Begrudgingly, I admitted to myself that she had a valid point. Castro was a sick son of a bitch who relished the chaos he’dcreated. He was playing us like a fucking fiddle and enjoying every second of our desperate scramble.
I pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her and burying my face in her hair. “I’m sorry if I’ve been short with you, baby,” I murmured against her ear. “I’m just trying to keep all the balls in the air while keeping you safe.” It was a big job, and she could’ve made it a little easier if she’d cooperated without arguing—not that I’d say that out loud when she was this pissed off.
She hugged me back, her touch soothing the turmoil inside me. “I get it, Ty,” she whispered. “This is another example of why we shouldn’t be mated yet. We’re not ready.”
To my way of thinking, our mating was inevitable. Fighting it was unreasonable at this point, and things were getting more dire by the moment.
I pulled away and studied her. “Why do you think we’re not ready?”
She chewed a hangnail on her thumb, not meeting my gaze. “We’re supposed to be a team. Things are always going to seem combative until you recognize me as your equal. I need a say in all of this, not just a protector who barks orders and makes all of my decisions for me.”
Fuck, she had me there. I cursed under my breath, chastising myself for not being ready to be her mate. I had a lot of shit to work on when it came to building a solid relationship. I just hoped we’d have the time we needed before the alpha power completely faded from my father. Time was a luxury we couldn’t afford to waste.
“All right. Let’s compromise.” I took a step back and gestured at the security guard. “He’ll drive you to and from your clients’ houses, and he’ll stayinsidewith you, not outside.” I searched her face for approval. “Is that fair?”
She nodded but her frown remained “It’s good enough.”
I didn’t have the brain power or the desire to argue with her anymore, though I could see that she was still frustrated. All that mattered right now was that she was safe while Dad and I tried to hunt Castro down.
Before she left, I took a photo of the text so I could share it with Dad. Liza couldn’t share it from the burner. As I kissed her goodbye, my mind was already racing with potential next steps.
I made my way to the Keller Estate, eager to update Dad on the shitstorm that had erupted since our last conversation.
As usual, I found him at his desk. He really should have been taking it easy, but there he was, working as though his life depended on it.
“Castro contacted Liza last night.”
He dropped his pen and rose to his feet. “What? Where is he?”
I held up my phone. “He texted her. No way to trace the source.” That still burned my ass. “Zephyr says Castro must have some pretty savvy tech whizzes working for him. And from how impressed he was with the multiple layers of scrambling, I’d say he’s right on his money.”
My father’s eyes narrowed as he read the text. He scrolled up and reread it. We both knew there was more to it than met the eye. This was just the beginning of a twisted puzzle, and we needed to solve it before Castro could execute whatever sickening thing he had planned.
“There has to be some hint in the text that would give us a clue of his next move.” I moved to the other side of Dad’s desk, reading the text over his shoulder. “Then again, Castro isn’t a dumbass—unfortunately. Maybe we should take his words at face value.”
We huddled in Dad’s office for hours, dissecting every word and every hint embedded in the cryptic message. This was our only shot at finding Castro, and we couldn’t afford to fuck it up.We finally concluded that the text wasn’t our first clue, which meant we had to wait for Castro to send it to us.
The worry lines etched on my father’s face mirrored my frustration. Despite the gravity of the situation, a ghost of a smile played at the corner of his lips. “Well, son, it seems like we’re in for one hell of a game.”
I snorted, the tension momentarily easing. “Ain’t that the fucking truth. Castro may be a manipulative prick, but he sure as hell hasn’t lied to us. Well, unless you consider him faking his own death.” I shrugged. “If he says he’s giving us a chance to find him, then he means it, but this won’t be a walk in the park.”
My father nodded, his gaze filled with both caution and determination. “You’re right. We need all the help we can get. That’s why Nico will be joining us shortly. I texted him an hour ago, so he’s on his way. When he gets here, we’ll brief him on the situation, and he’ll bring his expertise to the table.”
My stomach turned sour as another possibility ran through my mind. “What if this is just some sick game Castro is playing? What if he has no intention of giving himself up?” I cracked my knuckles. “Liza seems to think every word in the text is true and that he’ll stick to his promise.”
Dad’s eyebrows shot up. “I’m surprised to say this, but I think I agree with Liza. Castro is a lot of things, a manipulator for sure, but now that I’ve really thought about it, he never flat-out lied to us. Even when he faked his death, he never verbally committed to anything. It was just part of his escape plan.”
“So, you think he’s actually going to give us a chance to find him? Even after all of the threats and obvious hate for the Keller pack?” I folded my hands behind my head and leaned back to stare up at the ceiling. “I can almost guarantee, no matter what he has planned, he isn’t going to make any of this easy on us.” Castro was going to try to use this to prove he was the smartest wolf in the room.
Before Dad could respond, Nico—the stealthy bastard—slipped into the office like a shadow. He paused when he caught the tension in the air, and his eyes narrowed.
We filled him in on the recent developments, and his face contorted with concern, then anger. “That fucker is playing a dangerous game,” he growled. “Mark my words, he may present it as a riddle to be solved, but there will be consequences to all of this.”
“I agree.” I stood and paced the room. “Castro mentioned the fall of our empire, and I can’t help but feel like it’s connected to this game he wants to play.”
Nico nodded. “I’d say you’re right.”
I heaved a sigh. I wanted to see this expertise Dad promised, and so far, I wasn’t seeing a damn thing. “So, what do we do now? Just sit on our thumbs like a bunch of jackasses, waiting for this maniac to call all the shots?”
