“You’re Canadian?”
“I was born in the states but moved there when I was in grade school,” Addison corrects.
“Do you think Nicolai would go back to Canada?” I question.
“I’m not sure. I know after Genevieve died, he walked away from his pack there and created another pack elsewhere. Noah had heard rumors his pack was made up of rogue wolves, but who knows if that’s true.”
“Addison, why would Genevieve’s parents sell off their daughter?” I ask her. I don’t understand how anyone would willingly hand over his or her little girl to a monster like Nicolai. You can practically feel the ill-intent rolling off of him. “They had to have known what kind of man he was.”
“I don’t think it was really their idea,” Addison starts. “Genevieve’s brother William was actually the one who pushed them to do it. He was much older than Gen, and from what I’ve heard about him, I think he was a little resentful of Gen.”
“Why?” Remi asks.
“She was the baby of the family, and I think she got most of their attention,” Addison answers. “But I think what he was truly jealous of is the amount of power she had. Even from a young age, Genevieve was stronger than William would ever be.”
“Jealousy is a strong motivator.” I reach up and rub my temples. I haven’t slept since Pruitt left, and my head is starting to pound. Between the lack of sleep and my wolf constantly trying to push forward, my skull feels like it’s going to crack open.
“Where is William now?” I ask.
Addison sits up straighter, and her eyes widen. “I totally forgot!” With newfound energy, she climbs off the stool she was perched on and rushes to the open barn door. She leans out the door and hollers, “Noah!”
“Addie, what is it?” Remi’s eyes are full of concern. “What did you remember?”
Addison turns back to face us. “You have to remember I never actually met Gen’s family. Anything I ever knew about them was told to me by Gen, and I was so young when she talked about William. She never talked about him after she left with Archer.”
“Okay, but that doesn’t answer my question,” Remi drawls.
“When William met Nicolai, he had just graduated and was looking for a job—” She starts but stops when Noah walks into the barn. He’s dressed in a button-down flannel and dirty jeans. We don’t often see him out of his police uniform since he’s always working, and it’s nice to see that he’s taken some time off to be with Addison. “Noah! After the accident when I asked you to look into Genevieve’s family, didn’t you find that William was working for Volkov Industries?”
“Volkov Industries?” I push off the table and walk closer to the pair. “As in Nicolai Volkov?”
“Yes, if I remember correctly, William got a job working for Nicolai’s company.” Noah’s thick brows furrow as he tries to recall the information he’d gathered many years ago. “It’s a medical company of some sort, I could never figure out exactly what they did there. William started off as an intern or something, but the last time I checked, he was the head of financials.”
“Which means he works closely with Nicolai,” Remi deduces. “Which means—”
“We have a place to start looking,” I finish for her. For the first time since Pru got in the helicopter, I feel hope returning to my body. It may be a small start, but at least it’s something. “What do you say we go pay William a little visit?”
38
Pruitt
I never passed out. No matter how much I wish I could have, my body never allowed it. Instead, I was conscious for every burning moment of Nicolai’s special form of torture. I felt every single cell in my body burst into flames, and every nerve singe away. And now, almost an hour later, my body still shakes with spasms. The burning sensation has dissipated, but every muscle and bone in my body is sore, and it hurts to even breathe.
I turn my head to look at Jax, who sits reading a newspaper that had magically appeared. He never left the room, even though there was nothing else for him to do until the dose of hellfire faded. He never said anything as he watched me convulse and scream in pain. He just stood watching, the emotion on his face something I couldn’t quite decipher. I swear there was a moment when I could no longer draw in air and was suffocating that he looked worried. But he still never did or said anything.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” I tell him, my voice hoarse from screaming for the past hour.
Jax lowers the newspaper and looks at me over it. His purple eyes scan me before he stands from the plastic chair he’s sitting in. “We’re lucky you didn’t piss all over yourself. I’ve done this to many people, and most can’t control it. You actually handled it a lot better than anyone I’ve ever used hellfire on. Good for you, Blondie.” He sarcastically gives me a thumbs up.
“Gee, thanks.” I scowl. “Your praise means the world to me, Demon Boy.”
I hear Jax chuckle as he comes around the table to mess with the chains on my ankles. “Demon Boy,” he mocks. “Don’t think I’ve ever heard that one before.”
“Whereas I’ve heard blondie a million times.” People always assume my hair is bleached and dyed, but my white-blonde locks are all-natural. “I’m not going to lie, Jax, I’m
