Chapter 20 - Grayson
Ryder’s message had been brief: We’ve got someone. Get here now. That was enough to get him to the community center in record time. Someone—likely one of Theodore’s men—had slipped through their perimeter, and the team had managed to capture him alive.
The memory of his last encounter with one of Theodore’s scouts was still fresh in his mind.
He’d had the chance to take the man down then, to demand answers, but the timing had been all wrong.
They’d been on a public street, with Cora at his side and too many potential witnesses.
A fight would’ve drawn attention—attention they couldn’t afford with Theodore’s network already sniffing around Bellefleur.
Letting the scout go had been a calculated decision, one that still didn’t sit right with him. But this time, there were no such complications. No risks to balance. They had their man, and Grayson wasn’t walking away without answers.
The moment Grayson stepped into what the guys had transformed into an interrogation room, his eyes landed on the man bound to the chair in the center of the room.
He was wiry, and his face was pale and drawn despite the smirk he was trying to hold.
Ryder stood off to the side while. Zach leaned against the wall, but the tightness around his mouth betrayed his unease.
“About time you showed up,” Ryder grumbled, glancing at Grayson. “We’ve been waiting.”
Grayson ignored him and focused on the man in the chair. “Who is he?”
“Scout,” Zach supplied. “Found him lurking near the east perimeter. Had a map and some…interesting notes.”
Grayson took one long step closer to the captive. The man’s smirk faltered when their eyes met. “What were you doing on our land?” Grayson asked.
The man’s smirk returned, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Just passing through. No harm done.”
“No harm?” Ryder echoed. “You’re carrying maps of our patrol routes and notes on our defenses. Seems like more than harmless wandering.”
The man shrugged, though his hands strained against the ropes that held him. “I like to stay informed.”
Grayson leaned down, bringing his face level with the scouts. “Informed about what? Let me guess—you’re working for Theodore.”
The man’s smirk disappeared, and his silence was confirmation enough.
“Thought so. So here’s how this works: tell us everything you know, and we’ll consider letting you leave. Lie, and you’ll wish you hadn’t.”
“Empty threats,” the man spit. “You need me alive. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have brought me here.”
Zach let out a low laugh from his spot by the wall. “That’s adorable. He thinks we won’t hurt him.”
“People like you are a dime a dozen to Theodore,” Ryder added. “You’re expendable. He won’t come looking for you. So you're mistaken if you think we won’t do whatever it takes to get answers.”
The man swallowed hard. “Look, I don’t know much. I’m just supposed to watch and report back. That’s it.”
“Report back about what?” Grayson pressed.
“Movements, weaknesses, anything useful,” the scout admitted. “Theodore wants to know what’s going on here. He’s got plans for this town.”
“What kind of plans?”
“Retaliation. He’s targeting Bellefleur to send a message. Wants to show people that no one’s untouchable—not even you.”
Grayson’s blood ran cold. Just like he’d heard before, Theodore wasn’t content with tearing apart neighboring towns—he wanted Bellefleur to fall, and he wanted to make it clear that Grayson was the reason.
“What about the auctions?” Ryder asked.
“Witches, shifters, anyone he can get his hands on. The auctions fund everything. Without them, the operation falls apart.”
Grayson exchanged a look with Ryder and Zach. The confirmation solidified what they’d already suspected, but hearing it out loud made it feel more real—and more important than ever to put a stop to it.
“Where are they holding the captives?” Grayson demanded.
The scout’s eyes darted to each of them as if weighing his chances. “I don’t know. I swear. Only Theodore’s inner circle knows the locations.”
Grayson took a step closer and dropped his voice, low and dangerous. “Then tell me something I don’t already know. Why shouldn’t I hand you over to the people whose lives you’ve helped ruin?”
The man’s composure cracked entirely. “Because I can help you! I know their patterns, their movements. I can tell you when the next auction’s happening.”
“And why would we trust you?” Zach asked, pushing off the wall. “You’ve already lied about why you were here. What’s to stop you from feeding us false information?”
“I’m not stupid. If I lie, you’ll kill me. I get it. But if I help you, maybe you’ll let me live.”
Ryder let out a humorless laugh. “You think that’s how this works?”
Grayson raised a hand, silencing Ryder. “When’s the next auction?”
“Three days,” the man answered immediately. “They’re moving captives to a transport site west of here. That’s all I know.”
