Eric leaned his forearms on the table. “I interrogated Lucy again this morning, James. She said she didn’t know.”
“Then why was she helping him in the first place?” someone asked.
My uncle’s Adam’s apple jostled repeatedly in his unshaven throat, and his puffy eyes misted over as he shook his head from side to side.
Eric’s gaze glided over to me. “Everest told her”-he rubbed his bald head-“that Ness killed Heath but was trying to frame him for it.”
“He did what?” My claws came out so suddenly that I scraped the table, leaving curls of wood. No wonder my aunt hated me.
Shh. Liam’s voice bounced around in my skull.
I dragged air that felt like fire into my lungs until my wolf relinquished her hold on me. Once I felt calmer, I said, “Someone had eyes on me at the warehouse.”
“Lucy was monitoring you remotely,” Eric said. “Everest planted a cell phone on one of the shelves and linked it to hers. We recovered the phone in question.”
“She claims Everest put it there, and I hope she isn’t lying. I hope no one else was involved in the con.” Liam leaned back into his chair. “I’m feeling merciful tonight, but my mercy will be off the table come morning. So if anyone has something to confess, I strongly suggest you do it now.”
No one spoke.
I highly doubted anyone would come forward, but maybe Liam wasn’t seeking verbal responses… Maybe he was checking his pack’s body language, looking for tells.
After scrutinizing his men, Liam said, “Okay then… ”
“Do we have any leads on Everest’s whereabouts?” Little J asked, his voice sounding almost squeaky.
Liam’s gaze surfed over the heads of his pack members without ever settling, as though still on the lookout for a conspirator. “We do,” he said slowly without offering any further details.
“Can we join the search party?” Little J asked.
Frank smoothed a hand over his thick white hair. “Your enthusiasm is commendable, Joseph, but Liam has everything under control.”
“Oh, come on, Grandpa… ”
So Little J, i. e. Joseph, was Frank’s grandson? I felt a twinge more sympathy toward the boy, because like me, he’d lost his father. And I liked Frank.
“No, Joseph,” Frank said. “You’re too young.”
Joseph crossed his freckled arms and pouted.
“The most important thing right now is that we stay united and alert. Open your own bottles and prepare your own food, and if anyone has trouble shifting, report to me immediately.” Liam squared his broad shoulders, pushed away from the table, and stood. “Thank you all for coming.”
Chairs rolled back, and men rose, chattering in low tones. I didn’t get up. At least, not right away. Liam hadn’t mentioned the bike, nor his meeting with Aidan Michaels. I wondered if it was because he didn’t want to cause more alarm or because he thought there might be a mole in the pack. I glanced around me. Only August stared back, lips alternatively parting a little and pressing tightly, as though he wanted to say something.
A hand settled on my shoulder, kneaded it. “Are you ready?” Liam asked.
I craned my neck. “Ready? To go find Everest?”
Liam shook his head as he kept massaging my shoulder. “I’m taking you home.” I almost purred from how good his fingers felt against my knotted muscles. “I think you could use a full-body rubdown.”
I wasn’t a blusher, yet heat scalded my cheeks. I wished he hadn’t said that last bit quite as loud. He could’ve used his Alpha link-
It hit me then. Like earlier, he was making a statement, because he felt threatened by August. I sighed and let Liam make his statement, let him claim me. When I looked around the room, only Matt and Lucas remained. I rolled my chair back, clasped Liam’s fingers, and rose.
On the way out of the room, I stopped next to Lucas. Setting my annoyance aside, I asked, “Did they call you back?”
Liam frowned while Lucas’s eyes turned a stormy blue. I sensed he was pissed I’d brought up the escort agency in front of his friends. What I didn’t understand was why. It wasn’t as though he actually wanted to hire an escort.
“Did who call him back?” Liam asked.
“The escort agency,” I said.
Matt waggled his eyebrows. “Trying to get over Taryn, huh?”
Pink-cheeked, Lucas slugged him. “No, you douchebag. Ness thought Everest’s last girlfriend might be working for Red Creek Escorts. And yeah, they phoned me back. They don’t know any Megans.”
My heart contracted with surprise. So Everest hadn’t lied. I toyed with my mother’s wedding band which hung from a leather cord around my neck. Slid it on my finger, then off, then on again.
“Why were you looking into her?” Liam asked.
“She thought the chick might be Everest’s link to Denver,” Lucas grumbled.
Liam and Matt exchanged a look. When Liam nodded toward the door, the blond giant closed it.
“We found your cousin’s link to Denver,” Liam said, voice low.
I let go of my ring, and it bounced over my T-shirt a few times before settling. “You did?”
“Thanks to you.”
“To me?”
Liam scrubbed his thumb over my knuckles. “You know that visit we paid Aidan Michaels? It was very… edifying.”
Matt cracked his knuckles. “Don’t know if you’re aware of this, Little Wolf, but Michaels has a hotel in Denver.”
That’s why Denver sounded familiar! Sandra had sent me information about Aidan before I’d met him. He owned a hotel in Denver, Las Vegas, and… what was the third location again? It didn’t much matter, I supposed. Unless Everest fled the Denver hotel. Then it might matter.
“So Everest traded the Sillin against shelter?” I asked.
Liam shook his head. “No.”
“No?” I cocked a dubious eyebrow.
“Your cousin sold Aidan something else.”
“His soul?” Lucas quipped.
Matt snorted. “I doubt he had one to sell.”