reason not to trust me, but I can finish this. We can make a stand here and take this guy out.”
“But you and Aren can’t do it alone. That’s why you came, remember?” Adam focused on his brother in the distance talking with the fire chief. “I don’t know if the Pack will back me on this one. It’s because of you that I’m the Alpha now.” His gaze met mine and for a moment it felt like he could see directly into my soul. “Asking them to help you now…” He shook his head. “I don’t think they will.”
“Don’t do it for me. Do it for your brother and your Pack. No one is safe with this guy lurking in the shadows.”
Aren came up the steps. “They found shrapnel. The asshole lit off a grenade.”
“I’ve got to get to the ranch before he figures out where I live. Help me get the gate open.”
Aren put his shoulder into the twisted metal and grunted. “Be sure you’re watching for him. He could tail you, and you’d lead him right to the Pack.”
“I’ll be careful.” Adam reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys. “Be at my place in two hours.” He nodded toward me. “And leave her here.”
Chapter Nineteen
Sasha insisted I loan her my other car and left for downtown. It made sense—she’d be able to grab some food, and she was capable of protecting herself—but with the Green Beret lurking, I needed to be at her side. My gut felt tight, my muscles tense and mind sharp. I recognized the feeling. This was my game face before an important business meeting, when the stakes were high.
Couldn’t get much higher than this.
I greeted my Pack as they arrived at the ranch, traditionally making eye contact as we clasped our forearms together. Gareth was the last to show up, and I noticed he didn’t greet Lana. Adam didn’t say anything, but I could tell by the way his jaw clenched that it pissed him off.
Maybe that explained why I hadn’t seen Gareth much over the past several months. Maybe he still held a grudge against Lana for his brother’s death. She hadn’t killed him, but Sebastian wouldn’t have been in Reno during the new moon if she hadn’t been here. Gabe might still be alive.
At the back of Adam’s barn, we all gathered, with our Alpha in front of the group. Lana was on his right and I stood off to his left as he addressed the Pack.
“I appreciate everyone coming tonight. We need to be watchful and stick together. There’s a dangerous wolf in our territory. We believe he’s ex-Special Forces, and he’s working for Nero. He already dropped a grenade on the gate at the cabin in Tahoe and took shots with a long-range rifle at Aren and me.”
Adam left Sasha out of the equation. Probably for the best, at least for now. I scanned the Pack, trying to gauge their reaction while my brother told them more about Sasha’s stalker.
Luke and Logan stood together. I knew Luke better than I did his twin brother. Logan sang lead in a local rock band, so he toured around Nevada playing gigs and wasn’t usually home for long stretches of time. I’d seen him perform once or twice, and it was obvious he enjoyed the spotlight and had girls whipped into a frenzy, tossing underwear and God only knew what else up on the stage.
But deep down, I had no idea what really made him tick. He was loyal to the Pack—that was all that mattered. The two brothers stood tall with their arms crossed, their ice-blue eyes focused on Adam’s face.
Jason lingered toward the back of the group, listening. I could almost see him taking mental notes of the facts. Nothing slipped past the detail-oriented doctor in him. His twin brother Jared was nearby, too. He shared the same light-brown hair and hazel eyes but was more rugged looking, with perpetual dirt on his clearly calloused hands. Jared could make masterpieces out of wood. He was an amazing carpenter, and whenever things got tense, he always had your back. I grew up with Jared and Jason. They’d follow through, whatever Adam decided.
Then my gaze locked on Gareth. His jet-black hair was tied back, and his dark brown, nearly black eyes were unreadable. Even when Gabe was still alive, Gareth hadn’t been one to smile much. Born a few minutes before his twin, he carried the weight of being the “older” brother on his shoulders like a yolk on an ox.
When Gabe had been murdered, Gareth hadn’t shown any emotion. Many of us in the Pack tried to talk to him, but what could we say? The brothers had lost their parents when they were fifteen, and now his twin was dead too. He was alone in the world. And in spite of everyone’s efforts to include him, Gareth retreated from us.
He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded toward Lana. “Are they coming for her again?” He distanced himself from the others, glaring at Adam. “How long are we going to keep protecting jaguars? Until we’re
Adam’s brow furrowed and I watched Lana reach out to hold his hand. Gareth was obviously baiting him
“I’m not asking you to protect
Many heads started to nod, but Gareth didn’t move. I ground my teeth. I wasn’t sure we could trust him with an attitude like that. I’d never doubted any member of my Pack before. We were family. But now I had to wonder if we lost both brothers when we lost Gabe.
“Excuse me, Lana?” In the middle of the barn aisle a woman stood with a baby slung on each hip. She had black hair, and her eyes were the same rich green as the pine trees that grew all over Adam’s property. I recognized her smile in an instant. This had to be Sasha’s sister.
Lana rushed over and relieved her of Madeleine. “Is everything all right?”
Nadya nodded and handed her an envelope. “A courier just dropped this off for you.”
Lana gnawed at her lower lip as she took it and glanced over at Adam. “I wasn’t expecting anything.”
He shook his head and grabbed the mail from her. “I’ll open it.”
Adam pulled the tab across the back and slid a single piece of paper out. Frowning, he handed it to Lana. She opened it so they could both read it. Concern lined her brow as she gave the paper back to my brother. He quickly folded it and tucked it in his pocket.
Madeleine got a kiss on her pudgy cheek from her dad as he glanced at Lana. “Can you take Nadya and the babies back up to the house? I’ll be right behind you.”
Lana hustled Sasha’s sister and the diapered twins out of the barn. When they were out of earshot, Adam addressed the Pack again. “Stick together and watch each other’s backs. I’ll let you know when we hear anything more about this guy.”
Adam tipped his head toward the house, signaling me to follow. Even in human form, werewolves have amazing hearing, so instead of telling me what the letter said, Adam handed it to me as we walked up from the barn.
I crumbled the paper. “‘Beware the Jabberwock’ sounds like some kind of Sebastian code, but I’m guessing Darrien Fonthill is the name of our guy. He told Sasha he’d try to figure out who his dad hired.”
“His dad?” Adam stopped in his tracks.
I nodded. “Yep. Sebastian is heir to the Nero monster.”
“Great.” Adam crossed his arms staring up at the house. “He’s probably setting us up. Dammit, this keeps getting better and better.”
