Chapter 4 #2
I try to turn my mind to other things as Sloane pulls up to Rourke Securities, a fortress of glass and steel, usually a place of absolute control, but today it feels like a cage.
The car has barely stopped before I climb out and walk inside, Sloane on my heels as we head up to the fifteenth floor.
Dana is hunched over three monitors, her fingers dancing across the keys with a frantic rhythm that matches the thrum of static in my brain.
She doesn't look up when I walk in, but her scent spikes with the stress of whatever she’s searching for.
“What are you doing here, Dana?” I ask, the tiredness I feel creeping into my voice.
The Beta looks up with a small smile on her face.
“Baxter said all hands on deck and that usually means someone or something is in trouble. Sloane called me and since I was just leaving...” She pauses as I narrow my gaze at her.
I’ve told her and the rest of the employees time and time again that they don’t need to work overtime because the work will always be here tomorrow.
There’s a few exceptions but rarely. "Found a shell company," Dana says. "Blue Horizon Logistics. They’re a front for a front, but the money trail leads back to an offshore account linked to a primary infrastructure named the Cardinal Network. I’m not entirely sure who it is but they weren't even trying to hide it that well, Kade. It’s like they wanted us to see the shadow, just not the face behind it. "
I walk over to the window, looking out at the city of Ansdale.
Somewhere out there, a few blocks away, Emrys is sitting in his apartment, probably terrified, probably wondering why the man who saved him is being treated like a monster.
"They want me distracted," I murmur, more to myself than to Dana.
"They want me focused on the legal battle and the fallout, so I don't see whatever else they're moving into position. They’re trying to isolate me, and they’re using the police to do the heavy lifting. "
"Which means we don't go quiet," Sloane says, appearing at my shoulder. "We push back. I messaged Xyla. She’s going to keep an eye on the bakery, discreetly. If anyone so much as looks at Emrys the wrong way, we’ll know.
" Sloane lets out an obnoxious yawn, and for the first time all night, I realize the bags under his eyes.
I raise an eyebrow, trying not to make a big deal of it. “Please tell me your Beta knows you slipped out to come rescue me.”
Sloane throws me a finger, but his lips quirk into a smile.
“Calliope might have cussed me out and told me I owed her ice cream on the way.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal, but his Beta terrifies me.
She’s wonderful and highly territorial over her Alpha’s time, which has led to some interesting phone calls asking me why I won’t let him go home.
I’m not catching shit for tonight.
"And the detective?" I ask, turning back to face them fully. "Grayson. He’s the one who was in the interrogation room with me and the only one who seemed to care more about Emrys than just what he was told."
Sloane pauses, his gaze sharpening in my direction.
"I didn’t have a lot of time to research but he’s a Beta.
Good record, but he’s a drifter. Never stays in one pack for more than a year.
Why?” He tilts his head, a chuckle rumbling through his chest. “Do you think he’s yours?
Fuck, that’s a twist. Shit, if he’s part of something with you, he’s going to fight it harder than anyone.
He’s built his whole life around leaving before things get complicated.
" Sloane clicks his tongue and leans forward, his grin widening across his face. “Wait, shit. Isn’t Emrys yours too?”
I glare at him. “I never said that. I never said Grayson was mine either.”
Dana twists around her chair, tapping her pen on her chin. “Kade, your expressions give you away. We all know about Emrys. And you’ve never cared about anyone in that precinct before so...”
“I need to know if there’s someone who actually believes I’m innocent.”
“Suurrre,” they both echo.
I drag a hand down my face and plop into my chair, refusing to dignify that with an answer. I know Emrys is mine and not being able to have him near is killing me even if we’ve never established anything between us. As for Grayson...
Nope. Not thinking about that.
"Keep tracing the accounts," I tell Dana, my voice regaining its edge. "I want every name associated with Blue Horizon. I don't care if it's a janitor or a CEO. If they’ve touched the Cardinal Network, I want their lives dismantled."
I walk back to my private office and shut the door, the silence finally settling over me.
I pull my phone from my pocket, scrolling to the contact I shouldn't have.
Emrys. I haven't called him. I can't. The court order is explicit, and one wrong move puts me back in a cell, leaving him completely unprotected.
My phone buzzes, my brows furrowing when I catch Baxter’s name across the message.
Baxter: No new information but seems Grayson is reliable enough. I’m sure Sloane gave you the lowdown.
I snort.
Me: Yeah, a little too much information.
Baxter: It’s not hard to see that you were interested.
Me: Stay focused.
I can imagine the old man laughing at me but I don’t need that right now.
Baxter: Unfortunately, it’s a waiting game. Stay put. Don’t do anything stupid. I’ll call you in the morning.
I almost put my phone away when there’s one more text.
Baxter: And whatever you do, don’t fucking call Emrys.
I growl at that before reaching back over my head and pulling off my shirt. A grimace pulls at my face as I realize the flour I’m still covered in and the faint vanilla wafting off the fabric. This is going to be a long night.