“Once we have dealt with Jordan, nothing stops us from having a second chance in life,” I tell him.
Rory looks at me thoughtfully, his gaze wandering from my face to my neck. “I guess if you found the right man for you, maybe I will be lucky, too.”
Griffin nudges him gently. “No harm in trying, man.”
While he distracts Rory in conversation, I turn to Martin again. “Will you be alright?” I ask.
“I am as prepared as I can be,” Martin promises. “I am a bit nervous about tomorrow, but… Alpha Forest and Griffin said they would have my back—”
“We will,” Forest assures him. “We’ll be close by, in case anything happens to you.”
“Yes,” I nod. “But willyoube alright?”
Martin looks at me for a moment before turning his eyes away. “I… try not to think about it.”
“Don’t shove it aside too much. You have seen the trafficking ring, and you couldn’t intervene and help anyone. I am sure that was incredibly hard.”
“Rose is right,” Forest says. “It’ll have done something to you. You can talk to me, or Rose, anytime. I am sure Griffin would be there to listen, too, or even Rory. He knows Jordan’s darker sides.”
At the mention of their names, the other two turn around. They must be piecing together what we talked about, becauseGriffin nods readily. “I’ll be there for you, Martin. We are buddies after all.”
Rory brushes through his beard. “Anytime,” he says now. “Besides, you can wake me up at midnight and I would happily shit-talk Jordan, or better yet, seek him out and punch him in his pathetic face.”
At that, we all chuckle. “The line’s long,” I say.
“For real.” Griffin shakes his head. “A lot of people despise him.”
“We saw that at the gala,” Forest agrees. “Alright, guys, let’s get this over with. It’s time to get back at Jordan and Harry.”
forty-five
Reliable Men
*MARTIN*
Iam dressed more formally than usual, heading out to go to Jordan’s club. Jonah gave me the heads-up to dress better, so I did.
Yesterday, I managed to sneak the note to Harry while I was guarding the cottage that he and Donna are kept in. I pretended I needed to check on something inside and slipped in a note.
I was unsure, at first, if Harry would throw a fuss to get back at me—we all were. There were many ways this could have gone wrong, but to my surprise, Harry just showed me a brief smile and then didn’t say or do anything. It was as if he expected me to help him.
Looking at it now, it fits the way Jordan sees me. When I talked to Jordan, he instantly believed my loyalty toward Harry. And Harry believes in it, too.
I am not sure what it says about me.
Probably that I didn’t show much backbone before.
“Are you okay?” Rory asks me.
He has dropped by to go through some details with me, or at least that’s what he said he is here for. I’m beginning to think he is here for a different reason. “So, are you here to keep a watchful eye on me?”
Rory sighs. “Now it’s you who is being too suspicious. Not that I can blame you for it, though. I had it coming.” He pauses. “No, I am here to check on you and see if you need any emotional support.”
“You could have said that when you dropped by!”
“Eh, I don’t know. Ranked wolves have a certain pride.”
He is not wrong about that.
