He raked a hand through his hair. “I had a meeting with a guy named Maximus, an alpha from a non-allied pack. The arrogant bastard comes to me with some business scheme, thinks I should throw money at his ridiculous casino idea, but refuses to contact Hiram for advice.”
Ty obviously didn’t like this Maximus guy, but I never would’ve expected a simple business meeting to make him thatangry, especially when the guy obviously had a dumb proposal. Typically, Ty would have just shrugged it off and moved on.
“A sucky meeting didn’t make you this furious. Are you sure that’s all that happened?”
He hesitated, averting his gaze. Bingo. Ty was definitely keeping something from me.
“Ty, we’ve been through this before. Secrets have come between us in the past, and I don’t want that to happen again.” I stood and made my way across the room. “Why can’t you confide in me?”
“Liza, telling you everything about the meeting won’t make a damn difference.” Ty was defensive but finally making eye contact with me again. “I’m not keeping secrets to be secretive, it’s just something you don’t need to know.”
What the hell was this? His explanation wasn’t good enough for me. Had we taken two steps backward in our relationship after everything we’d been through? I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes. “Maybe it’s not a big deal to you, but you’re obviously upset, which makes me worried and uncomfortable. Why won’t you tell me? I don’t see what the big fucking deal is.”
“Because it’s not important!” Anger flared in his eyes. “Knowing every detail of the meeting won’t affect us or our life. It was just an arrogant man trying to piss me off. Why do you have to push so much?”
“Because I care, Ty,” I whispered, trying to keep the hurt out of my voice. “You say we’re partners, but when I want to help, you push me away.”
“Sometimes, Liza”—he gritted his teeth, his hands clenched into fists at his sides—“you need to learn when to leave well enough alone.”
“Gods, you have such fucking double standards. You want me to tell you everything about my feelings, even if it has nothing to do with you. Then you tell me you’re not being secretive, thatit’s not anything I need to know. Isn’t that the meaning of the fucking word secretive?”
Ty’s face reddened, and he took a step back toward the door, like he needed to physically separate himself from me. His muscles tensed, and his jaw clenched, his eyes darkening.
“Damn it, Liza. You really need to learn when to leave shit alone.”
His outburst surprised me, hurt me. He’d never spoken to me like that. Quite the opposite, in fact. Ty always treated me with respect, and I swallowed past the lump forming in my throat.
Nodding, I managed a tight-lipped smile. “Fine, Ty. I won’t ask again.”
I grabbed my purse and keys, storming past him without another word. The sound of my heels clicking on the hardwood floor punctuated my exit, and I left Ty standing there in the empty office, his expression a mixture of anger and regret.
As I made my way through the house, I decided that visiting my parents would be the perfect distraction from whatever had crawled up Ty’s ass. I announced my plans to the guards stationed near the entrance.
“I want to go to my parents’ house.” I placed a hand on my hip, expecting instant compliance.
They exchanged hesitant glances. One of the guards nervously darted his eyes around as he stammered, “Uh, ma’am, we can’t do that. We need to obtain permission from Alpha Ty first.”
My blood boiled first at their hesitation, then at the inference that I couldn’t leave the estate without Ty’s permission. “Listen.” I pointed at him, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “I am the lady of this pack, and I do not need my mate’s approval to go see my own parents. So, if you don’t mind, let my security detail know I am going to my parents and to meet me at the car with the fucking keys.”
The guards fumbled over their words, their faces turning a lovely shade of beet red. “Of course, Mrs. Keller. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
“Good.” I pulled my purse up onto my shoulder and stormed past them and out the front door.
As they scrambled to follow my orders, I smirked at their flustered state. It wasn’t often that I flexed my authority in such a manner, but it had been necessary this time, and it had felt damn good.
Robin and Jamie had, as instructed, collected the keys, then met me at the car. We were now driving through the downtown area toward my parents’ house. I rested my head against the car window, attempting to absorb the town’s energy.
What the hell? I’d been so focused on the goings-on within the estate’s walls that I hadn’t noticed the apparent shift within the fanatics who’d come to town in the hopes of catching a glimpse of me. It hadn’t taken long for their adoration to morph into loathing. As we passed my office, my breath caught in my throat. “Stop the car.”
Angry red paint and venomous words smeared the front of the building. The word FRAUD had been painted over and over across it. A small crowd were gathered outside, waving around signs that also accused me of being a fraud. Hell no. They’d vandalized my office and gathered to spew their nastiness, and it was all directed at me.
Jamie, who was driving, hesitated.
“Jamie, stop the damn car. Now.”
He reluctantly pulled over but didn’t shut off the engine.
My thoughts raced as I took in the scene before me. Rage bubbled and boiled over as I flung open the door. Robin, who’d been sitting in the rear seat of the car beside me, called out, “Liza, don’t! It’s not safe. Please, get back inside.”
