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“We split up,” Max suggests softly, causing Devlin to spin around.
“We can’t,” Devlin counters. “That’s what he wants, or whoever’s pulling the strings right now. I don’t... I don’t know what to do.” He wears every emotion on his face as though splitting up is the last thing he wants.
Same, Dev, same.
“I do,” Max states, his voice even and controlled. He looks firmly at Ashton. “You and Devlin go to your father’s condo. Split up once you’re downtown. Do not let them know you are there, Ashton. Get Devlin’s mother out.” His gaze hardens as he turns back to Devlin. “You know what you need to do.”
Devlin exhales deeply, his eyes lifting heavenward before he nods.
I want to ask what he needs to do, but there’s no time to delve into it.
“Security footage from last night is useless,” Avery interjects, breaking my train of thought. “Someone shut down the cameras. My guess? We’re dealing with a group of individuals.” He speaks almost to himself, lost in thought.
Avery’s voice carries a pensive tone, as if he’s piecing together a puzzle in his head. “The phone records are intriguing. Thea took calls from one Davey Finch.”
“What?” I whisper, shock coursing slowly through my veins before my heart races. “The guy I danced with…” Memories ofthe girls’ warnings about him being trouble flash in my mind. “Why was he calling Thea?”
Avery, his gaze fixed on the screen, shakes his head. “He called her almost daily, always at seven in the evening.”
“After I left,” Max notes. “Check the visitor logs.”
“On it,” Avery responds, his fingers flying over the keyboard, occasionally hitting a key with extra force. “Son of a bitch,” he mutters. “Every Thursday, an hour before visiting hours ended.”
“What was Davey Finch doing there?” Devlin voices our collective thoughts.
“He didn’t come alone either.” Avery spins the laptop to show another alpha.
I gasp, feeling lightheaded as I approach the screen and slump into the chair. “I know him,” I say, looking up at Avery. “You know him as well.”
He frowns, spinning the laptop back. Realization dawns on him. “The alpha who was stalking the bakery,” he says. “The one you bumped into outside the dress shop.”
I nod, the events of the past month no longer seeming coincidental.
“What are they doing with Thea?” I wonder aloud.
“The better question is what was Thea planning?” Max counters before turning to me. “Can you think of anywhere Thea might hide?”
My gaze drifts, lost in thought, over Avery’s head. As kids, I always knew where Thea would run to when in trouble—the treehouse. Our dads built it for all of us, but Thea claimed it as her own sanctuary. She always believed the world owed her something, and often, we stopped trying to convince her otherwise.
Biting my cheek, I drop my head into my hands. Thea has no one here. She pushed away every friend she ever had, except Lex and me. We were the only ones who stuck around, mostlybecause she’s our sister, and we couldn’t imagine abandoning her.
“Does Finch or that other guy have a cabin?” I ask, lifting my head and blinking against the harsh overhead lights. I’d much rather be slick deep in my heat right now.
“He does,” Avery mutters, his fingers racing over the keyboard. “Not too far from here.” His dark brows knit together as he squints at the screen. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“What did you find?” I lean over the table, my stomach churning with every ticking second, fearing for Lex.
“Finch’s father owns a cabin near the delta base,” Avery explains, tapping his finger on the tabletop. “But Finch himself invested in a real estate venture three days ago.”
Devlin slides into the seat beside Avery, his eyes scanning the screen. “Can you get an address?”
“I’ve got one, and it’s just two miles in that direction.” Avery points toward the looming mountains. “Guess who the agent was on the sale?”
“Where is the agent now?” I ask, glancing around and noticing the table’s emptiness.
“In the spare room,” Max answers casually. “She’s in and out of consciousness with a fever. Needs a healer.”
Guilt twists my features. A woman’s life teeters on the edge, yet this whole time, all I thought about were my own needs.
