Murphy shook his head. “It was accidental on my part, so I initially wrote it off, assuming my resolve to bend her will to mine wasn’t really there. But when Constantine visited, he intentionally compelled her. When it didn’t work, he tried again. Still nothing.”
“That’s unusual.”
“Exactly. It’s happened too often to be an anomaly, and whatever this talent is, Nessa deserves to know.”
“Give me a few days; I’ll do some digging and report back with what I find.” Colter grabbed the arms of his chair as if to stand. “If that’s all you’re needing—”
“It’s not.” Murphy reached for the paper on his desk, Nessa’s handwriting scrawled across the surface in neat letters. “There’s two human males in Chicago that I need you to locate.” He handed the paper to his enforcer, names and addresses written out in black ink. “If it’s possible to do so without detection, I also want you to hack into their bank accounts and look at any recent transactions. Specifically, search for anything travel-related over the past year.”
He needed to know if Tony was still actively searching for Nessa. And if he were, whether Montana was on the male’s radar.
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Taking the slip of paper, Colter looked over the contents. “Is this who is after Nessa?”
Murphy raised a brow. He didn’t bother asking how the other bear had guessed that. Given the context of their conversation, what had happened yesterday when Nessa texted, and the clan’s penchant for idle gossip, pieces of her life were bound to be discovered eventually.
Still, his mate’s past wasn’t a topic he’d discuss without her consent and presence. However, before he’d left her teahouse to head to his territory, they’d discussed the situation and whatMurphy had planned, and Nessa had informed him that if Colter needed additional info, Murphy could grant it on her behalf.
“Yes,” Murphy supplied simply, reluctant to divulge too much information even with her blessing. “Tony Romero is Nessa’s ex-fiancé. An abusive piece of shit. Angelo Baccay is her brother. Another piece of shit who left his baby sister unprotected for years just to placate her abuser,” he growled, a wave of fresh fury rising to the surface.
An answering growl rumbled from Colter’s throat. “I’ll find out everything I can and get back to you ASAP.” His fingers tensed, slightly crumpling the small white sheet. “You planning on killing them?”
“Only if they come after Nessa.”
Colter nodded in understanding. “That’s probably the wisest choice. If human authorities find any evidence of us at a crime scene, it would cause a hassle none of us need to deal with. Even if I would prefer the lowlifes dead,” he tacked on.
Murphy waved a hand dismissively. “I couldn’t care less about the police.” He paused, weighing his choice of words. “I’d love to slaughter both males and never spend another second worried about Nessa’s safety.”
“That sounds like a fantastic plan to me,” Colter agreed. “Why am I sensing a ‘but’ sprinkled in here?”
The Alpha sighed. “But Nessa isn’t like us. She doesn’t have that animalistic instinct guiding her to wipe out whatever threatens those she loves. She’s human, and while she accepts me for what I am, I’m not sure she’d accept me if I murdered two males without direct cause, even if they did hurt her at one time.”
She’d even looked a little sick to her stomach when they’d discussed it over breakfast. The last thing he ever wanted was for her to look at him like that; as if he disgusted her.
“Hire someone else to kill them then. Hell, I’ll do it for free. She never even has to know they’re dead,” Colter suggested. “You can think of it as an early mating present.”
That wasn’t a bad idea—
“No,” Murphy stated resolutely, ignoring his bear’s huff of frustration in his mind. “I won’t keep secrets from my mate.”
Even if he wanted those two cowardly males wiped off of this planet.
“Alright. Well, I’m going to head out and get started on this. If you change your mind and want them eradicated, I’ve got dibs.” Colter stood from his chair. “Jasper will probably want in on the action. Zeke, too.”
“This hypothetical assassination is turning into quite the party,” Murphy said dryly.
The enforcer shrugged. “We all think Nessa’s a great addition to the clan. She’s yours, and that makes her ours to protect too.”
The sudden wave of gratitude that overcame Murphy would have knocked him right off his feet if he’d been standing. Instead, it rendered him momentarily speechless. The past few months had been hard, and yesterday had shaken up his faith—not just in himself and his ability to lead, but in his clan, too.
But this … This was a small step forward in healing that fracture.
Standing unsteadily, Murphy moved around the desk to Colter and pulled the male into a bear hug.
Colter clapped him on the back, returning his embrace affectionately. “We’re all gonna get through this, Alpha. Whatever happens with Marcus and Dante, just know that we all have your back.”
Murphy believed him wholeheartedly.
“Well, if it isn’t my long-lost son, come to visit his poor mother,” Tabitha said, a teasing note in her voice as she glanced at Murphy over her shoulder. She smiled brightly as he approached.
