Jonas glanced over at him. His expression was fierce and angry.
“You bring her over so she’s one hundred percent clear she has parents who love her exactly as she is, even if they’re not blood.”
“All right, Dad. I will,” he said quietly.
His dad nodded and dumped the onions in the skillet, then went rummaging through the spice cabinet to see what was there. He searched out the stockpot and soon they had the meal underway.
The ladies arrived happy and hungry and they all gathered around the large dining room table. It was a lively meal, with Tasha excitedly telling them about the canyon they’d explored, the critters they’d chased and the small but lovely stream they’d rested by.
After dinner and cleanup, they dispersed. His mom joined Olivia, Joe and Bill at the dining room table with Joe’s laptop to look at different ideas for decorating the guest rooms with more than the basic beds and sheets Myra and Adam had managed so far. Since it looked like Joe would be running the house eventually, the alpha pair had gleefully handed over the decorating decisions.
Tasha brought out some homework and Jonas’ dad nosed his way into seeing what “they were teaching the kids these days,” but Tasha seemed to be enjoying explaining her assignment to him.
Myra curled up on the couch next to Adam, and Thomas took the other end. Jen and Jonas took the club chairs, kicking their feet up on the coffee table, with Cindy joining him on his lap. Jen was telling them about the restaurant the ladies had eaten at when Myra’s phone rang. She frowned and showed Adam the screen before answering the call.
After only a few seconds, she motioned to Adam and they walked out of the room. Jonas supposed they were going to the library. He raised one eyebrow at Jen, but she just shrugged.
“Jen, how’s the job going,” Cindy asked.
“Really well. It’s such a completely different type of job than it would be in Los Angeles. The nice thing is it gives me time to work with Myra and Adam on how we want security set up here. I went out to the land you guys are taking a look at, and would love to offer some security suggestions if you end up buying it. How’s that going, by the way?”
“We should hear something tomorrow or Tuesday,” Cindy said.
“And Adam told me he and Myra are giving serious thought to the other parcel. They’re going to meet with our realtor. Thomas, we’re going to have a lot of questions for you, and work, if you want it. I know you were taking time to settle in and get your own place organized, so just tell us what our boundaries are, and we’re happy to work with that.”
“I can’t resist a good project, so you’ll probably have to beat me off with a stick. Did you look at those architectural plan websites I sent you?”
“Yep, and we’ve narrowed it down to a bunch of styles we like. We definitely have more research to do, though,” Cindy told him. “And our realtor is getting information about gas lines, electrical and sewer lines, that kind of thing. I have lists.”
“All the fun stuff,” Thomas laughed. “And of course you do.”
“Exactly. We’re really looking—” Cindy cut herself off as Myra and Adam returned.
One look at their faces told Jonas things were serious.
“Can we all gather back at the dining table?” Myra asked. She turned to Tasha as everyone started to comply. “Sweetheart, will you go into the library and work in there for now? This is serious business, and if your mom wants to tell you about it later, or ask you to join us in a while, that’s totally up to her. But I need to let her know what it is first so she can make that decision.”
Tasha was obviously upset, but she looked to her mom, who gave her a nod. She heaved a sigh, gathered her laptop and notebook, and left the room without a word.
When they’d all taken seats, Myra began. “I wouldn’t normally do this in front of a whole pack, but we’re so small and so new, I think that everything that happens really does affect all of us, right now.”
She looked around the table, receiving nods of agreement from the whole group.
“I’ve had a call from John Rodriguez,” she continued. “He’s the alpha in New York, and he used to be in the FBI. Now he works security, but he has a lot of sources there still. He works closely with the National Council, and he has some sort of system in place that triggers him if a werewolf is mentioned in an investigation.”
Jen leaned forward, her gaze intent on Myra. Jonas saw Adam put his arm around Olivia’s shoulders. She gave him a startled look, but didn’t say anything and didn’t pull away.
“He said he’s found out that someone’s reported the truck stop that Olivia is working at as a criminal enterprise. They’re looking into it to see if it’s worthy of an investigation.”
“Whoa,” Jen said, sitting back. “If he’s had a trigger, then a werewolf’s name was mentioned in the report. Olivia’s name.”
“That’s right,” Adam said.
Cindy realized Adam had maneuvered the seating so that Olivia was sitting next to him. She saw the woman’s face lose all color. It was so fast, Cindy worried she might faint. Candace must have thought the same, because she was already up and moving towards the kitchen.
Olivia turned to look Adam in the eye. “I swear to you—”
“Olivia,” Myra interrupted. “We are absolutely not accusing you of anything. Not one thing. If you did somehow get involved in something, you’ll tell us and we’ll work it out, but we’re starting with the assumption that nobody here has done anything wrong and we’re gathering and sharing information.”
