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“Oh no.” He laughed as if I had just cracked a joke. “I couldn't care less about my friend and what you did to him. All of that is ancient history.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to hide the dread swelling in my throat. I swallowed and felt my body quiver in anticipation.
“You are a means to an end, my dear, sweet Alexandra. I was deprived of my prize when you showed such disrespect the last time we were together. And now, you will finally serve your purpose before I kill you.”
Some other purpose? I had never been more confused.
“What purpose?” I asked, hoping he would back away. His presence was unbearable. Instead, he stepped closer and gripped my face roughly.
“Oh, my dear little mouse. All in due time. We will let the anticipation tenderize the meat.” His breath reeked of alcohol, and I had to stop myself from being sick all over his neatlypressed shirt. Not noticing my disgust, he continued, “I promise, my dear, it will be entertaining.” He shoved my face away, scratching my cheek in the process.
“For me, anyway,” he cackled before stepping out of the room and leaving me alone. The moonlight from outside wrapped around the bars on the window, and I felt a strange connection to its warm glow. I quickly regained my focus and continued to loosen my ropes. Within a few minutes, I felt my hands free from their bindings. Now, all I needed was to get out of there before Damien returned. I had to get back home, and a warmth filled me when I realized that home was in Sebastian’s arms.
Chapter fourteen
Sebastian
“Wow, you sure do have a lock on the detective stuff,” Carlos said as he looked around my living room where images and articles were spread everywhere. His eyes lingered in the threads connecting all the players to the same man. Damien. “I don’t know how much help I’m going to be.”
“I can't find her. I need a fresh set of eyes to help me look.” It had been three days, and the full moon was on the horizon. Carlos had agreed to come over and find any holes in my investigation. “You are always more helpful than you realize.”
“Okay, then. Tell me what you know,” he said, slumping into the leather armchair.
I began a detailed synopsis of my many failed attempts to find Alexandra. I ticked through the extensive file I had detailing the events of Alexandra’s life, the information from my tripto Phoebe’s house, the report on Damien and his mother, the disrupted pack they came from, and the intricacies from the raids on the few properties owned by Damien or his associates. Carlos was intrigued by the secret ops I’d enlisted to get the jobs done quickly and quietly.
He looked at me with excitement and anticipation. I wanted to scream, but I just continued to recall the information like an audiobook, only pausing to suck in some air. Every door I had beat down had left me empty-handed. Filling the walls with information had only left me with more questions than answers.
I felt the desperation in my voice grow with every moment I spent reliving my failed attempts. Carlos sat in the oversized chair and took in the information with determination. I needed him to find any unturned stones, and I looked at him with anticipation.
“Well, it sounds like you’ve thought of everything,” he said, rubbing his chin in deep thought. My stomach sank when he met my eyes with a shrug. He couldn't come up with anything.
I failed her again.I began to beat myself up for my ineptitude.
“I’m hungry. Make me something, would you?” Carlos’ voice pulled me from my self-loathing.
“Yeah, I'm sure I have some eggs around here.” The kitchen reflected my culinary mastery, but right now, I’d be lucky if I could keep eggshells out of the pan. “Overhard, okay? I broke the yoke.”
“I’m not picky.” Carlos was looking at the wall of pictures I’d assembled when I finally opened the file of Alexandra’s life. “Who is she to Alexandra?” he asked, taking one of the images from the wall and pointing at a woman.
I dumped the disheveled eggs onto the plate. Well, they were eggs when I started, now they were a burned blob of mush. It looked edible though, so I called it a win. He slid the picture to me before looking at the plate.
“Do you have any salt and pepper? Nope; hot sauce. I think I'm going to need some hot sauce to get these eggs down,” he asked, the humor heavy in his voice.
I took the image and walked over to grab the sauce for him. It was a picture of her mother, the only one my team could find. She was elusive.
“Alexandra’s mom, Sarah Silvers.” I looked fondly at the face that was so close to my mate’s. The thought of her made me smile, and for a moment, I forgot about the looming dread surrounding her disappearance.
“I think her name was Dinar? No, Dinan. Her family was big in the wolf community until they weren't,” Carlos said, taking another bite of his eggs that were now swimming in hot sauce.
“What do you mean?” I asked as he took another bite and swallowed it whole.
He didn't answer until his plate was clean.
I felt like a kid all over again, with him teaching me patience and how to wait in silence, allowing the other person time to fill the space. I would never get the answer if I broke this silence, a practice that came in handy during my business dealings. Rushing Carlos when he was eating was not an option.
Instead, I opened my phone and typed the new last name into my search program. Sarah Dinan. I sent up a quiet prayer, hoping it would connect to the dots I had entered into the algorithm.
“She was the most beautiful girl in the pack, and she was taken by the alpha,” he continued as I looked up from the spinning wheel on my phone. “They were a terrible pack, and the alpha took whatever he wanted. He killed a number of packs for being weak; he didn't even want the land.”
