VIVIANNA
“We really need to stop with this whole going to bed at two in the morning,” Koit whined as we got back to the motel.
The guys all gave him a dirty look as they unpacked the car.
“You know we needed to get Violet situated somewhere safe. We should be thankful that a werewolf owns a funeral home and can keep her until we decide the next move,” Bentley shot back.
Even though we got sleep on the plane, the past few days had not been easy on anyone, and I didn’t see it getting better.
Darius had managed to get the thumb drive out, and I refused to ask how he did it.
Making sure to test it right away, we all let out a sigh of relief to know it was still intact.
That would be the next big project to deal with—sorting through all that information without really knowing what we were looking for in the chaos.
Part of me wanted to know everything that they’d done, yet I still wished I could be blind to it all, so I didn’t feel more weight settling on my shoulders to deal with.
Yes, it was a selfish way to look at it, but I knew whatever was in there, I would feel personally responsible for, even if I wasn’t.
“You guys made breaking news, if you can believe it,” Christian shared as he walked up. “Lab explosion in rural South Dakota. Thankfully, they are attributing it to a gas line leak. Seems Jason doesn’t want to draw attention to the fact that it was important or what really happened there.”
“That’s the only good thing that man has done,” Rik muttered as he hoisted a duffle on his shoulder. “Thanks for helping us with getting Violet settled.”
“Absolutely, man, we’re now family, whether you like it or not, and family helps however they can,” Christian said, giving us all a meaningful look. “Now go get some sleep. You all look like hell.”
“Rapid healing does that to you.” Tristan sighed, curling an arm around my waist. “Even when you have all alphas boosting it, silver hurts like a bitch and heals even worse.”
Christian grimaced at that, his whole body shivering. “God, makes me think of the first time I got hit with a silver bullet and had to dig it out with my fingers. I’ll make sure Kate knows to expect you guys late and to make it a hearty breakfast.”
Mumbling our thanks, we trudged up the stairs to our room, but Neveah cut us off. “What are you still doing up?” I asked, surprised.
“We need to talk about Diane.” Neveah’s whole body seemed to vibrate with the intensity of whatever she needed to tell me.
Looks like we won’t be going to sleep any time soon.
You know she wouldn’t do it without reason.
For the sake of her staying alive, let’s hope you’re right.
“Come on then, let’s talk in our room so the guys can clean up,” I said, waving for her to go ahead of us.
Once in the room, I headed over to the coffee maker and got it all set and turned on, filling the room with its comforting scent.
The guys headed into the bedroom to shower in the connecting bathroom and get ready for bed, even though Tav gave me a questioning look to see if I wanted him to stay.
Shaking my head, he left the door cracked so they would hear everything, but it gave us the illusion of privacy.
Neveah paced the small living room, chewing on her thumbnail, letting me know just how upset this was making her.
The coffee beeped, letting me know it was done and I filled my mug to the brim.
“I’d offer you a cup, but you look wired as it is,” I commented as I settled into one of the armchairs, leaving her to speak when she was ready.
“Do you really think we can trust her?” she finally blurted. “Nick and I kept eyes on her all day today, since she heard everything we talked about at breakfast. At one point, we lost her, but quickly found her by the beach, crying. Nicole and she got into another fight.”
“Has she given you a reason not to trust her?” I stopped her with a look to finish my thought before she answered.
“Look, I’m not saying I trust her out of our sight.
She is willing to do anything and everything to make sure her family is safe, no matter what that looks like.
Do I hope that she’ll do the right thing so I don’t have to kill her…
yes. Are the chances of that happening high…
no. What I want to know from you, is why your gut is telling you we are in danger with her here. ”
Finally, she took a seat on the couch. Even if she was ready to jump into action at any moment, I was getting her to think.
I had no idea what lies her father fed her along the way to make her doubt herself and turn a blind eye to the small instinctive voice in her head that warned her he was doing something wrong.
Now I had to get her to trust the instinct that was ingrained in us, especially her, since she was a born wolf.
“She’s too helpful. Like she wants to fix everything and is always asking questions about how she can make things safer for her family.
When you were gone, she kept asking if we’d heard from you, if things went well, did you find what you were looking for.
You never said what it was you were looking for, but we all knew about Violet, so it made sense, but she didn’t.
Why would she ask like she knew it wasn’t just data you were looking for? ”
“What would you do if you were in my shoes?” I inquired, already having known in the back of my head this trip and sharing in front of Diane was a test.
Neveah took a moment, resuming her gnawing of her thumb as she thought.
“Separate them. Keep Nicole and her son together but in a safe undisclosed location, even from us. Then do the same for Tim and Diane once we get what we need from Tim, but don’t let Diane sit in on those conversations.
I think it’s best to limit the things we expose her to, so if, or when, she betrays us, we know what she could share with the enemy. ”
“I agree with all of that. Nicole and Brady are our priority now, making sure that they don’t get pulled back into this.
Once this battle is over, people like them are going to become my focus.
Whether they passed the gene down or not, it’s too high of a risk.
We got a lot of their research, along with more names than I know what to do with, or how they fit into all this.
