Chapter 23
River
Torin stays with me long after Holden and his pack leave. The contract was accepted, and work expected to begin within the next week. Due to only Holden and Nash being approved along with Roman to do the work, their hours would vary. They promised to give Tav an estimated work schedule by noon tomorrow.
My heart soared with happiness. I’d get to see them in person again. Even if it would be through a window. Or an even better idea hit me, one I hadn’t thought about before. I could hack into the security system. This way, I could see and hear them. My very own movie. A way to get to know all three of them better. I’m not sure why it mattered so much to me, but I yearned for it.
I’ve cleaned my little apartment twice, even though it didn’t need it. I’ve rearranged my nest, more than once, changing out the stuffies only to put the original ones back. There’s a reason I had my favorite alligator there. It's because out of all of them, it makes me the happiest.
Looking around, I can’t find anything else to do. My homework is done. I’ve done all the required reading. The onlything I’m waiting on is the specifics of the English assignment. The instructor informed us by email that we would have it on Monday.
I walk over to my desk, letting my fingers dance along the keyboard. Time to work. Find some bad guys and make them pay. Sitting down, I turn on my laptop and go to the case I’ve been working on. An omega, missing for five months, and oddly enough she’s from here. She was even a student at Cortland Preparatory College. If I actually attended classes on the campus, we could’ve been friends.Maybe?
I’d come up empty. There’s a clue there, my mind is just not focused enough to see it. No one disappears without a trace. There's a trail somewhere just waiting for me to stumble onto it.
Clicking on the file, I open it up and begin to scour through the information. Her cell phone records, messages and even her spending habits. Everything was normal until about a month before she disappeared. There’s one number that keeps coming up, and I quickly run a scan, finding that it comes back to a burner phone. I’ve tried calling it, and it's not turned on. I traced the number to find what store it was activated in so that I could hopefully find a credit card number attached to the sale. But it shows the service was initiated online, at an IP address that sends me overseas. That's a dead end.
Her messages are vague, clear that most of the conversations she had with this unknown person took place via phone calls. The last message has her meeting with him at a local out of the way diner. I check the records for the diner, hoping like hell they’d have security cameras and that access to any footage is still available. Unfortunately, that ends with another bust. I lean back in my chair, and groan in frustration.
What is going on? I’ve always been able to find that missing little diamond in the rough of information to lead me to where I need to send the right people. But not this time.
I’ve been avoiding opening the messenger chat for school. Not that I don’t want to talk to Holden, but because I’m afraid of getting closer to him. Of falling for him. Crazy thoughts for someone who was just thinking about stalking them through the house security system. I’m a fucking mess with all these hormones coursing through me.
Desire wins out, and I open it, smiling brightly when I see he’s messaged me.
To River: This morning has been busy. We had to meet a client to give an estimate on a deck and some other things. How has your morning been? What have you been up to?
I sit and think for a minute. Should I be honest? Fudge the truth a little? Or, just outright lie? Whoever said having friends was easy was wrong. It’s not always easy. Sometimes it’s tricky and hard.
I decide to fudge.
To Holden: Not bad. Had some company this morning. Then I did some cleaning around my place. I was doing some research on an assignment but needed to take a break, and now here I am with you.
To River: Sounds like you’ve been having a productive morning.
To Holden: I have. Did you get the job?
I know the answer already, but it seems like something a friend would ask. Especially one who doesn’t want her real identity known.
To River: We did. We’ll be doing it in our off time. Some of the work Roman will start on his own, then when Nash and I are free we’ll be helping him. Not sure why, but the clients are really into their security, and only the 3 of us were allowed to be on the property to do the work.
What can I say to that? I know that Tav and the guys are being over the top about it, especially with me not being on suppressants now. Neither is Torin, but he just had his heat and he decided to take suppressants so that he is here for me during my true first heat. He didn’t want Tav, Callux and Josh to be pulled in two different directions.
To Holden: Weird. What else do you have planned for the weekend?
To River: Nothing much. Roman got a call that the guy he beat the other night wants a rematch. Claims that Roman cheated in some way. We all know that’s bullshit, but Roman is seriously debating taking him up on it.
A shiver runs down my back. Something doesn’t seem right. Why even consider the rematch if you know you didn’t cheat? Why would this other man even want to lose another battle? I need to know more.
To Holden: So who is he, maybe, potentially fighting?
To River: Some alpha named Hancock Matthews. He wanted to be part of our pack, but we turned him away. He’s not someone we want associated with us.
To Holden: What club does Roman fight at?
I hope he doesn’t think I’m being too nosy.
To River: Harlequin. Are you planning to sneak in and watch him fight? If you want to go I’ll gladly take you. It could be a date.
