He traded the little girl for her.
“Yeah, bro, you got it in one. Nobody could do anything. He traded the little girl for the woman, then he killed her.”
Holy shit,Canyon said, reality settling in on him in a way he hadn’t considered before. He had a fated mate out there somewhere, and Khain would kill her, too, if he could.
Timber kept talking, still pacing. “And then—get this—Mac knocked Crew the fuck out, and he disappeared, too.”
Hold on, what? Before or after his mate died?
Jaggar came through the door fast. “She's not dead.”
They both turned his way, saying, “What?”
Jaggar walked right between them and their desks, to lean on Canyon’s desk. He pushed all of Canyon’s pens and notebooks into a neat pile while he talked. “Crew came back, but now he's gone again, completely out of this world. He said his One True Mate is alive somewhere and he won’t be coming back without her.”
“How'd she live through getting her throat slit?” Timber asked.
“She didn't. She died, but she’ll live again because she's got anechoor something. I don't know—that's just what thedragensaid.”
Timber and Canyon gave each other identical looks of what-the-fuckness, but then Mac came in the door, fists clenched, head lowered, like a bull about to knock shit over for fun, his focus on Timber. “All hands on deck,” he growled, while Jaggar backed away from him.
“Arrr, shiver me timbers,” Timber said, snorting.
Mac didn’t notice Jaggar and faced off with Timber. “Shut it. Trevor's pissed.”
Jaggar crept closer and closer to the door.
Timber looked at Canyon. “I liked Mac better when he didn't care if Trevor was pissed.”
Mac got in Timber’s face like a Drill Sergeant, saying, “I can hear you,” his voice low and tight.
Timber raised his hands in mock apology, then mimed closing and locking his mouth and pocketing the key. Behind Mac, Jaggar snuck out the door.
Mac glared at Timber for another moment, then said. “Trevor’s pissed about Paisley White. After the little girl woke up in the hospital, the whole family disappeared. They took the girl without the doctor’s consent and stole away into the night. They ain’t home, and none of their neighbors are either. We don’t know what to think.”
“Aliens. With probes,” Timber said.
Mac ignored him. “Trevor put Sebastian in charge of finding Abigail White, and anyone related to her, and you two will help him.”
“Got it,” Timber said.
“You’re also taking over hisfoxeninvestigation.”
Timber looked at Canyon, who was nodding confidently.
“Can do,” Timber said.
“Roger that,” Canyon said.
Mac searched their faces, eyes squinted, like he thought they were full of shit, then he turned and left.
Pancake Place?Canyon asked.
Timber nodded sharply. “It’s the perfect place to discuss this new assignment—and I have to show you a video Sebastian brought by yesterday. It’ll blow your mind.”
Let’s go.
Canyon picked up his phone, and they headed out the door, talking as they went.
