Chapter 12
twelve
“I can still sense Carmichael.” I took Rían’s hand and placed it over my heart. “I thought the connection would swap to Mercer or be severed when Carmichael left, but we still share a bond.”
“That can happen if the winner allows the loser to walk away.” Sloane frowned.
“The people who were most loyal to them, or who choose to leave with them, retain the original bond.” She rubbed her jaw.
“That means Mercer would have to hold a ceremony to extract vows of allegiance from those who remained with him to ensure it overwrote any loyalty to Sartori.”
That my heart chose him made me that much madder. “Can we use the link to locate Carmichael?”
“Maybe.” Sloane considered me. “What are you thinking?”
“He’ll never rest until he has me, and he’s already proven he’s willing to kill anyone who gets in his way.
” I exhaled. “I’m tired of looking over my shoulder.
I understand now what it must have been like for my mother.
I don’t want history to repeat. That means I can’t sit back and wait for him to strike.
” I had too much to lose. “We need to eliminate the threat before it eliminates us.”
Rían gripped my upper arms, staring down into my face. “Are you sure?”
“I won’t let him hurt anyone else if I can help it. Maybe, with him out of the way, we can negotiate with Mercer. An alliance is asking too much, for now, but a truce would buy us breathing room to formulate contingency plans while they figure out how to function under new leadership.”
“Mercer was willing to kill you to haul the Sartoris out of the downward spiral of obsession,” Sloane said, voice tight.
“He’s always been your father—er—Sartori’s yes man, so it’s hard to say what his plans are.
I never got the power-hungry vibe from him.
He always seemed content in his position.
Maybe it really was the Walshes moving in, kickstarting his obsession again, that pushed Mercer to a breaking point. ”
But. She didn’t have to say it for me to hear it. Her doubt rang loud and clear.
“He tried to kill you,” Rían rumbled. “That, I can’t forgive.”
“You don’t have to forgive him. I won’t.
I won’t trust him either. Not until he’s proven what type of alpha he’s going to be.
Even then, we can set down rules that keep Sartoris out of Brentwood.
And, hopefully, we can negotiate for permanent access to major roads and businesses outside of town without it devolving into a pissing match. ”
“The other prides and packs in the surrounding area have lived in fear of Sartori since he settled here.” Liam frowned. “Mercer was the face of his justice, so I’m not sure how quick the others will be to trust him to lead differently. Assuming he plans to change the status quo.”
“True.” I forced a smile. “But that’s a problem for Future Us.”
“You’re so bloodthirsty and vicious.” Sloane mimed wiping a tear. “Are you sure you don’t want to ditch Rían and be mine? I won’t even make you cook seven nights a week. I would settle for six. Maybe six and a half since Sunday breakfast is kind of a big deal.”
“How about I hold you in reserve? You can be my spare fiancée. In case Rían and I don’t work out.”
“We’ll work out,” Rían said as Sloan crowed, “Deal.”
“What are your plans?” I tugged on Rían’s sleeve. “Can I talk you into dinner with me?”
Philly cheesesteak eggrolls served with a hot mustard sauce.
Chicken tortilla soup. Those I had prepared, and frozen, meaning I only had to thaw out individual portions.
Then I could sear salmon filets and serve with an aji amarillo sauce.
I might even have a few shrimp for presentation points.
Maybe ancient grains pilaf and seasonal vegetables for sides.
Oh.
I had ingredients for crème br?lée cheesecake too.
“Ana Sartori.” A flush of pleasure pinkened his cheeks. “Are you asking me out on a date?”
A date wasn’t what I’d had in mind. Not in so many words. Mostly I wanted to spend more time with him. The more I had of him, the more I wanted, and despite spending the night with him, I was craving a second helping already.
“Depends on if you say yes.” Eyes on his, I tipped my head toward Sloane. “Just so you know, if you turn me down, I’ve got options.”
“Please turn her down,” Sloane whimpered, and I don’t think I imagined drool at the corner of her lips.
“I would be honored to join you for a dinner date.” Rían pretended not to hear Sloane sniffling at the loss. “Tell me when and where, and I’ll be there. Let me know what you need from me, and it’s yours.”
“I’ll have Sloane run the details over after I finish planning everything.” I winked at him then drew her away. “Be a good girl, and I’ll save you a plate.”
“Good is asking a lot, but I’ll do my best if I get two helpings of dessert.”
