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“Why does everyone assume that would be my go-to response?”
“Because it is.”
Irritation the likes only his little sister could instigate shot through him. “I’ll have you know I’m an excellent interrogator.”
“Yeah.” She drew out the word so heavily that he could imagine the accompanying eye roll. “When you don’t shoot them first. Besides, we both know I’m better at getting answers out of people.”
“Since you’re on your way, I’ll let you ask him every detail of his contacts with the Order. That’ll let me drive Joelle home.”
“You took your mate to the warehouse with someone who has been compromised by the Order?” Alys screeched the question, making it sound as though he’d gone well beyond thoughtless and straight to the unthinkable.
“She’s not my mate.”
“Right. Keep telling yourself that lie. Or better yet, don’t.”
He didn’t want to argue with his sister, not when he’d already upset Joelle, but he needed her to know the full extent of the situation before she arrived or she would only fuel the already awkward and tense circumstances. “She’s unhappy with me.” He’d rather deal with bombs again than talk feelings.
“What did you do?”
“I insisted she stay here until I could take her home.” Until he could protect her as he’d failed to do so far tonight with the bombs, the witch burning, and now a traitor among them.
“You rescue a woman from a locked tower where she’s been held hostage her entire life by terrorists who hate her for simply being bornmorethan human, and you took her to the warehouse with giant locks, wards, tech blocks, and armed guards.”
“Where it’s safe? Yes. You say that like it’s a bad thing.” He would never understand the women in his life. He had failed each of them so epically—from denying his mother the ability to have more children after his difficult birth to Alys’s kidnapping to his goblin cousin being forced to leave this entire dimension under a death threat. Yet as much as he tried to protect them, they fought him every step of the way.
“You know nothing about women.”
Obviously. But he wouldn’t admit it. “I know plenty.”
“Whatever, I’ll be there in a few minutes. Try not to screw up with her any more than you already have.” She mumbled a goodbye and hung up on him.
Great, now he had two women angry with him. Perhaps his goblin queen cousin or his mom could call next and he’d manage to piss them all off.
He still hadn’t figured out where he’d gone so terribly wrong when Alys pulled through the doors, the rev of the lime green Porsche’s motor reverberating through the warehouse. Guards sealed them in, invoking an extra line of protective wards at her signal. Nita climbed from the passenger side, shoving her hands in her pockets and not meeting his gaze.
“Where’s Joelle?” Alys asked.
“In my office,” he said. “If you’re good to question Kyle, then I’ll take her home.”
“Not until I fix whatever you did.” His sister stormed up the stairs, her mate close behind. “Nita will talk to Kyle to find out anything we can use to track his mom.”
“Want me to report or come back later, boss?” Eddie asked.
“Depends.” Alexei didn’t bother keeping the frustration out of his tone. “Do you have good news? I could use some right about now.”
“Our other SUV full of guards managed to ditch the car tailing them after following your mate’s…uh, your angel friend’s suggestions to toss the wristbands. They’ve used enhanced equipment from one of our shops, and everything tests negative for further surveillance tech. Kyle hasn’t held back any information. He’s cooperative and scared for his mom. Want me to set up somewhere new for him to stay?”
“Yes. Don’t let him go back to the place he shared with his mother, not even to pick up his things. Send a team to the house to collect whatever he needs and sweep it for any clues. The Order took a human under our protection, and I want to know how.” So he could make sure it didn’t happen again.
“Got it.”
“And Eddie?” He glanced at the guard, glad he had someone he could trust with anything. “We need a staff member with excellent people skills to figure out what other humans we should be looking out for whether they’re spouses, kids, or family members.” He thought of Joelle upstairs, how she wouldn’t have been included in that list. “Make that anyone close to our people who might be vulnerable.”
“The Order set those bombs and burned that witch tonight?” Eddie asked.
“They did.” He’d known the truth even before Joelle and her brother’s reactions confirmed the horror.
“I can’t stand witches with the way they think they’re better than us, but no one should go through that kind of pain for being born different.”
