When he hacked into the hotel via its website, he found a time that aligned with the footage and the fake name he believes she used for the room. She paid in cash for everything.
If we didn’t have Sylvan, it would have taken days to find her.
The relief we all felt when we realised she was safe shimmered through the bond before being cut short by new possibilities.
What could have happened on that flight to make Revea do this?
“I’ll go.” I rise, and my pack starts to stand. “No.” They stop. “I’ll go alone.”
Their expressions sour immediately, but we haven’t got time for an argument.
“The four of us storming into that hotel is not the right play, you know that. I’ll go, I’ll let her know I’m there. Nopressure.” I look at each of them throughout, but I find myself surprised at who preoccupies my stare the most. “We let her come to us. You all know the protocols for situations like this.”
“She’s not a job,” Syl snaps, his eyes never leaving mine, refusing to back down.
“I know.” I slowly nod, voice softening. “I know that, Syl. Believe me.”
His jaw tightens, but he takes his seat again.
“And you want us to just fucking sit here?” Luc scoffs, but he’s also sat back down.
I give Luc a sharp look. “Youneed to let her brothers know we’ve found her, but don’t tell them where. She could have already left. And if she hasn’t, I need to get Revea’s say before we share her whereabouts.”
“Get them to trust you…” Val murmurs, “Yeah, we know the protocol. But this isn’t like the other jobs—” He stops, because Sylvan’s growl stops him. He rephrases. “Thetimesbefore, Kaiden.”
“Do you trust me?” I ask Val, but then look to the others. “You trusted me once to go into a hostage situation with scraps of information. You trust me enough to lead this pack. Now I need you to trust me to find Revea and bring her back.”
The room is silent.
“Do. You. Trust. Me?” I repeat.
Each member of my pack holds my gaze, then they nod in sync as their trust fills the bond.
I nod too, then start packing my things.
“What do you think she’s hiding from?” Sylvan’s voice is quiet as he studies his screen that displays live footage of the hotel entrance.
“I don’t know,” I say, zipping up my bag. “But I’ll find out.”
***
I’m tense for the entire drive.
My shoulders ache, my jaw tight, hands throbbing from how hard I grip the steering wheel. It’s only an hour’s drive to the airport from Nexus, but it feels like a lifetime.
I’ve dealt with high-stakes situations before. Hostages, attempted suicides, people held at gunpoint. But this is the unknown.
This is Revea.
I need to play it carefully, or else she’ll flee, and who knows what I’ll do then.
When I get to the hotel, I waste no time. It’s quiet, and the guy at reception flinches like most do when they see me. Probably doesn’t help that my teeth feel like they’re about to shatter, and my steps pound against the ground.
“Good afternoon, sir. Can I help—”
“I need you to ring this person in this room.” I slide my phone over, displaying a screenshot of their electronic sign-in system showing Revea’s fake name and room number.
He shakes his head. “Sir, I can’t do that—”
