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“Possibly,” began Luke, “but that doesn’t mean he’ll go back on his promise. Personally, I’m not so sure he will. It would be out of character for him.”
Vinnie nodded. “Deke’s word is golden. I’ve never known him to break it.”
The sound of footfalls proceeded Blair re-entering the kitchen. She took the seat beside Luke once more and asked, “So, what are we talking about?”
“Promises.” Elle placed her can of soda on the table. “Which brings me neatly back to a question I meant to ask you earlier but then forgot … Do you think Noelle will keep hers?”
Luke’s cat bared a fang on hearing the woman’s name. Blair had called Les this morning and informed him that she’d agree to the meeting if Noelle swore she wouldn’t throw around any insults or cause a scene. Noelle had then taken the phone from Les and given her word to Blair that she’d remain civil.
Blair blew out a breath. “Once upon a time, I’d have said yes. She doesn’t make promises lightly. But she vowed not to try to come between me and Luke, and yet she used Macy to do just that, so …”
Draping his arm over the back of his mate’s chair, Luke played with her hair, knowing it relaxed her. “That was before you made it abundantly clear that her attempts would only result in her eventually losing you for good. She won’t want that.”
“I told her many times that I’d cut her out of my life if she didn’t support our mating when the time came.”
“But, as you yourself once said, she would never have believed that you’d choose me over her—which is how she perceives the situation. You’ve proven now that you truly meant it when you threatened to turn your back on her. She has no choice other than to admit defeat if she doesn’t want to burn her bridges.”
“Your mother is as stubborn as they come, Blair—I learned that early,” Vinnie cut in. “But I also learned that her attempts to run your life were fueled by the fear of losing you. I agree with Luke, she’s likely to keep her promise so she can mend things between you and her. Of course, there might also be a bit of spite behind her intentions. She wouldn’t want to give Luke the satisfaction of having you all to himself, which she seems to have convinced herself is his goal.”
“That I can definitely agree with,” said Blair. “Yeah, there could be some spite at play.”
“If that is the case, I doubt she’ll cause a scene or anything,” said Elle.
Vinnie rose from his seat and crossed to the fridge. He’d no sooner pulled out a beer than the cell phone he’d left on the table began to ring.
Elle peeked at the screen. “It’s Grams.”
“Put her on speakerphone,” said Vinnie before tugging off the bottle cap with his teeth.
Elle swiped her thumb over the cell. “Done.”
By way of answering, Vinnie said, “No, I don’t want more tea. I’ve drank enough in the past couple of days to last me a lifetime.”
Ingrid scoffed. “Oh, hush you, I’ll faff if I want to. Right now, I don’t.”
He retook his seat. “Then why are you calling?”
“There are three men down here asking to speak to you. Humans,” she added in a whisper. “Should I send them up?”
Vinnie frowned. “I’m not expecting anyone. Who are they?”
“One introduced himself as Beau,” she replied, her voice low, “but I recognize him. It’s Zayne Whiteford.”
Blair double-blinked, her head almost jerking back in surprise. She might have thought she’d heard Ingrid wrong if disbelief wasn’t lined into the faces of the people around her.
“I see,” Vinnie finally said. “Did you tell him you know who he is?”
“Of course not,” replied Ingrid. “I played the clueless old lady.”
“Good. I’m going to need a minute. Pretend you’re still on the phone to me—prattle on about an antique or something—and then escort them up.” With that, Vinnie ended the call and flicked his gaze around the table. “You three need to head to Elle’s room and stay out of sight.”
Luke bristled. “Wait, what?”
Vinnie stood. “My guess, since I don’t see why else he’d come here? Zayne was sent my way by anti-shifter extremists. I think, hoping for advice or intervention, he went to them after Alex broke into his LA home. Zayne likely thought it was Camden. They’d have been all too willing to assist someone as high profile as Zayne. One quick look at Camden’s personal information would have unearthed that he lives in a building my son owns. As I’m an informant for the extremists—or so they believe—they would have recommended that Zayne ask for my assistance.”
“He might have the bright idea that you’ll tell Tate to keep Camden off his back or something,” said Blair.
Vinnie dipped his chin. “Maybe. Whatever the case, the extremists must have tossed my name at him.”
