“I know Drew told you not to take my calls, and I’m sorry to put you in this position. But I need some information. It’s important.”
For one long moment, he was quiet, and I heard a voice speaking over an intercom system. “What do you need?”
“Are you at work?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be quick. I just found out that my brother went to your ER two weeks ago. Can you get to his record?”
“Your brother lives in Jackson?”
“Yeah. He goes to Millsaps. Can you help me?”
“Maybe…” Spencer exhaled heavily. “What’s going on, Titus?”
“I’m not sure yet. But I wouldn’t be asking if it weren’t very important.”
Another long pause. “Why can’t you ask your brother?”
I hesitated, trying to decide how much to tell him. Spencer wasn’t an enforcer and didn’t live at my house, which meant Drew wouldn’t know I’d called him unless Spence reported the call.
Holding the last two inches of her burrito, Robyn nodded at me, encouraging me to tell him something. To trust him.
“Spence, my brother’s…unaccounted for. I came to his place when I left the house, but he was gone and I can’t get ahold of him. I really need to find him.”
“I’ll see what I can do. What’s his name?”
“Justus Alexander. J-u-s-t-u-s.”
“Okay, I’ll get back to you if I find anything.” He hung up.
“You think he’ll do it?” Robyn asked around a bite of burrito.
I shrugged. “There’s an equal chance he’ll tell Drew I called and wash his hands of the whole thing.”
“This isn’t right.” She dropped the rest of her breakfast onto the paper plate, evidently too disgusted to finish it. “They shouldn’t think you’re dangerous.”
“They shouldalwaysthink an Alpha is dangerous. And in this case, that’s better than them thinking Justus is dangerous.”
“Is it?” She tilted her head in an adorable gesture of acute skepticism. “He’s newly infected. Don’t you think they’re more likely to forgive a newly infected stray—a kid—for acting on ignorant impulse than an experienced Alpha, who doesn’t have any excuses?”
As usual, she had a point. “Yes, I do. But I can’t risk the council—or Drew—finding out about Justus before I find him.” Yet her skepticism remained. “If they know about him, they’ll hunt him. They’ll take him into custody—or execute him on the spot—and there’ll be nothing I can do for him. I have to protect him, Robyn. I’m the only family he has.”
Finally, she nodded. “Okay. Then we better find him.”
The guest bedroom door squealed open, and Leland Blum stepped into the living room in his boxer shorts. “Find who? Justus?”
“Yeah.” I waved at the bag on the kitchen counter. “We have breakfast burritos and coffee. And I’ll grab your clothes from the dryer.” I gave Robyn a reluctant smile. “Yours too.” Though I was seriously considering giving her another of my shirts to wear, just so I could smell our combined scents all day.
Blum stopped on the way to the kitchen, inhaling in Robyn’s direction. Then he sniffed in mine. “Why do you guys smell like each…” His brows rose when comprehension came. Then he looked sad, and I remembered that his girlfriend had just died. And I felt like a total ass. “No such thing as a secret among shifters, I guess?”
Robyn shrugged, and she looked as guilt-ridden as I felt. “Not for long, anyway.”
Fortunately, Blum wasn’t yet in contact with any other shifters, so we wouldn’t have to make the moment even more awkward by asking him to keep the news to himself.
Half an hour later, we were all fed and dressed.
“Robyn and I have to run some errands,” I told Blum, as I slid my brother’s laptop into his satchel. “I’m not going to ask you to tag along, but I can’t leave you here, either, in case he comes home. I could get you a hotel room…?”
