“I think they eventually took down the entire operation, since Agent Weigmier said it was a large, multi-world, person-smuggling ring. He also told me yesterday that it had been taken care of, though he also said more than once there was still a mess to clean up. I don’t know what that means. He also mentioned that they were tenacious.” Grace looked at Nick. “You weren’t the first that they were working with in this world?”
“No. Though I didn’t know that until close to the end. They let it slip that they’d worked with someone else, but something happened, which was why they were so happy to have found us. All I knew was that they, too, were in Europe and engaged in similar research. I’d meant to figure it out, after all, there weren’t too many people doing what we do. But that didn’t happen. I’m so sorry, Grace. I’m sorry that I don’t have the answers for you that you wanted,” he apologized.
Grace shook her head. “It’s okay. You’ve helped me to understand so much.”
“And now I can comprehend why the people we were working with who smuggled sigmas were so quick to accept our very vague help. They may have been working with our predecessors and guessed what we were doing. For all I know, they also worked with whoever came after us, if there was anyone,” Nick added.
All this information was a lot to take in, and I gave Grace another squeeze. But at the same time, I was glad for it.
“I don’t know if it continued. But I do know that people from other incompatible worlds besides this one were left in the world I grew up on–and I know that world number,” Grace said. “I think sasquatch legends are because they’re really refugees from shifter worlds.”
“What, Peaches?” I blinked.
“Think about it. We never hear about packs of sasquatches, it’s one or two. I know that you have those legends here, too, because you literally have a hockey team called the Portland Sasquatches, which I only know because they’re Tish’s favorite team,” Grace added.
Evan gasped. “That actually makes sense. Fuck. Now I want to go bushwhacking through the Pacific Northwest with a blanket brigade tote and offer services to the poor scared omega sasquatch refugees.”
“I’d go with you,” Jett offered.
Nick looked a little bewildered by all that.
Spencer turned to her. “Agent Weigmier was chatty yesterday?”
“He was. I mean, he didn’t answer all my questions, but he told me a few things. Um, oh, I told him that if he ever returns anyone to this world to let me know so we can help. So far, I’m the only one from this world returned here. I turned out okay, but it could have gone so badly. Like what if the Sergeant didn’t call Lexi? I could have ended up in a homeless shelter, and you may have never known that I was here.” Grace looked at Brennan, pleading.
Fuck. I never thought about how bad that could have gone. Yeah, we might have never found her, with her beingrighthere.
“Well, we have the foundation now. I dislike the idea of someone suffering because Agent Weigmier’s good intentions aside, they are assholes,” Brennan said.
“Agreed,” Spencer said.
I didn’t actually have a problem with that.
“Did he tell you anything else, Peaches?” Jett asked.
“Only that I was interesting, and that wasn’t a good thing.” She shrugged.
“Do you have any other questions for me?” Nick asked. “I can feel my mate’s impatience.”
Spencer and Grace asked him a few more questions. I sort of dozed off.
A phone ring woke me up.
Frowning, Spencer answered it. “This is Spencer.”
I felt awash in sheer emotion and realized I was getting it from Spencer through my bond with Grace. She climbed off my lap and onto his.
“Yes, I see. Thank you. Yes, I do. I’ll do whatever you need.” Spencer was practically shaking. “Thank you again. I appreciate it. Please keep me updated.”
“What’s wrong?” Grace asked, hugging him tight.
“It’s not bad news, just unexpected,” Spencer told us. “The police are re-opening Elaris’ case–and they have a confession.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Spencer
Finally, after all these years. So much had happened in the past two days. Overwhelmed, I clutched Grace to me, and buried my face in her shoulder, inhaling her peachy scent.
