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“Then how can you know it’s Samir?”
“Check your messages.”
Oakley pulled her phone from the thigh pocket of her pants and accessed the message feature. A breath hissed between her teeth when she saw the image displayed in Charli’s message.
“How did you get this?”
“Mason sent it to me.”
That didn’t make sense. As far as she knew, Mason wasn’t aware of the history between her, Charli, and Samir. Why would he send Charli a photo of him and Samir?
“Why?”
“I asked him to send it to me.”
“Hold on,” Oakley felt like she’d missed something. “Did you know Samir was coming to meet Mason?”
“No. Since Grady’s deployed, Mason has been dealing with all the Sanctuary stuff himself. Everyone was interested in potential investors, and Samir was the most interested of all.”
“I get that. What I don’t get is why is he here, in the states?
“He’s trying to close a deal with Mason, but insists on meeting the famous K9 trainer and the wolves, and seeing the genetic evidence they are full blooded grey wolves.”
“He asked Mason for that?”
“Yes.”
“And what did Mason say?”
“He said he would contact the trainer, and as soon as they had a chance to speak, he’d be back in touch with Samir. He said Samir appeared angry or upset, perhaps he’s accustomed to getting what he wants when he wants it.
“Anyway, Mason asked Samir if they could have a photo, shaking hands to show their commitment toward establishing a strong relationship between potential partners. He sent me a copy because I’d asked him to get a photo.”
“And he didn’t want to know why?” Oakley hated being a persistent questioner, but in situations like this, details mattered.
“Oh, he wanted to know, and I told him I thought I might know him, if he was the man I thought.”
“Does Grady know?”
“No. I—never mind.”
“No, what?”
“Nothing. Personal shit. It’s not important.”
That statement hit was an almost tangible force, and Oakley immediately felt ashamed. She’d not stopped to think Charli might be going through a hard time with Grady gone. She thought about Gunner a dozen times a day, hoping he was safe and wishing she could hear his voice. How must Charli feel?
Besides, Charli was her friend, and if something was going on that Charli needed help with, Oakley needed to be the friend who offered it. “Talk to me, Charli.”
“It’s just… did Gunner talk to you about what they’re doing over there?”
“Not a lot except it was wetwork, and he could no longer smell anything but the stench of death. I don’t know what their objective is, but whatever it is, the cost is high. It’s eroding them if you know what I mean.”
“I do, and that’s why I don’t want to add any worries about anything going on at home to Grady’s plate. Between you and me, I just want him home to stay.”
“You think Grady’s ready for that?”
“If you’d asked me a few weeks ago, I’d have said no, but now, yes. He’s already promised.”
