Chapter 43
Chapter Forty-Three
Ken
Ken worked at the table in their cabin while trying to wrap his mind around more data he’d received from the Seguras’ computers. That’s when his phone buzzed.
His work phone.
Ken picked it up and stared at it, blinking, doing a literal double-take at the notification on the secure app he and Peyton and Trent used for text and phone communications when security warranted it.
He thumbed it open to find a one-word text from a number that wasn’t coming up in his contacts in the app.
Pelasgus
Reading the word felt like unlocking a door in his mind, and yet another torrent of information that he hadn’t been aware of suddenly flooded his brain. Ken immediately called the number the message was sent from, his pulse racing as he waited for it to connect.
“Don’t say anything unless you’re alone,” Peyton immediately whispered to him upon answering. “Get away from Gillian, Dewi, Badger, Duncan, and the others. Right now. Listen, and follow my directions to the letter.”
Ken felt fortunate he was in their cabin, already alone, but he moved into the bathroom and locked himself in just to be sure. “I’m alone in our cabin.”
“Good. I’m alive and I’m safe, for now. Do not tell anyone you heard from me.
When you get off the phone, use this number to immediately text me Trevor Clarke’s phone numbers, address, and email through this app.
I don’t have my phone, so that’s why I’m using this one.
I’m heading to Trevor’s and need all my stuff from the hotel sent to him—phones, wallet, passport, all of that. ”
“It’s already there. He took it with him.”
“Good. I also need you to catch the first flight you can book to London to hook up with him. Rent a car when you arrive and drive to his place. Don’t get a driver—I want you to drive yourself.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Pay with the pack card, whatever it takes.”
“Peyton—”
“I don’t have time, Ken! Listen! I’ll explain it all later. Are you still in Idaho?”
“Yes.”
“I’m guessing Badger is now acting Pack Alpha?”
“Yes.”
“Good. In the information on the thumb drive I left for you is a password-protected folder with info for a safe deposit box, including where one of the keys is. Trent has the other, but doesn’t know the bank or box number.
You should know the password to that folder now.
Take everything except the cash, guns, and ammo.
Leave those locked in the box. Then overnight the rest of the contents to Trevor Clarke’s home immediately. All of it. Understand?”
“Yes.” Ken punched in notes on his personal phone as Peyton talked and knew which folder he meant because he’d thought it was odd, at the time, that he couldn’t open it with the same password Peyton had given him for the other stuff.
“Is Dewi still at the pack compound?” Peyton asked.
“Yeah.”
“Whatever you do, do not let Dewi leave the States to come look for me. In fact, do not let her leave the pack compound. Put her passport in that safe deposit box and tell no one where it is. Understood?”
“Yes.”
“Tell Da and Badger you’re leaving if you have to, but do not tell them where or why.
Say it’s an emergency and it’s Pack Alpha business.
Tell them it’s safe, but it has to remain secret for now.
Try to get out of there without Dewi knowing.
If you can’t just leave, tell Da and Badger first and ask them to Prime Dewi if necessary.
But if possible, wait until you’re already at the airport and about to get on the plane to let them know. ”
“Okay.” Ken’s stomach, which had unclenched for the first time in days at the sound of Peyton’s voice, had once again tightly knotted. He wasn’t altogether certain he might not puke.
Glad I’m already in the bathroom.
“I will meet you within three nights at Trevor Clarke’s.
Local time, I mean. If I don’t show up, only then can you tell Trent and Badger and Da—and Trevor—that I was in touch with you.
Don’t tell Trevor I’m coming either, just tell him to be at home and awaiting your arrival, and the package from you, and not to open it. ”
“What about Gillian? I can’t tell her? She’s sick with worry.”
“Not even her. I’m serious, Ken. I’ll tell you everything in person. I think I know who’s behind all this bullshit, and that it’s absolutely tied to Faegan Lewis.”
Ken’s blood ran cold. “Is it someone in our pack?”
“No, I don’t think so, thank christ. But, for now, everyone needs to think I’m still missing. I mean everyone. Otherwise, it’ll make it harder to unwind everything and stop these assholes for good.”
