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“I don’t deserve your trust,” he admitted. “Not after what I’ve done.”
Rather than argue, Loren seemed to be in agreement. Her eyes were wide with alarm, and Bill feared he would never gain even a semblance of her respect again. Without thinking through the consequences, he reached for her hand.
“I’m so sorry—”
“I told you to come alone.” A shadow appeared at his shoulder, and Bill realized he’d miscalculated the reason for Loren’s unease.
Fuck.He fought to contain his hostility as a tall man stood from the booth beside theirs. He recognized him instantly as the Eislander spokesman—at a glance, at least, he seemed to have come alone.
While not cloaked in deer piss, his scent had been intentionally masked with cologne. As a glaring reminder of the human backdrop to this meeting, he’d opted for another inconspicuous sweater and a pair of jeans. Given how suddenly, every patron seemed to be averting their eyes from their table, Bill suspected the outfit was overkill.
“You compelled them to ignore us,” he pointed out as the man pulled up a chair to sit at the mouth of their booth.
“And if I have?” the bastard countered. His eyes flickered from Bill to Loren. She stiffened beneath the scrutiny, her expression unreadable.
Bill couldn’t silence a growl. Every nerve in his body lurched, ready to rush to her aid should the need arise. “I suggest you start talking.”
“Unlike you, a reckless disregard for others isn’t my style,” the man continued. “I’ve taken every precaution necessary. But you haven’t. Again, I remind you that I told you to come alone.”
Bill couldn’t muster up a shred of guilt. “Well—”
“If this is about me, I deserve to hear it.”
Loren’s voice rang out with a strength he’d rarely heard from her. Compared to the frail woman he’d rescued less than two weeks ago, drastic wasn’t dramatic enough of a word to describe the change.
Apparently, he wasn’t the only one impressed. The Eislander bastard couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off her face.
“Well, we’re all here now,” Bill said coldly, palming the table inches from the man’s position. Predictably, he pulled back, an eyebrow raised. “You might as well reveal whatever it is you dragged me all the way out here for, Eislander.”
The man chuckled. “Out of respect for my Alpha, I must refuse that title. You can call me Eric, instead. As for what I am about to say… Well, to even suggest, is paramount to treason,” he warned. “You really want to involve her in this?”
Bill hissed at his tone—but the bastard had a point, for a variety of reasons. One of which, Loren seemed willing to address, herself.
“I can decide what I want to do.” Her voice was soft, devoid of the anger he would have expected. Curiosity was enough to make him face her directly, and he gritted his teeth at what he found in her expression.
Nothing like fear. Just a steely calm that made him regret ever underestimating her in the first place.
“She’s right,” he agreed. “She should hear this. So, what exactly do you have?”
The man, Eric, narrowed his gaze and scanned the nearly-empty room twice before speaking. “Did you follow up on the information I sent you?”
Bill could sense Loren’s shock, but he didn’t address it. That was one of the many conversations they would need to have later.
“I did,” he said evasively. “Is this the part where you reveal it was all a trap to lure me here so you could execute me for a murder I didn’t commit?”
“And if this were a trap, I think it would be easier than I would have thought to take you down. You think I can’t sense the change in you? You’re weaker,” Eric declared. His upper lip curled back from his teeth, and he nodded dismissively. “You’ve broken the bond. I thought you might have been more shrewd than noble, rogue.”
“And if I have?” Bill countered. “Shouldn’t you be relieved?”
The man laughed harshly. “Then you’re more foolish than I would have thought. Your Alpha is not known for his brute strength, but I’m sure he would prefer you weaker and unmated. A smart man would have waited until after he dealt with him before crippling himself.”
Bill seethed at the insinuation. The worst part? He was right.
Not that any Eislander deserved to have any say in what he did or didn’t do.
“Why does it matter to you whether I take on Lukka or not?”
“That’s the thing...” The man leaned forward, bracing his hands against the table. “I’ve come across information that has led me to believe you might not have been responsible for Jamal’s death. Which means that someone else is. Someone who might have a vested interest in shifting the blame.”