I want to create a team that will head up this task and I think you might be perfect.
But as I said, one battle at a time.” Letting out a sigh, I leaned back in the chair.
“Have someone keep an eye on her at all times. If we need to pull in another person Christian trusts, then we’ll do that.
I refuse to let this get derailed because we were too trusting.
That was a mistake I made not too long ago, and it cost me almost everything.
If the risk is too great, then I will deal with the matter personally.
Is there anything else or was that the meat of it? ”
Neveah gave me an odd look as if no one had truly taken her seriously before. “No, I think everything else can wait until after you get some sleep.”
“Music to my ears, but if that changes, you have my permission to wake me or my men up if needed,” I stated as I walked her to the door. “Try to get some sleep yourself. You can’t do your best work exhausted.”
Closing the door behind her, I headed straight for the bedroom.
I wanted this day to be over and it seemed determined to drag out as long as possible.
The guys were all settled for the night and one of them had cut off all the tags for my new clothes and packed them in a suitcase we got as well but left a pair of soft pajamas for me out on top.
“Kate must have come by. There are toiletries for you in the bathroom,” Rik shared as I headed in that direction.
I let out a small groan of pleasure. “Bless that woman. I’m going to take a quick shower then I’ll join you guys. I just need to wash the filth of that place off my skin before I can relax.”
Just as Rik said, there was a cute little shower caddy filled with everything a woman could possibly need.
I grabbed the bodywash and a loofa. It would go a long way to making me feel cleaner, knowing I scrubbed my skin well.
Not having the energy to linger under the scalding water, I was in and out, toweling off, then did a quick braid of my hair, securing it with a hair-tie that Kate had put in the caddy as well.
Finally feeling like I could turn in for the night, I found most of the guys already asleep, but Rik and Tristan waited up for me, with just enough space between them for me to snuggle in.
“Did she really need to have that talk with you right away? I feel like it could have waited until tomorrow,” Rik grumbled as he tucked me in against his chest.
Taking a deep inhale and letting his evergreen scent fill my nose set me at ease.
“Neveah needs to learn to trust her gut about things and that is going to take time. She already knew the right thing to do, but until she bounced the idea off of me, there was no way she could relax. I have no problem with what she did. It’s what a good leader should do—support her people.
I see great things coming from her once I undo everything her father screwed up in her head. ”
Tristan ran a hand down my hip as he kissed the top of my head. “You amaze me every day, my beloved. Even after everything you have gone through, and how the world has never given you any help, your heart is still so tender to those who need it.”
“Well that’s not true, I was blessed with all of you,” I countered. “If you seven weren’t in my life, I never would have become this person. Who knows if I would still be alive today if it weren’t for you guys?”
“I think I speak for all of us when I say that you did the same for all of us. We each needed you as much as you needed us. Seems the fates knew what they were doing when they lumped us all together,” Rik murmured as he nuzzled into my hair.
“Now sleep. Whatever tomorrow brings for us, we will face it together.”
“I like the sound of that,” I answered, smiling as I drifted off to sleep.
Bang, bang, bang. “Viv, you need to get up now.” Christian bellowed as he slammed his fist on our bedroom door.
Faster than I could register what was going on, Rik had me up and off the bed and pressed into the corner of the room, his body blocking me while Orion went to open the door.
The others stood, tense and ready for action, and I was thankful for the first time this room didn’t have any windows.
I thought it was odd at first, but now it made sense.
If someone did attack while we were sleeping, we couldn’t get hit from both sides.
Orion cracked the door and whatever he saw had him flinging the door open wide, revealing a distraught Christian.
“It’s Kate,” he blurted. “The bastards took Kate and Diane.”
Shoving Rik out of the way, I ran up to Christian. “Tell me everything.”
“Kate went to the grocery store and Diane offered to go with her to help since she was feeding everyone. I made sure one of my pack went with them as backup. I knew they shouldn’t be able to trace what you guys did last night back here, but I knew Neveah has been watching Diane closely.
Kate is everything to me and I couldn’t take the chance of something going wrong,” he explained, running his hands through his hair.
“Kate hit her panic button to alert me that something was wrong, but they must have removed all her jewelry, since it’s a necklace and the GPS tracker hasn’t left the parking lot. ”
“Why would they hit in such a high traffic area?” Darius asked as he grabbed his computer. “Tell me where they were so I can get the surveillance footage.”
All his words finally registered in my brain. “Wait, why are you still here talking to us and not racing down to the scene?”
“Because I know I can’t think clearly about this, and I need you to handle it. Viv, please, I’m begging you and your mates to help me get the love of my life back,” Christian sobbed, dropping to his knees.
Just then his cellphone rang, making us all flinch at the sudden noise.
When he pulled it out of his pocket, the screen showed private number, and I knew who was on the other end of that call.
“Give it to me,” I ordered, holding out my hand.
Once it was in my palm, I swiped my finger across the screen and answered it.
“Vadik,” I said into the phone.
“Little wolf, you have something of mine, and I want it back,” Vadik’s deep bone-chilling voice purred.