Nico scoffed under his breath. “When have you ever cooked?”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
Then my phone buzzed in my pocket. I shot to my feet so quickly the table wobbled. I grabbed the edge to steady it before the glasses could tip over.
“I—uh—I have to take this call. I’ll just—” I gestured vaguely toward the side yard behind the house.
I didn’t bother waiting for their reply. I hurried down the porch steps, jumping the last two in a single stride.
My phone buzzed again in my hand as I tried to walk normally, forcing myself not to break into a run as I headed around the back of the house.
When I reached the far side of the yard, I glanced back toward the porch. Nico and Tony were still at the table, partially blocked by the corner of the house. Good. From here, they couldn’t see me.
I answered the phone. “Kai?” My voice wavered before I could stop it.
“Mase?” The sound of my brother’s voice hit me like a punch to the chest.
“Kai! Are you alright? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” he said quickly. “But where are you? I keep asking them where you are, but they won’t tell me anything.”
A knot tightened in my stomach. I had to keep my voice calm, had to make sure he didn’t panic too.
“Don’t worry about me,” I said. “Just… just stay safe, okay? Don’t do anything rash. We’ll see each other soon.”
“But Mase?—”
Then his voice cut off.
I pulled the phone away, staring at the screen. The call was still connected.
“Kai?” I tried again, bringing the phone back to my ear.
“Mason.” The low voice on the other end made my blood run cold.
Anger surged through me. “Put Kai back on, Daniel,” I snapped.
“That’s all the time you get.”
I gripped the phone hard, wanting to say more. The cheap plastic creaked faintly under my fingers. I had to loosen my hold before I crushed it.
“Good dog,” Daniel said lightly.
I hated it. Hated how I could hear the smugness in his voice through the line.
“Now,” he continued, “tell me what you’ve found out. Anything new?”
I bit down hard on my lip.
“It’s confirmed,” I said finally. “Both Tony and Nico handle the pack’s security and IT.”
A soft hum of approval came from the other end.
I squeezed my eyes shut. It wasn’t easy saying it, but they already knew anyway.
They’d seen Tony before, back at the dog show incident last year. I could pretend I wasn’t sure, but there was no point lying now. If I did, they’d catch it immediately.
And the only reason they’d even let me talk to Kai today was because I’d shared my suspicions about Nico.