“Well, it’ll be hard for me to lie to Badger and Da about that, won’t it?”
“Tell them it’s secret instructions I left for you. Pack Alpha business. Repeat those three words as necessary—Pack Alpha business. They’ll understand.”
He thought about the murdered family. “How do I know you’re not under duress right now, or it’s not a trap?”
“Besides the fact that I just gave you the keyword to remember stuff?”
“Uh…” That was true. Still… “Yeah. Humor me.”
“First time we met in person, I flew to Florida. When I arrived at the house, I asked Dewi to make me one of her appletinis.” Peyton sighed, sounding weighty and weary, but it was nearly the best damned sound Ken could imagine hearing at that moment. “I could sure as fuck use one right about now.”
Ken felt like crying with relief. “Why the delay? And what do I tell Trevor Clarke when he asks?”
“Again, Pack Alpha business. His ears only, and in person. You can tell him you’re coming and to be at home waiting for you. Tell him not to open the package you’re sending him. If I beat you there, I’ll grab it. Send that today. Still morning there?”
“Yeah. But why can’t I bring it with me?”
“I can’t risk you getting held up in customs by having it on you.
It’s more important that you get to London.
If I have to, I can replace what’s in the package.
Besides, it might make it there before you do, and hopefully I’ll beat you there.
I’m safe, but I’m not out of the woods yet, and I really need to move while night is on our side. I have a lot of ground to cover.”
“‘Our’? You aren’t alone? What’s going on?”
“I can’t explain. Read me back the bullet points, Ken.”
He quickly did.
“Okay,” Peyton said. “Send me Trevor’s info. As soon as you do, I’m wiping the app from this phone because it’s borrowed. If I can snag another phone before then, I’ll let you know. Keep your app open as long as you can before you have to go into airplane mode.”
“Yeah.”
“Tell no one. Not even Gillian,” Peyton repeated. “Now get moving.”
And just like that, the call ended.
Ken pulled up Trevor’s info, copying it and pasting it into the app, sending it as a text.
A moment later, he received a thumbs-up emoji in response.
After shoving both phones into his back pockets, he took a moment to splash water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror to make sure this was real and not some whacked-out dream.
He barely recognized himself, the dark circles under his eyes, the exhaustion.
What the actual fuck is going on?
After Ken retrieved the safety deposit box key—which was hidden in their cabin exactly where Peyton’s instructions said—he snagged his laptop and carried it to the bedroom to handle the ticketing there in case Dewi returned.
He didn’t want to risk her catching a glimpse of his screen.
He couldn’t fly to London directly from Spokane without several plane changes that wouldn’t get him there for over a day and a half, but he could take a direct flight from Seattle with only one short layover and no plane change.
And he could grab an afternoon commuter flight from Spokane to Seattle and make the flight out of Seattle with plenty of time to spare.
With his stomach rolling again, he booked the reservations, giving himself a week on the round-trip ticket.
Hell, the pack was paying for it if he had to change it.
He still hated to fly, although the increasing frequency with which he did it had made it somewhat easier to tolerate.
Not enjoy—just tolerate.
He also had no adapters for his computer or electronics, but he knew he could buy those at the airport.
While he had the computer open, he pulled up the file on the thumb drive Peyton referenced, opened it, took a picture of the info with his phone, and then copied several of the other information files in there to his secret online account Peyton had also told him to set up.
He could hit the bank on his way out to grab the stuff from the safe deposit box and ship it once he reached Spokane.
What the hell do I even pack?
He dumped out both carry-ons, spread jeans, shirts, and sundries between them, didn’t bother packing any toiletries besides deodorant, his razor, and his toothbrush, and made sure he had all his chargers for his electronics and stuffed them into his backpack.
What am I forgetting?
He looked at his list, added a notebook and a couple of pens to his backpack, and then made the call to Trevor Clarke’s cell phone.
Ken wasn’t even sure what time it was over there and hoped the man answered.
He did. “Ken? Are Tamsin and the baby all right?”
He briefly thought about how Aisling had asked him the same thing, remembered the latest unresolved complication there, and then shoved that thought out of his brain.
