Elvis was crooning “Suspicious Minds” out of the speakers behind my desk. Great song but not something I wanted to hear right then. I felt like I really was caught in a trap. And now I couldn’t think straight, which used to be one of my strong points.
I hit the remote, silencing the music.
Almost on cue, Maggie buzzed on the intercom. “Aren? You’ve got a call on line four. She wouldn’t tell me her name.”
I opened my mouth to tell her to put the call through to my voice mail, but I stopped myself. Instead I picked up the phone and pushed the line. “Aren Sloan.”
“I told you to leave me alone.”
My grip tightened on the receiver. “Where are you?”
“I think you already know.”
I frowned and leaned forward in my chair. “I haven’t seen you since you walked out of the ER in Las Vegas.”
She paused before replying. “I don’t believe you.”
“Then don’t.” My jaw clenched. “That won’t change the fact that I’m sitting in my office in Reno. Where are you?”
The line went dead.
“Goddammit.” I resisted the urge to chuck the phone across my office. This was insane. Every cell in my body needed to find her and make sure she was safe.
Using the caller ID, I dialed the number back on my cell phone. It couldn’t hurt to have her number on my contacts list, but there was no answer and no voice mail picked up. Not that I expected otherwise, but I couldn’t help hoping. If she was calling from her cell phone it’d be tough to track her down, even if I hired a PI. I glanced at the clock. Not quite lunchtime yet, but I needed some fresh air.
After pocketing my phone, I blew out of my office and past the front reception area.
“I’ve got an appointment, Maggie. Barry can handle whatever comes up. You’ve got my cell number if you need me, right?”
“Yes.” Maggie’s bright blue eyes were full of concern. “I don’t have an appointment on your schedule. Is everything all right?”
“It’ll be fine. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She nodded in that female way that every guy knows means she doesn’t believe a word you just said, but I wasn’t going to make the effort to convince her. I hit the button for the elevator.
Once I was outside, I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with air. If only clearing my head was so simple. In the parking structure, Adam jumped out of his Jeep. I groaned. This day just kept getting better.
“Hey, Aren. I’m glad I caught you. We need to talk.”
I glanced around for any additional unwanted company. “About what?”
“About you going after Sasha.”
I met his gaze. “I told you she’s not working for Nero.”
“I know.” He nodded. “But if she’s not a threat to us anymore, then why do you keep going to Las Vegas?”
“I get it, you’re the Alpha now, but I can’t take being watched and questioned all the time. I’m your brother, not your son.”
Adam yanked his hair back from his forehead, doing his best to swallow the growl I could hear forming in his chest. He kept his hair longer than mine, but otherwise it was like staring at my own reflection.
“I have an appointment,” I lied. “Can we talk about this later?”
I started walking to my car, but Adam stepped into my path. “No. We’ve waited long enough.”
I bumped his shoulder, powering past him. “I can wait longer.”
Adam grabbed my arm, yanking me around. Rage smoldered, building inside of me, but unlike my impetuous brother, channeling my emotions was usually more beneficial than the instant rush of throwing a punch.
But punching him would probably feel incredible.
I jerked my arm free. “Don’t push me, Adam.”
“I know something is up with you and Sasha. You told me she’s not working for Nero anymore. How can you be sure? She could be using you to get close to my kids. Can you imagine what kind of reward Nero would offer to anyone who brings them children that carry the bloodlines of both werewolves and jaguars? They’d use my kids as lab rats, Aren. Just like they wanted to use Lana. I can’t risk it.”
Years of business negotiations trained me to always take a deep breath before responding to a confrontation, but hearing Sasha’s voice on the phone made the wolf inside me impatient to find her. There had to be a reason she thought I was watching her again. Could another Nero informant be tracking her already?
I met my brother’s eyes. “Sasha needs my help. If anyone could understand this, it should be you. I kept your secret when you told me your mate was a jaguar. You owe me this, Adam.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, brow furrowed, and for a second, he looked exactly like our father. “This isn’t like you to run off half-cocked, Aren. And to help Sasha? Have you forgotten she tried to kill you?”
Abandoning all my business training, I blurted out. “She’s my mate, Adam.”
His jaw went slack for a second, and before he could speak I held up my hand. “I know this is nuts, and it’s tearing me up inside, but it is what it is. How we both ended up with jaguar shifters for mates, I have no clue. Maybe Dad would’ve been able to figure out the connection—you said he knew more about Nero than he let on, right? But he’s not here anymore. But no matter the reason, I still need to make sure they don’t get their hands on her again. Nothing you say is going to change that.”
Concern lined his eyes, aging him a few years. “Jaguars don’t have our instinct to find a mate. She doesn’t experience the same connection you do.” His voice softened. “She’ll kill you, Aren.”
I shrugged, looking over at my car. “She’s had plenty of opportunities.”
“Your ankle is never going to be fully functional again, and it’s her fault. How can you ignore all she’s done? Jesus, Aren, she kidnapped Lana, and Malcolm died saving her. How do you expect me to handle this?”
“This isn’t about you.” I shook my head. “You think I’m happy about this situation?” I knew I was raising my voice, but I didn’t give a shit if anyone heard me. “You found your mate, and she was crazy about you. Love and marriage and a family—you got the whole package deal. But here I am, drooling over a woman who hates my guts. It’s fucking pathetic. But I can’t help myself.” I shoved my way past him to my car. “Maybe it’d be better if she did kill me. At least I’d be out of this hell.”
“Aren, I need you here. The Pack needs you.”
I glanced over my shoulder at my brother, my best friend, and my heart sank. “I can’t be what you need. Not right now.”
I popped the lock on the Lotus and sank down into the leather seat. The engine roared to life as I revved the accelerator. I jammed it into gear and shot out of the parking structure like a bat out of hell.
Once I hit the freeway, I gave the engine more gas and my supercharged baby flew past everything with wheels. The needle hovered at 120 mph and my pulse thrummed until I smiled in spite of my crappy goddamn day.
Speed was my drug of choice.
The wind gusted through the open moon roof, ruffling my hair and deafening my ears. Too bad it couldn’t drown out the voices in my head. The wolf inside of me was screaming to find Sasha, while the man in me was grumbling that I should be responsible to my family and turn around. I should be protecting the Pack from Nero.
I gripped the steering wheel tighter, fighting to find balance with my warring loyalties, but I couldn’t block out the echo of Sasha in my mind.
I don’t believe you.
She said the words, but her voice had been shaking. She’d wanted it to be me.