“I think I did well,” I say.
“You think?”
“No. I am certain I did well, because guess what… Once most of the guys hooked up with random girls, Jonah dragged me andLuis to another bar. Luis was wasted already, but Jonah… he was sober, completely sober. I bet he was there to take a good look at me. And I must have been pretty convincing. I shit-talked Forest, but tried not to overdo it. You know… be more frustrated and angry, and all that.”
“Good!” Dr. Francis says. “It would not have been believable had you insulted him immediately.”
“The bar that Jonah took us to…” I take a breath, waiting to have their attention on me. Griffin gives me an annoyed glance while Dr. Francis looks mildly amused.
“Yes?” Griffin prompts.
“It belongs to Jordan. It’s a strip club. At least today it was.”
At that, I have their immediate interest. Both men stare at me in surprise. “What?” Dr. Francis asks.
“Yeah, I was surprised, too. And Beta Clemmens was there; he wanted to meet us. If I had to take a bet, I’d say Jonah was there to check me out first, then gave his okay to either Clemmens or Jordan, and Clemmens was sent. I am also sure Jonah recorded me while I was shit-talking Alpha Forest. It’s just a feeling, though I have no proof.”
“That would make sense,” Dr. Francis agrees.
“And then?”
“They showed me the bar, and we spent the rest of the night there. The thing is… Guys… I am not entirely sure, but I still would bet on it—"
“Dude,” Griffin groans. “You are rambling again.
“Sorry,“ I grin. “It definitely was a strip club, but there is more to it. Guys kept hooking up with some of the girls, and then they would disappear into an upstairs area. I swear I saw one guy paying one of the bouncers in cash. There were also only shifters visiting this place.”
Griffin stares at me, mouth open. “It’s a brothel,” he mutters.
“That’s what I think.”
“Martin,” Dr. Francis says earnestly. “I appreciate you seeking us out immediately. But you should have contacted the alpha first and—"
“No. I… I don’t want to raise their hopes, or rather the luna’s, and wanted to talk to you first,” I admit.
“You mentioned Rory,” Griffin says quietly. “What happened?”
I tell him about Clemmens and how drunk he was, and what he blabbed to me. “They never found a body,” I say. “If the guy is anything like his cousin, like Rose, then…”
“He made a run for it,” Dr. Francis says. “By the goddess… itisa possibility.”
“Rose said he was her only support. I bet Jordan wanted to get rid of him,” I conclude.
“But why did he remain hidden?” Griffin asks.
“We can’t underestimate Jordan and his power,” Dr. Francis explains. “If Rory is alive, I am sure he is remaining hidden and trying to get as much intel on Jordan as possible. The thing is, he might not have been as mentally prepared as the luna was. Let’s not forget that Rose was planning her exit. Rory probably didn’t.”
“And he probably also didn’t meet an ally like she did,” Griffin concludes.
“Now that Rose has made her public appearance at Forest’s side, and everyone knows who she is… maybe…” Dr. Francis’ voice trails off. “Maybe we can get him out of hiding. This is a task for me and Alpha Leonard,” he says. “Let us dig a little.”
“The luna mentioned a friend in her old pack. Rory’s friend, to be precise,” Griffin says. “She helped her… she watched out for her…”
“I was thinking the same,” Dr. Francis says. “Maybe she knows more. It’s time to dig deeper. I’ll wager Betty can be of help here.Leave it to Griffin and me, Martin. You need to focus on getting closer to Clemmens, and with that, also closer to Jordan.”
I nod, slowly feeling the pill Dr. Francis handed me, sobering up a little. “Was it right to have told you two first?”
“There is no right or wrong,” Dr. Francis says. “But maybe we should research Rory in secret. Luna Rose does not need to have her hopes lifted, just to have them smashed again.”
