Chortling, Smokey spit out, “Yeah, Snow White, get with the program.”
“Don’t you dare give me the name of a Disney princess,” growled Sawyer.
“Nope, I think one Disney princess is enough,” Alex agreed. “Your code name should be tied to your wolf…like Smokey is to his bear.”
“That would be okay,” Sawyer said. “Any ideas?”
“White Fang!” yelled Smokey.
“Alex...” Glenn tried again to get everyone back on track.
“He’s Delicious Surprise,” Smokey announced. “Don’t you fuckin’ listen to your mate?”
“Thank you Smokey,” Alex said, giving him a smile. “I like White Fang…but my mate’s a black wolf.”
“So what?” asked Smokey.
“Well…it’s just all wrong,” Alex replied. Then pointing to Ghost, he continued. “Like naming a black tiger…which I might add is pretty rare…Ghost.”
“Devil!” Smokey said, grinning.
“Hmm…Devil…not bad,” replied Alex. “What do you think, wolf mate?”
“Ahh…Sweetheart, I think we should back burner it for now,” Sawyer said, glancing at Glenn’s tight-lipped face.
Following Sawyer’s gaze, Alex saw why he’d proposed waiting. Giggling, he linked his fingers with Glenn’s, squeezing them lightly. “Right! Now where were we? Ah yes, Smokey asked about the rat who squealed on me.”
Rubbing a hand over his face to hide the yawn, Ghost shook his head, trying to remember what his question was. Then he asked, “Why did you narrow it down to just those two? What about classmates, other family members, friends of the family…you know…ones who knew Alex when he was younger?”
“Because those are the only two with direct knowledge regarding Alex,” Glenn said.
“We should add his new-found brother to the list,” Sawyer said. “We don’t know for sure he doesn’t know about you.”
“No way! My brother would never sell me out to someone like that asshole!” exclaimed Alex, angrily. Noticing the skepticism in Glenn’s eyes, he rushed on, “I’m gonna prove you wrong when we go to France…you’ll see…Fionn wouldn’t do that to me.”
“You’re goin’ to France?” asked Ghost, surprised.
“As soon as Oracle tells my brother about me,” Alex said, smiling. “She promised me this morning it wouldn’t take long.”
“Oracle? Here?” Frowning, Ghost pinned Glenn with his eyes. “You…and me…in the safe room, now.”
Rising, Glenn said to Smokey, “Stay with my mates…I’ll fill you in later.”
“Tiger mate? Is everything all right?” asked Alex, sensing the tension between his mate and Ghost.
“Yeah…” Then glancing at Sawyer, Glenn said, “Stay here with Buttercup…I promise, everything’s okay.” Then stepping around the coffee table, he headed over to the hidden room, knowing Ghost would be right behind him. When they got there, Glenn quietly opened the door.
Glancing over Glenn’s shoulder, Ghost saw Riley glued to his monitor, furiously typing away. Tapping Glenn on the back, he led him to his office.
Shutting the door behind him, Ghost leaned against it, waiting for his friend to face him. When it appeared he wasn’t going to, he asked, “Why would you invite an Oracle here when you knew Riley was here?”
Spinning around, Glenn growled, “You’re a fuckin’ asshole, you know that? For your information, I didn’tinviteher here…she showed up on her own. And I didn’t see any problem with it since she wasn’t the Oracle who’s after Riley.”
“Fuckin’ hell! An Oracle is a fuckin’ Oracle! They all stick together…fuckin’ damn.” Pushing off from the door, Ghost headed to his desk and sat down, anger roiling inside him. Running his fingers through his hair, he forced himself to calm down. Fighting with Glenn wouldn’t give him the information he needed. Looking up at his friend, he said, “Please sit.”
Glenn didn’t move for several seconds, then, sighing, he lowered himself into the chair facing Ghost. Schooling his face to give nothing away, he stared at Ghost, waiting for the explosion he was sure would be detonated.
“Why did an Oracle come here? Was she looking for Riley?”
