Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“If I had to guess? Yeah, that’s what my gut’s saying,” Link sighed. “We’ve got a handle on things up here, and I’m making sure Calliope’s parents are covered.”
“Calliope is safe in Timber Ridge,” Kace replied.
“Anyone who dares to try to hurt my mate will be dead before they have the chance to lay a finger on her,” I guaranteed.
“Just make sure nobody ever finds the bodies,” Link warned. “I don’t think the authorities will look very hard if he and his underlings turn up missing, and he’s not the kind of guy who shares shit up the hierarchy if it's going to make him look bad. So if he up and disappears, that’ll probably take care of the problem.”
“No worries there,” Kace assured him. “Tane’s tiger has a hell of an appetite.”
“Tane, the tiger?” Link chuckled. “His parents must have a hell of a sense of humor since it sounds an awful lot like the cereal cartoon mascot.”
I didn’t bother reacting to his joke. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard it, and odds were good it wouldn’t be the last. And I had more important things to worry about at the moment. “Is there anything else I need to know to help keep Calliope safe?”
“I’ll send everything we’ve got on the guy,” Link promised. “Our tech guy is good, so the email will have his picture along with photos of known associates.”
Kace was my alpha, but I didn’t hesitate to bark out a command to him since my mate’s safety was at stake. “Forward whatever Link sends to you right away and give him my email address so I can get that shit direct until this is resolved. Unless there’s anything else urgent that I need to hear now, I’m heading back to my place. I left Calliope there by herself, and I don’t want her alone.”
“Will do,” Kace agreed.
“I don’t have anything else yet,” Link confirmed. “Get back to our girl.”
“My girl,” I corrected as I headed for the door. It didn’t matter that the man had known Calliope since she was five years old and had been the one to alert me to the possible danger; I wasn’t willing to let another man lay even the smallest claim to my mate. Especially not when my protective instincts were at an all-time high.
Rushing back to our house, I called out for her as soon I was through the door. “Calliope!”
“I’m still up here,” she answered with a yell.
I pounded up the stairs and shook my head when I heard her grumble, “You were only gone for like ten minutes tops. Where did you think I would’ve run off to in that little bit of time?”
I heaved a deep sigh of relief when I found her in our room, still curled up on the bed with her tablet in her lap. Logically, I knew nothing could’ve happened to her while I was at Kace’s house, but reason had been tossed out the window when I found out my gorgeous mate might be in danger. Some of the terror and rage I was feeling must have shown on my face because she dropped her tablet on the mattress and sat up. “What’s wrong? Is it Larissa or Allegra? Your parents? Sisters?”
“No, baby. They’re all okay.” I hurried over to her, crawled on the mattress, and pulled her into my arms. “It’s your parents.”
“My parents?” she echoed, her head going back so she could look at me with hazel eyes wide with shock. “What? Did they get wind of us being together and call you after ignoring me all this time? I swear, if they think they can interfere in our relationship because of some stupid reason they haven’t bothered to share with me, they’re going to regret it.”
She was so damn cute as she worked herself into a frenzy in my defense. If it had been any other day, I would have helped her work through her mad with a nice, hard fuck. But that wasn’t possible until I’d put protections in place to keep her safe—after I filled her in on the shit they’d actually pulled, which was unfortunately worse than whatever she was dreaming up in her head. “I wish that was what I had to tell you.”
Her already fair skin paled. “Are they…? Have they—”
As soon as I realized how she’d taken what I said, I interrupted her stammer. “Your parents are physically okay, and Larissa’s dad is going to do his best to make sure they stay that way.”
“Crap. Link’s involved?” She cringed at my nod. “Then I guess the reason they aren’t returning my calls is more serious than I expected.”
After I filled her in on the details Link had shared with me, she jumped off the bed to pace back and forth. “I can’t believe them. Even knowing I’m in danger, they still won’t risk their precious business over some stupid deal?”