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Bree flexed her jaw. She didn’t scream. It was bad enough that she was tied up. She’d be even more vulnerable if they put her unconscious again.
Dale’s eyes swept over her face, searching. Bree inwardly snorted. As if she’d expose her emotions to the piece of shit. She wouldn’t give him anything he could use against her.
“Such defiance,” he said. “And no fear.”
She was on pins, but she wasn’t afraid. Her cat wasn’t in the least bit rattled; they both trusted that their mate would come for them.
Bree could feel Alex’s emotions. There was a hint of panic, but mostly anger and determination. No confusion or uncertainty. Alex knew where she was, and he was set on getting to her. In the meantime, well, she needed to keep the hyena distracted.
She licked her dry lips, wishing she could rub at her throbbing temple. “I told you, I don’t know where Paxton is.”
“I believe you did tell me the truth at the meeting. But there have been some strange occurrences since then, haven’t there? My sources tell me he called you. What did he say?”
“Nothing that would tell you where he is, so bringing me here for an interrogation was both pointless and stupid.”
He stood. “I haven’t brought you here purely to question you, Miss Dwyer.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Then what do you want?”
He unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt. “If you can’t get to a man, you have to make him come to you.”
“You’re hoping to lure him here?”
“If he’s watching you closely, he’ll know you’re missing. He’ll hear that the scent of hyena lingers at the scene.” Dale rolled up his sleeves. “He’ll guess I’ve taken you.”
“And you think he’ll also know to come here?”
“Not to this exact spot, no. This is a short distance away from my territory. But he’ll try to infiltrate the tunnels, believing you’re being hidden there, where my clan will be waiting for him. I’m sure he’ll remember the location of my territory—then again, it was a long time ago that he snatched my daughter from the barn where I keep my vehicles.”
“You’re going to kill him,” she knew.
“I truly am very glad he spared my daughter’s life. But I can’t be seen to show mercy to someone who abducted my child; I can’t have others thinking they can come after her. I am sorry you got tangled up in all this. The sooner he gets here, the sooner you’ll be freed.”
She sniggered. “You won’t free me, because you know Vinnie will never let go that you kidnapped one of his cats. You’ll kill me and then dispose of me, hoping he’ll never trace any of it back to you. But he will. He won’t kill you, though. Alex will do that. I’m curious … at what point did you think it would be a good plan to kidnap the mate of a wolverine?”
He stilled for a single moment, but then he forced an easy smile. “I initially thought your relationship with him was an act to anger Paxton and flush him out of hiding. It wasn’t until my hyenas brought you here that I realized the wolverine’s scent is embedded in your skin. By that point, there was no going back. I can only move forward with my plan.”
“Well, it’s a shit plan. You were wrong to think I’d make good bait. Paxton won’t sacrifice his life for me.”
“Let us hope you’re wrong, because I’m done waiting for my vengeance. If he doesn’t come here tonight, I’ll be forced to kill you in lieu of him. It’ll send a good message to the outside world— ‘fuck with me, and your mate dies.’ I can live with that.”
“And then Alex will destroy you and everything you hold dear to avenge me. I can live with that.”
He flashed her a mocking smile. “He has no idea where you are.”
“He’ll find me.”
Dale cocked his head. “You truly believe he will come for you, don’t you?”
“I know he will. My guess? He’s already here.”
Dale’s eyes flickered. But then he smirked at his clan mate. “Don’t know about you, but I’m shaking in my shoes here.”
The other hyena returned the smirk, but the tension in the guy’s jaw and muscles said he wasn’t as confident as his Alpha.
Dale sighed. “My dear Miss Dwyer, your pride mates will indeed scent my hyenas in the break room and know that I have you. But as they have no idea where my territory is, they can’t look for you there. They certainly won’t think to look for you here.”
Bree thought about telling him that Alex knew the location of his territory, but Dale might decide to cut his losses and kill her before fleeing. So she instead said, “I guess you decided it was time to stop hiring loners to do your bidding.”