He could see the fear in the man’s eyes, but fear didn’t equal honesty. In fact, often, it makes people tell desperate lies. “You’d better hope that’s true. Because if it’s not, you won’t get another chance.”
“It’s true. I swear.”
Grayson turned to Ryder. “Keep him under guard. We’ll verify his intel before we decide what to do with him.”
Ryder nodded. “Got it.”
Grayson strode out of the room. Theodore’s plans were moving faster than he’d anticipated, and the stakes were higher than ever. He had to get eyes on Cora and make sure she was okay.
He headed toward the apartment, but as he approached the door, he realized something: this wasn’t the time for another argument or another plan. Cora deserved more than his constant warnings and grim updates.
This time, he needed to show her something else—something that reminded them both of what they were fighting to protect—something normal.
Grayson stood outside the bakery with his hands buried deep in his jacket pockets, staring down at the pavement as if the cracks in the sidewalk held the answers to all his questions.
He had faced down enemies, walked into traps, and taken beatings that would break lesser men, yet asking Cora on a date made his pulse hammer like a rookie on his first mission.
The door swung open, and the faint aroma of cinnamon and sugar escaped with the rush of air. Cora stood in the doorway with an amused smile playing on her lips. “Grayson Kane, loitering outside the bakery. Should I be worried?”
He looked up, startled by her sudden appearance, and cleared his throat. “Not exactly.”
“Then what are you doing here?” she teased. “Hoping to snag a free cookie?”
“No.” He straightened, feeling unreasonably warm under her gaze. “I, uh, wanted to ask you something.”
Cora tilted her head. “This sounds serious. Should I sit down?”
“I’m trying to be,” he muttered, mostly to himself, before finally meeting her eyes. “Will you go out with me? Like…on a date.”
She blinked, clearly caught off guard, before laughter bubbled up from her chest. “A date? You?”
“Yeah, me. I’ve heard it’s something people do.”
The timing wasn’t ideal—hell, it was probably reckless to even consider this with Theodore’s men circling closer by the day.
But after everything they’d been through, Grayson couldn’t shake the feeling that they needed this.
One moment to breathe. One moment to remember why they were fighting so damn hard to protect this town, this fragile sense of safety.
She crossed her arms, pretending to consider. “I don’t know. You don’t exactly scream ‘romantic.’”
“That’s fair,” he admitted. “But I’m trying. So, what do you say?”
Cora grinned. “Okay. I’ll bite. When?”
“Tonight,” he said quickly, as if giving her the chance to change her mind would ruin everything. “I know a place.”
“Bold of you to assume I didn’t have plans.”
“You don’t,” he countered. “But if you want, we can reschedule for—”
“Grayson,” she interrupted, shaking her head. “I’ll go. Give me a few minutes to close up.”
Relief washed over him, but he didn’t dare let it show. He nodded instead and leaned against the doorway as she disappeared inside.
The drive to the small restaurant on the edge of town was quiet. Grayson stole a glance at Cora as she looked out the window. She seemed relaxed, but he knew her well enough now to sense the undercurrent of tension she carried everywhere.
When they arrived, Cora took in the cozy exterior of the restaurant with a raised brow. “You picked this place?”
“It seemed…nice.”
“It is,” she replied. “I’m just surprised. I didn’t think candlelight was your thing.”
“It’s not,” he admitted as he opened the door for her. “But I thought you might like it.”
She stepped inside, and her smile lingered as they were shown to a corner table. The room was quiet, and the faint strains of jazz provided a pleasant backdrop. Grayson scanned the room instinctively, his training kicking in even here, but Cora’s voice pulled his attention back.
“You’re staring again,” she warned, not looking up from her menu.
“I’m not.”
“You are.” She finally glanced up, and her eyes were dancing with amusement. “What’s going through that head of yours, Kane?”
“Just…trying to figure out what you’re thinking.”
“I’m thinking you’re adorable when you’re nervous.”
“I’m not nervous.”
“You’re fidgeting.”
He glanced down at his hands, realizing too late that he’d been tapping the table. He stilled them immediately. “Maybe a little.”
“Why?” she asked, tilting her head in genuine curiosity.
“Because this feels…important. And I don’t want to mess it up.”
Her teasing expression softened, and she reached across the table, placing her hand on his. “You’re not messing it up. Relax.”