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I chewed on the inside of my lip. There were a lot of ways that plan could go wrong. I didn’t know how Ghost would react when he saw Parker again. Parker was the real monster. He’d traumatized Ghost. Just thinking about putting Ghost back in his care, even for a few minutes, left me feeling sick to my stomach.
Even if that wasn’t true, what if they found the tracker? What if they were in some secure location? We couldn’t just storm into a military compound.
Most importantly, what if he hurt Ghost before we could get to him? I couldn’t agree to it.
I crossed my arms and shook my head. “I said no. Parker abused him, and I’m not letting that monster get anywhere near him again. Ever.”
Honor wiped a hand over his face. “Axel, be reasonable.”
“I am being reasonable. If it were Ziggy, would you do it?”
“That’s not the same.” Honor glared at me coldly. “Me and Ziggy are partners. You and Ghost are—”
“What?” I flashed my teeth at him.
He sighed. “Never mind.”
“No, go on. Say it. I want to hear what you think we are.”
He shook his head. “It’s not the same, okay? Me and Ziggy have been through hell and had each other’s backs the whole time. We’ve been together for months, through everything. You and Ghost, you’re still virtual strangers. You don’t know him. You don’t love him.”
I drove a finger into the table. “Just because our bond is different doesn’t make it any less strong, and just because we haven’t been together as long as you and your husband doesn’t mean he doesn’t matter to me! I’m not throwing him to the wolves, Honor! I can’t!”
“You might not have a choice,” Honor said.
Mozley cleared his throat. “Actually, he does. We can come at this from another angle. It won’t be as good, but it might still work. We could use Axel instead.”
“Fuck no,” Honor ground out.
I crossed my arms. “Oh, so it’s okay to risk Ghost’s life, but not mine? Why is my life worth more than his?”
“Because I promised Kit and Jesse I’d protect you!”
I put my hand on the table and leaned forward. “Well, you’ve done a fine job of that over the last few decades, haven’t you?”
Honor jumped up and mimicked my posture, leaning on the table. “Staying awaywasprotecting you!”
“Gentlemen!” Mozley pushed us apart.
Honor sank into his seat, arms crossed, and I did the same.
Mozley let out a long sigh. “I know you don’t want to hear this, Honor, but Axel doesn’t need your permission. I won’t force anyone to participate, but I will say that these two plans are our best chance of finding whoever is behind this and mitigating the damage done. The longer we delay, the more allies they have, and the more likely it is they will strike out at a time of their choosing. It’s better for everyone if we maintain control of the situation.”
I started to tell him I needed more information, but he stopped me by holding up a hand. Mozley dug around in his pocket, coming out with a small white rectangle. A business card with nothing but a phone number printed on it.
“If you change your mind,” he said, “or decide you want in, call me.”
I took the card and slid it into my pocket. “What will you do if we don’t help you?”
Mozley stood, adjusting his jacket. “I want to make something perfectly clear here. Today, I’m asking. Tomorrow, my superiors might give me an order. Or they might tell me to stand down. Never know what you’re getting into with this business. But if you don’t agree to help, and soon, I know what Parker will do. He won’t wait for permission to grab one of you. And when he does, there’ll be no getting either of you back.” He snatched his bag from the table. “Think about it. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
I poked the boxwith a claw, and it fell over.
Ziggy frowned and looked over his shoulder from where he was preparing the fish we’d caught in the kitchen. “Don’t, Ghost. What if it’s fragile?”
I snorted and poked the box again. The box had been on the porch when we arrived. Ziggy said we should leave it alone since it was addressed to Axel, but my curiosity was slowly getting the better of me. I wanted to know what was inside. I also wanted to be good. If only Axel wasn’t takingforeverat work.
I lifted my head and sniffed. The scent of fish blood in the air made my mouth water. Leaving the box behind, I trudged into the kitchen and leaned over Ziggy’s shoulder, watching him carefully slice the scales off another fish. He had two piles in front of him: one full of the fish heads and one containing the bodies. I huffed. Why was he removing the best parts?