“Deal.” I shook on it. “I’ll make extra just for you.”
Our walk to GSG proved uneventful, and for that, I was grateful. I’d had enough excitement to last me, especially if we moved ahead with my plan to turn my pack bond with Carmichael into a method of tracking his location.
As we rounded the corner of the house, heading to the employee entrance, I spotted a gap in the lattice covering the entrance to the crawl space.
“Ah.” Sloane jerked her chin toward it. “Jess must still be cleaning out her things.”
“We should check and see if she needs any help.”
Sure enough, as we drew closer, Jess backed out, almost bumping into our legs.
“Crap,” she yelped, startled, and slapped a hand over her heart. “You scared me.”
The reason for her surprise became clear when I noticed she had been wearing earbuds, which meant she hadn’t heard us approaching.
“Sorry about that.” I offered her a hand up, noticing hers were cold. “You’ve been hard at work.”
“It’s work I made for myself,” she said sheepishly, “but yeah.”
“Sloane and I are heading in to finish cleaning so we’ll be ready to receive Clary.” I waved goodbye. “Let us know if you need a hand.”
“I will.” She blushed, loading her arms with boxes and trash bags. “Thanks.”
Hand in my pocket, I fished around for my keys, amazed they had survived yesterday’s drama without falling out. About to tackle the lock, I paused when the knob turned with ease. “Do you think Jess left it unlocked?”
“Probably.” Sloane stepped forward then rocked back on her heels. “Do you smell that?”
Old habits had struck yet again, and I had tuned out my heightened senses. I really had to get a handle on how quick I was to switch off the abilities that could one day save my life. I could only hope that, if I did successfully fledge, my dragon would help in that department.
Dialing in to that sense, I breathed deep and caught a whiff. “Smells like a wolf but not like a Sartori.”
Aside from Sloane and me, and less often Rochele and Mindy, and Jess, of course, no one else should be touching this door. The front of the business was clearly marked, so customers had no reason to attempt entering from this side.
“A plumber came out to fix the sink leak,” Sloane muttered. “Maybe the scent was his?”
“Maybe,” I allowed, wishing I could text Rían to find out for certain, even as I dreaded how our ability to communicate easier would grant our enemies the same advantage.
With so much drama, I couldn’t pin down the last time I had used this door, and I doubted Sloane would remember either. We had fallen into our new routine, the days blurring together, and neither of us had been present during the repairs.
The foreign scent paired with the unlocked door had me backing away.
Better safe than sorry. Jess would return in a minute.
I wasn’t sure where she lived, so I also wasn’t certain if she was walking her things back to her place or to a car.
I didn’t even know if she owned one. Yet another area where I was falling down in the friendship department.
Though now that she had revealed the nature of her inner beast, and earned a fangirl for life in Sloane, I got the feeling we would be learning a whole lot more about her in short order.
Which was a good thing. I could let Sloane take the lead while I made mental notes on how to handle the whole getting to know you thing without the specter of doom hanging over my shoulder that I would screw it up somehow.
With my hearing dialed in, I registered the footsteps even before Sloane reacted to them.
“Someone’s inside.” I gripped her forearm. “Get ready.”
The battered girl in me who had been deemed useless, defenseless, expected her to ask me to sit on the sidelines. To wait until she could return with backup. Those old patterns had beaten a well-worn trail in my mind that my thoughts barreled down without bothering to check with me first.
“You shove the door open and use it for cover. No reason to advertise there are two of us. I’ll go in first, draw their attention. I’ll give you a signal if it’s a friendly. No signal means you’re in charge of sneaking off for backup while I keep them busy until Jess arrives.”
The sneaking-off part bugged me, but it was a better deal than I expected, so I nodded once.
“Quit pouting.” She rolled her eyes. “Pack your claws next time, and you too can be on the strike team.”
The silver claws I wore to level the playing field with my Sartori packmates were hanging from a window, back in windchime mode, in my room at Rían’s house where they wouldn’t do me any good.
Until I could shift and protect myself, I had to begin considering them as vital as wearing clean underwear whenever I left the house.
Relief so sharp it stung gave me confidence to crouch and take position. She wasn’t doubting me, but she was being smart. Without my claws, I was dependent on whatever was in easy reach. If we had an intruder, I doubt a bottle of shampoo or hand-cut bandana was going to do the trick.
Once I was in place, Sloane stepped to the opposite side of the doorframe, and I threw it open wide.