanted to respect her and her job, just like she wanted to respect what we do here. She knows we’re not always within the bounds of the law, and she didn’t want to hear it because that meant she’d have to do something about it. So, there were things she told me that I couldn’t repeat, and things I couldn’t tell her about Watchdog, intel that might have helped last night, or even prevented what happened.”
Alex hated himself for that.
Gina laid a hand on his arm, gently this time. “Alex. Don’t beat yourself up. I’ve…been where you are. We all have to make hard choices that sometimes put us into impossible situations. We can’t go back and change the past, but when we move forward, we can still fix things.” She squeezed his arm. “So, let’s fix this and get Sylvie back.”
Wolf called Tex and updated him. Gina did the same with her ‘friends.’ But against Alex’s wishes, Kyle refused to let him contact Carla.
“Not that I don’t trusther,” he started, palms up and facing Alex.
“You’re using an abundance of caution, I get it,” Alex said. “Consider me still pissed.”
“Noted. Consider me still paranoid.”
“If I think she can help us, I’m calling her, Pup.”
“Understood. But let’s see how far we can get on our own.”
Gina paced over to them. “My friends tell me Carla’s at her apartment. She went directly there after her shift was over last night and she hasn’t left. The person I really want to talk to is Frank Morris, who’s also in the wind.” She bent down to pet Fleur, who had paced beside her.
“You-Know-Who is on it,” Wolf said, meaning Tex.
“So are my other friends. All I had to say was Capitoline.” She smiled up at Wolf. “Don’t tell them, but my money is on your guy.”
Wolf grinned back. “Smart money.”
“It’s Frank. Got to be,” Alex said. “The dogs all know him, too. Son of a bitch. He tried to get a vehicle pass. He set her up from the jump.”
“He was our mole,” Kyle said. He looked relieved knowing it wasn’t someone he’d hired. “But I just don’t know when he could have gotten into the ranch to get the star. Better believe I’m putting in stronger security.”
“It could have been last night during the festival,” Wolf said. “This place was practically deserted.”
Kyle lifted his chin. “Could have been. Means he came here twice. First, to get the star and the Kong from the ranch house, then to drop off the package in the kennels.”
“He knew Tom was dead,” Alex said as he shook his head. “His own fucking partner.”
“Think he was the one who tortured him to death?” Wolf asked.
“No. I know the man—or thought I did. Still don’t think he’d go that far.”
“Capitoline coercing him?”
“Maybe.”
Wolf’s phone buzzed with an incoming call. “There’s your friend,” he said, looking at Wolf. “Permission to put you on speaker, brother.” He paused, then tapped the screen and set the phone down in the middle of the table.
“Heads up. Frank’s incoming.” Tex’s voice sounded distorted.
Gina’s eyebrows rose and she smirked at Wolf who gave her a look that saidI told you so.
