Micah let Tony distract him with tales of his terrible almost-one-year-old before pulling out a notepad. “Let’s draw it out, Tony. Like we used to.”
The two bent their heads together to begin to list every player involved as well as their angle. Once they knew why the Compound Pack wanted Talia, they could plan their attack.
At one point, close to three in the morning, Micah rubbed his neck and leaned back from the desk. Heaving a sigh, he looked at his friend.
“You know, life was certainly simpler when they kidnapped our people and we went in and kicked ass and took ours back.”
Tony shook his head. “Never thought I’d hear you say that, Micah, but you’re right. The Turn Skins are different these days. Hell, I don’t even call them that much anymore. They are the Compound Pack now. Frank’s done a damn good job of turning that Pack around. I’ve heard they are having some money issues though.”
Tony hit himself in the forehead. “That’s it, Micah. Money. I’ll bet Curtis left money to Talia and they want to control it.”
“Money? You think this is about money?” Micah growled fiercely. “They can have the money. I don’t need it. I can take care of Talia without that old bastard’s money.”
Snarling, he swept the notepad off the table as he jerked to his feet to pace angrily. Money? They’d taken his child for money? Rage built inside him until his ears rang from the pressure. A hand on his arm nearly threw him over the edge until he realized that Tony was still there.
“Micah, pull it together. We’re just speculating here. We don’t know why they want Talia. We can’t waste time worrying about what we don’t know.”
Slowly nodding his head, Micah tugged himself back to the hotel room. His wolf wanted to kill something-he couldn’t afford that energy expenditure right now. Sitting back at the table, Micah reached down to return the notepad to the table.
“We have a strategy. We know we have allies coming. Now we wait. So go home to your beautiful mate.” Micah heard his voice splinter. “And I’ll get what sleep I can. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Tony headed for the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. “Micah, I know you’re mated. I can smell it a mile away. I don’t know why she’s not here, but I’m guessing there’s a good reason?”
Micah sighed. “That’s a long story. Suffice it to say she doesn’t want to be what she is-a shifter. I can’t worry about her now though. She’s safe in her office in New York. I’ll deal with her once I get Talia back.”
“Shouldn’t she know about Talia, Micah?” Tony’s tone wasn’t harsh but the question lanced through Micah. He swept a hand through his hair and nodded.
“Probably but it’s too late now. I’ll tell her once this is all over and I have Talia back. Then I can work on bringing Olivia home.”
Tony nodded. “Okay, mon ami, you know what’s best, I guess. Get some rest.”
Micah flipped the privacy latch on the door after Tony left. Was he right? Did Olivia deserve to know about Talia? Mulling it over for a few moments, Micah realized he agreed with Tony. He picked up the phone and hoped Olivia was still an early riser.
When the call went straight to voicemail, Micah hung up without leaving a message. Then, cursing himself for a fool, he called back and left a short statement about what had happened. He told her he would call her when everything was straightened out. Even to himself he sounded like someone trying to convince themselves of a long shot happening.
Micah stretched out on the hotel bed. When his feet hung off the edge, he groaned and flipped to his side to draw them up. Closing his eyes firmly, he waited for sleep to come. He dozed fitfully until his alarm went off.
Sitting up he thanked the years of surveillance that had taught him to grab sleep no matter what was going on. Feeling as rested as a few hours could make him, he put in an order for room service and got in the shower.
The remnants of his meal were being wheeled out when Tony poked his head in the door. “Ready?”
Micah glanced around the room to make sure he had everything and headed down to the car where a familiar blonde woman and a short brunette male waited. “Carly, Nolan, it is good to see you.”
Nolan threw his arms around Micah, hugging him fiercely before stepping back. “I had to come see you, Micah. I won’t go onto the grounds with you, but I’ll be waiting for word. You need to come by Animalia before you go home. I know, bring Talia in for dessert after the hearing. I’m sure I can whip up something she’ll like.”
Micah smiled and put a hand on Nolan’s shoulder. “Thank you, little brother. You can be sure we’ll stop by the club before we go home. I’ve missed your étouffée.”
Nolan grinned and stepped back, giving his place to Tony’s mate who also wrapped Micah in a tight hug before touching his face with one cool hand and looking straight into his eyes.
Dr. Carly Pantera smiled gently. “It’s good to see you and I wish it were under better circumstances, Micah. You need to stop by New Orleans more often. Enough of that, now let’s go get your daughter.”
The cool determination of the human did more to build Micah’s confidence than anything else the day had brought so far. She’d faced the Compound Pack under the misguided angry rule of Slade, so for her to willingly return was a statement of her loyalty and courage. She and Tony were indeed well matched.
Thinking back over their combined past with the Turn Skin Pack, Micah still marveled at the changed wolf that Slade was. His tiny human wife had turned him around completely. He wasn’t nearly as angry or bloodthirsty as he’d been then. By the same token, Micah also understood the pain that held his friend Nolan. The Turn Skins had killed his mate, Derik, and he still struggled with anger against them. Nolan waved as they got into the car to head to the hearing site. Looking out the back window, Micah watched Nolan’s head drop as he turned to cross the street to his own car.
The trip to the compound was quiet with each lost in their thoughts. Micah tried to imagine his world without Talia. Though she hadn’t been with him for long, his life had become so much more vibrant with her in it. The fact that she and Olivia had come to him so close together, a mate and a child to bring up, making them an immediate family, had to be a sign from the gods that they were truly meant to be together. The sobering vision solidified his decision to get his child back one way or the other. If he had to, he would steal her and disappear on one of the reservations.
He knew his way around reservations, having grown up on one, and knew he could easily take Talia and no one would ever find them. Those who lived on the reservations wouldn’t tolerate interference from outsiders and he could go far enough away that no shifter would ever find them. Shaking his head, Micah pushed those thoughts aside. He didn’t want that for Talia, though, to live in shadows and fear. He wanted to bring her home, hear her laughter ringing through his home and be able to tuck her in at night and watch her grow. First he had to get his daughter, then together, maybe they could convince Olivia that she belonged with them too.
Tony turned into the familiar drive. Micah nodded as he noticed the shifters guarding the gate. Though they wore security company uniforms, he knew they were members of the Pack living here. Their scent alone confirmed that fact. The men suffered a brief pat-down search and when one of the guards turned toward Carly, Tony couldn’t stop snarling at him as his wife was subjected to the same. Only her quiet reassurance held him back. Micah didn’t even feel the body scan. His every fiber was set on getting into the house and getting this hearing over and done with. My daughter belongs with me.
Search completed, the guards told them the hearing was in the great room of the white mansion. Carly reached for Tony’s hand and he brought it up to his mouth for a brief kiss. Micah wasn’t sure who was comforting whom and wished he had the support of a loyal mate as he walked through the doors of what had most recently been hell.