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Doing as I’m told, I drop into the worn, leather chair and wait. Hands folded on the dark table in front of me, I scan the bears staring back at me with something akin to disgust on their faces. Nobody makes a sound.
“What can I do for you?” My voice sounds more confident than I feel. Years of training is helping me shut down my emotions, but not completely.
“I want you to tell me everything you know about Lucia Anderson. And if you lie, I’ll kill you right here, right now.”
Chris sits on Leon’s right and sets a pistol on the table, pointed in my direction. His finger rests lightly on the trigger. Another bear cracks his knuckles and, for some reason, that’s even more intimidating than the gun. I’ve seen the size of these guys when they shift. I can only imagine the power he can wield with those giant hands.
Not one person in the room has even a flicker of emotion showing on his face. This is nothing new to any of them.
Leon waits patiently as I allow his words to sink in, his entire eyes as black as his soul. He knows who Ethan is. He knows who my mate is currently shacking up with. He’s not bluffing about what he’ll do to me, and because this man is a bear, if I lie, he’ll scent the deception immediately.
And yet, at the back of my anxious mind, one thought eats away at me. Leon hasn’t thrown me in a cell for threatening his business partner. Is he really thinking about helping me? But why?
Blowing out a nervous breath, I sit forward and press my lips together, feigning reluctant resignation. The only way to find out is to start talking.
“Where do you want me to start?”
35
ETHAN
Belle's phone is still off. I need to speak with her like I need air. All I want is to hear her voice, knowing it'll calm the storm inside me.
Not only am I hurting, I'm mentally exhausted from another day of acting the doting boyfriend – bringing food and drinks, answering the phones – all while Lucia and Joseph keep their heads together. They’ve spent all day working through Joseph's various ideas on how to raise enough cash to finish the hotel renovations. Lucia refuses to commit to any of them, saying she needs to think and discuss them with her father.
Yet, when she leaves the office, it isn't her father's room she goes to.
Joseph thinks I should talk some sense into her, to get her to understand that the longer they do nothing, the worse things will become. I'd love to. The pack doesn't deserve to fall apart because of her weak leadership. I know that isn’t the issue though: Lucia won't commit, because she has plans of her own. I could see it in the way her eyes glazed over each time he pulled out another slide deck for her to look through. She wasn't one bit interested in his ideas.
I've just stripped off, ready to climb into a shower, hoping to ease the tension in my body when I hear my phone ringing. Cursing, I dash out of the bathroom and snatch it up, hoping it's finally Belle.
But, of course, it's not.
"Marcus," I growl by way of greeting, failing to keep the disappointment out of my voice.
"Great to hear from you, too," he says sarcastically. I hear the creak of a chair and the thump of his boots hitting wood. I can picture him sitting on his porch after a hard day, beer in hand. Ordinarily, invited or not, I'd head straight there with a six pack in hand. Not today though, I think miserably as I stare around at my luxurious, soulless accommodations.
"Sorry. Just having a bad day."
Marcus sighs on the other end of the line. "I know. I met your little lady. I'm sorry, Ethan."
Instead of bristling at the sympathy in his tone, I straighten. I don't need his pity, because it's not over yet, but I do need to know how he met Belle.
"Where?" My tone is aggressive, too harsh when I'm looking for information, but Marcus is permanently gruff. He either doesn't notice, or remembers what it was like when he and Leila were separated. He knows my pain. This is the only reason for his call; Marcus doesn't chat.
"I'm not telling you that, but she's okay. I have someone keeping an eye on her."
Hopefully someone female.
"Marcus..." Even over the phone, the growl starts deep in my chest. She might have broken her bond to me, but my wolf still feels protective of her. He hasn't given up.
"Don't ‘Marcus’ me. That's all I can give you. You know if I tell you where she is, you'll go straight there."
The man has a point. "Is she safe?" I hold my breath, waiting for his answer. Not a believer in sugar-coated bad news, I know Marcus won't lie to me.
"Not really, but I'm doing the best I can. There was no talking her out of it."
Fuck. Fuck. Breathing deep, I try to calm myself. She’s working an angle. This is her job, and I have my own to do. Focus.