“Yeah, listen, I can’t talk. This isn’t about them.
I am flying over. Do not tell anyone I’m coming.
Not even Dewi, Duncan, or Badger if they call you.
You are the only one who can know I’m coming, and you need to be at home waiting for me when I arrive. ”
“Why?”
“Pack Alpha business.” Ken’s stomach took another lurch, and he mentally added travel sickness meds to his airport to-buy list. “I will meet you at your home, and I’m overnighting you a package. Do not open it. And you still have Peyton’s things, right? The stuff from the hotel?”
“Yes, they’re here.”
“Keep them there.”
“Is… is there danger?”
“I…” He thought about Peyton’s orders. “I am safe, and this visit isn’t dangerous.
I am under orders not to disclose anything else until I’m in front of you.
It’s for your ears only. I’m operating under standing orders from the Pack Alpha, and no one else can know I’m coming until after I talk to you. By that I mean no one.”
“Isn’t Badger the acting Pack Alpha now?”
“No one,” Ken repeated. “Not even Badger.”
Trevor sighed, and Ken wondered if all Pack Alphas had that same heavy, weighty sigh. “Very well, Ken. I shall await your arrival. Do you want me to send a driver to meet you?”
He recalled Peyton’s adamant order. “No. I’m renting a car and driving myself.”
“You’re not under duress right now, are you?”
Ken nearly laughed at that. “No, just very stressed because I need to get out of here without Dewi finding out.”
“All right. Please send me your flight info, so if you’re overdue, I’ll know that.”
Peyton hadn’t forbade that. “Okay. Before I get on the plane, I will.”
“Very good. Then we shall see you soon.”
Ken checked everything one last time, remembered to dig Dewi’s passport out of her purse, and left via the cabin’s rear door, taking the long way around behind the cabins to reach the parking area. Fortunately, the rental car couldn’t be seen from Peyton’s house.
Ken stowed his bags in the car, grabbed the car seat, and made sure there wasn’t anything else Dewi might need for the baby in the car and left those things in the cabin.
But he knew he had to do this next part.
He couldn’t look himself in the mirror if he didn’t.
Ken let himself in the back door of Peyton’s and found Badger there, Lyssa asleep on his shoulder as he moved around the kitchen preparing himself a snack.
Upon seeing Ken, Badger froze. “What is it?”
Ken held a finger to his lips and risked touching Badger’s arm.
“Pack Alpha business. Standing orders. I’ll be safe, but I’ll be gone a few days.”
Badger scowled, but answered silently. “What about Dewi?”
Ken shook his head. “Don’t tell her until I text you. I cannot tell you anything else right now.”
Badger let out a weighty sigh.
That’s a hat trick.
“But ye swear yer gonna be safe?”
Ken nodded, blinking back tears as he took the baby from him and held her, rocking her, nuzzling her head.
He stepped closer to Badger, his arm pressed against the grizzled old shifter.
“I have Dewi’s passport. I’ll tell you where it is if needed, but she is not allowed to leave the States.
In fact, she needs to stay here, in the pack compound. Her and Gillian both.”
Badger stared at Ken, his gaze narrowing. “Ye can’t even tell me? The actin’ Pack Alpha?”
Ken shook his head. “Sorry. Pack Alpha orders. I’m not allowed to.” He kissed the baby and breathed deeply, inhaling her scent, before he returned her to Badger.
“What do I tell Dewi, for now?” he asked.
“Nothing. Start with I had to run an errand, and I’m safe. But expect me to possibly be out of contact for as long as a couple of days.”
Badger slowly shook his head. “She’s gonna tear up the whole compound lookin’ fer ye.”
“I won’t be here.” Ken kissed the baby one last time. “But tell her I said I love her, and I’ll be home soon. And she’s not allowed to leave. That’s not from me—that’s from the Pack Alpha.”
Badger arched his good eyebrow at him. “Ye mean from Peyton?”
Ken nodded. And as he headed out the back door, Ken hoped that last promise wasn’t an unintentional lie.
About being home soon.