I tapped the speaker button and dropped my phone into the cup holder, then pulled out of the gas station onto the road. A quarter mile later, I merged onto I15. “I’m on the highway. What’s going on,Marc?”
“It’s Blackwell. He’s decided to take action against Kaci fortrespassing.”
“That means he can justkidnapher?” I put on my blinker and shifted into the left-hand lane, then stomped on the gas; it was clear where I was headed. “How bad is this,Marc?”
“Bad enough that I’m going to have to wake Faythe up from her nap. And I try never to wake Faythe up from a nap. Blackwell’s calling this a by-the-book apprehension, and the problem is that he’s notwrong.”
“What book says it’s okay for an enforcer to grab a girl half his size and just take off with her? Did the council okay this? How could they have, if he didn’t even tell you andFaythe?”
“The council doesn’t get a say except on capital offenses—those potentially punishable by execution. Trespassing is serious, but it’s not a capital crime, and Blackwell has jurisdiction, because the crime occurred in his territory, against hisPride.”
“And he didn’t even have to tellanyone?”
“Because she’s our Pride member, he has to give us the details once she’s in custody, but he doesn’t have to alert usbeforehand.”
“So why didn’t he give you thedetails?”
“Because she’s not officially in his custody until she’s back in his territory. And once sheisin his custody, in his territory, he can try her there without interference from anyoneelse.”
Anger raged like fire in my veins, yet I saw the proverbial writing on the wall. “But if she’snotin his custody? Or in histerritory?”
“If you can get to her before Jared takes her back over the border, then get her back onto our land, we can petition the council to try her here. Blackwell would still get to sit in judgement, but he’d have to do it on our turf, and he’d have to negotiate with me and Faythe about the rules of thehearing.”
“So, I’m going to take her back, right?” Adrenaline exploded in my heart and raced through myveins.
“Youhaveto get her back. And to make it legal…” Marc actually groaned over the line. “I’mtemporarilyappointing you as an enforcer of the South-Central Pride. And I’m waiving the usual swearing in, due to the emergencycircumstances.”
“Holy shit.” I swerved around some asshole going sixty in the fast lane. “I’m an enforcer? Just likethat?”
“Temporarily. And without pay, or any other benefits. And please let me be clear here. I’m giving you this job not because you’re the most qualified—or because you’reat allqualified—but because you’re the only one close enough to get to her. Your one job in the world is to catch up with Jared before he gets Kaci over the border, stop themsafely, and take hersafelyinto your official custody. Then bring hersafelyback here. Did I mention safely? Don’t run them off the road, or do anything that could get herhurt.”
“What about him?” I pressed a little harder on the gas, and the needle edged toward eighty-five. “Can I hurthim?”
“If you have to fight him, yes. Vic says youcanfight. But nothing more than what has to be done to get her back. Do you understand? Once you have her—ifyou get her—do not strike out against him. Your authority to act against him ends when he’s incapacitated. But only if hehasto beincapacitated.”
Oh, he’d have to be. I knew that from the way he’d grabbed her arm in Vegas. And from the way he’d kidnapped her when I wasn’t looking, like a sneaky littlebitch.
“There’s one morething.”
“What?” I watched the needle edge towardninety.
“If they cross over the border,let themgo.”
“No way inhell.”
“Justus. Jared didn’t bother with you because he knew he didn’t have to. He knew that if he took Kaci, you’d follow him right into their territory. Where they can hold you on another count of trespassing and keep you in custody until your trial for murder andinfection.”
“I’m not going to leaveher—”
“They won’t hurt her,” Marcinsisted.
“You don’t knowthat.”
“Actually, I do. Blackwell is old fashioned. He believes women should be cherished, protected, and provided for. And that they should be mothers and homemakers. He’s an asshole, but he would never let anyone hurt Kaci. However, he also believes that strays are a problem that the US prides must not accept, but confront. I’m saying this to you from one stray to another. Blackwell was part of the ruling that exiled me into the free zone several years ago. He stood by and watched Faythe removed from her position as Alpha, which nearly got her killed and got us all kicked out of our own house. Off the ranch. He won’t break the rules, but he will interpret them in a manner that supports his beliefs. And that willnotbenefityou.”
“Iunderstand.”
“So, you’ll stop when you get to the border, if you don’t have her back yet?” Marc demanded. But I wasn’t sure how to answer, so I let silence speak for me. “Justus, I can’t let you go after her if I know your intent is to go past the boundary, where you have no authority, even as anenforcer.”
