“You got it.” He came around, and we clasped forearms. Adam shook his head and took a step back. “Was it just me or was it creepy to see Miller show up here? I always figured Dad’s twin had died.”
“None of the Pack elders ever mentioned him either.”
Adam shrugged. “Maybe Dad told them not to tell us.”
Wyatt—Jared and Jason’s father—and Nick—Luke and Logan’s dad—had both grown up in the same Pack as Malcolm, but neither of them discussed the past much. Until Adam told me about our father’s brief experience with Nero and Operation Moonlight, I never thought about any of them belonging to another Pack as kids. I guess I didn’t think it mattered.
That was all changing now.
The past just showed up on our doorstep.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Sasha
The streets and hotels blurred together as I rode in the taxi to the hotel. My brain was busy, too busy, and I struggled to wrestle my thoughts back in check. With Fonthill showing signs of a violent mental breakdown, I needed to be focused and ready, not riding a rollercoaster of emotions.
Even though Sebastian wouldn’t—or couldn’t—give me confirmation that Nero had ordered the hit on my parents, my gut told me I was right. And when Severino’s plan to take custody of Nadya hadn’t worked out, he’d bided his time until her name and new address surfaced on college apps. The man was anything but stupid, and he didn’t rely on luck.
He made his own.
The cab stopped in front of the hotel, and I scanned the area for any sign of Fonthill before paying my fare and getting out of the car. Fonthill had jumped Sebastian at his hotel only a few hours ago—he could be anywhere.
Inside, the flashing lights and constant ringing chimes signaling winners drowned out my thought process. It was a welcome break. Between discovering a link between Nero and my sister, and Aren planting the seed that maybe I could work again in Reno, my mind whirled with all the possibilities.
After being bitten, I thought of myself as a monster. Any plans for the future had been narrowed to finding an antidote for my condition. Until Aren, it never occurred to me that being converted to a jaguar gave me abilities that could make me a better cop. I was so busy wallowing in anger and betrayal that I almost killed him in an effort to get my old life back.
Now I’d never get a new one if I didn’t get rid of Fonthill before he got me.
I needed to center myself.
Once I got inside the room, I tossed my purse on the chair and cranked up the thermostat. After a change of clothes, I laid a big towel out on the floor, I got on my knees and took a few deep breaths.
It felt good to focus on breathing instead of my future. At least I could control my breathing.
One posture moved into the next, and as the sweat rolled down my body I realized my mind was finally quiet. I got on my knees, my hands in prayer position, and I leaned forward until my forehead brushed against the towel, blood rushing to my head. Taking a few slow, deep breaths through my nose, I lifted myself up again. I closed my eyes for a moment waiting for the dizzying buzz in my head to die down.
When I focused forward, I almost smiled. Maybe I could have a future. Maybe the wolves had the right idea.
I wasn’t at the mercy of the phases of the moon.
I was enhanced by them.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Aren
I slid my hotel key card through the lock and walked into a wall of tropic heat and humidity that made me smile. Sasha’s scent hung heavy in the air, and I could hear humming from the bathroom. I dialed the thermostat down from ninety-five degrees and bent to scoop up her towel from the floor. It felt good to come back to her. This wasn’t my home, but finding her here made it seem like it.
I tapped on the bathroom door. “Honey, I’m home.”
The humming stopped, and her laughter echoed off the tiled walls of the shower. She pulled the curtain back enough to peek out at me and grinned. “Good to see you, too.”
I kissed her before she could draw the curtain again, her lips wet and delicious. My eyes met hers. “Am I in time to wash your back?”
Sasha started to smile. “Actually, I was just finishing up. How did it go with Adam?”
Hearing my brother’s name was like stepping into a cold shower. For a moment I’d been so happy to come back to Sasha that I’d managed to forget about the rest of the world. “It was really…surreal.”
She turned off the water and pulled her towel down from the curtain rod. “Surreal? What happened?”
I leaned back against the sink, trying to focus while she dried off. Damn, the woman was sexy. I told her about Miller Sloan’s surprise appearance in Adam’s driveway and his interest in Fonthill.
Sasha dried off and sat down beside me. “Do you really think he can help with Fonthill?”
I shrugged. “I’m not ready to trust him after one meeting, but I figured if Fonthill knows him, it couldn’t hurt to try to talk him down.” I should’ve told her about using Nadya to lure him out, but instead I bought some time. “How did it go with Sebastian?”
She told me about her meeting, but when her eyes met mine, my kick-ass mate seemed vulnerable. It made my chest fill with the sudden urge to beat the shit out of Sebastian. I took her hand. “I’m sorry he didn’t give you the answers you were hoping for.”
Watching our hands she said, “He told me he would have given me the world.” Sasha shook her head and tipped her chin up to gaze at the ceiling. “I never asked for that. All I wanted was a partner. Someone I could trust to have my back, you know?” She met my eyes. “Like you.”
I kissed her, our lips brushing slowly as I savored the way she tasted and the scent of her freshly washed hair. This was the woman I wanted to spend my life with. If she was there, then I was home. And I needed to tell her. About everything.
But taking down Fonthill needed to be first.
I pulled back and lifted her hand to kiss her fingers. “There’s something else we need to talk about.”
I filled her in on General Sloan’s opinion about bringing in new bait and waited for her to digest it.
Sasha let go of my hand and shot up from the bed. “You’re not suggesting what I think you’re suggesting.”
“If you have a better idea, I’m all ears.”
“No way. We can’t toss Nadya into this.” She pulled her wet hair back from her face and shook her head. “There’s got to be another way.”
“I wish there was.” I rested my elbows on my knees. “We’ll be right there, Sash. Adam’s working on putting together a team from the Pack right now, and the general will be there too.” I looked up at her. “Hell, once Fonthill’s in sight you could take him out with one shot.”
“I can’t do this, Aren.” She went to the window, staring down at the lights below. “I’m supposed to protect her. What if he…”
Her words hung in the silence. I got up and stood behind her, sliding my arms around her waist.
“We’ll keep her safe. He’ll come for her. He won’t be able to resist. Then we’ll have him, and this will finally be over.”
She rested her head back against my chest. “I’ve seen well-planned sting operations go south. This is my sister.”
“We haven’t said anything to Nadya.” I paused to kiss her hair. “If you don’t want to go through with it, I’ll tell Adam we need a different plan.”
I took a deep breath and waited. Finally Sasha turned in my arms, lacing her fingers behind my neck as she met my eyes. “I need to talk to Nadya first. And if I get a bad vibe at all, I’m pulling her out of this. We’ll have to find another way.”