Had he asked over two years ago, Ransom would not have given two fucks over what could happen to New York. It could have sunk into the ocean for all he cared.
But then …
“You sure you don’t want a cheeseburger?” Julianna waved the half-eaten burger in her hand. “They’re good.”
“I’m fine.” He scratched at the bandages. The skin underneath was knitting itself back together, and the itching was driving him crazy.
The knock on the door caught everyone’s attention, and a tall figure entered the room. “Hello,” Cross Jonasson greeted as his eyes locked with Ransom’s. “Glad to see you’re up.”
“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” he said. “And I’m not talking about you, Jonasson.” He was, after all, the reason Ransom was injured in the first place. And the reason he didn’t die in the watery depths of the Hudson River. He nodded at the woman who came up behind Cross. “You all right, Sabrina?”
She smiled at him, her violet eyes sparkling. “I am now. Thank you for what you did last night.”
“Yeah, well, Silke will kill me if I let anything happen to you.” A couple of days ago, Cross had asked him to keep Sabrina safe back in Kentucky. He had agreed, though mostly it was because his sister Silke had taken a liking to Sabrina.
She chuckled. “I’m glad. Thank you.”
“Where have you guys been?” Julianna asked. “Did you get your dad home safe?”
“Yes, he’s home now.” Sabrina’s cheeks pinked. “And also …” She raised her hand up, showing off a sparkly ring on her finger. “We got engaged.”
“Holy shit!” Julianna cried. “Congratulations!”
Ransom saw something on Cross’s face that he had never seen before: genuine happiness. “Congrats, man.” He had heard the other man refer to Sabrina as his True Mate, though Ransom wasn’t sure what that meant exactly. He’d only heard rumors about such things.
“Thank you.” Cross gave him a strange look. “Maybe you’ll be next.”
“Yeah, right.” Ransom pushed himself off the bed, his bare feet landing on the cold concreted floor. “Is there someplace we can talk? I need you to fill me in on what happened and make sure Silke and everyone back home knows I’m okay.”
“I’ve taken care of that,” Cross said. “We stopped by on the way back here.” The hybrid, after all, could travel long distances in seconds. “I need to talk to you too.”
“Why don’t you go to the waiting room outside?” Sabrina suggested. “I’ll stay here and keep Julianna and Duncan company.”
Ransom waved off the hand Cross offered and followed him outside to the empty waiting room. “So, what happened last night?”
“You mean after you decided to make yourself into a human pin cushion?” Cross asked with a lifted brow. “If you didn’t jump in and the mage hadn’t stabbed you with the dagger, he would have gotten away with all three artifacts. Thank you for saving us.”
He was, of course, talking about the dagger of Magus Aurelius, one of the three artifacts the mages were trying to get their hands on in order to rule the world. A bitter taste formed on his tongue. What would Cross do if he knew the whole truth of why he agreed to come here in the first place? “Didn’t have much choice.”
“Still you saved—”
“What happened with my guys?” he said, quickly changing the subject. “Are Hawk and Snake good?”
“Yeah,” Cross said. “They’re back at GI headquarters. I told them I’d give them a lift back to Kentucky any time they’re ready.”
“We’re ready,” Ransom declared. “I need to get back.” Now. Before he did something stupid.
“Sure, but there’s something I need to tell you.” Cross lowered his voice. “The Alpha asked to meet you.”
He ground his teeth together. “What for?”
“Well I’m sure he’s thankful for what you did,” Cross said. “You did save all of us.”
“I didn’t do it for him.” But he couldn’t say why he did it at all. “I don’t need his thanks. I just need to go home.”
“You should hear him out. He wants to take you to dinner.”
As if that would ever make up for anything. “Why?”
Cross’s face turned gloomy. “What you saw last night? That’s not even a fraction of what could happen if the mages succeed in what I think they’re planning. This isn’t just about New York or the clans. Every single Lycan out there will be in danger. And Lucas wants to talk about how we can all work together and—”
“No.” Absolutely not. The sooner he got out of New York, the better. “Look, we’re already even after you fished me out of the Hudson, right? Actually, I believe you owe me one now.”
“You still haven’t told me why you were floating, half-dead in the river.”
And he never would. “Is there a phone I can use? I should call Silke.”
Cross’s shoulders sank in defeat and fished his phone out from his pocket. “I just got this, but you can have it. I can get another one.”
“Thanks.”
“If you change your mind—”
“I’ll know where to find you.”
The hybrid gave him a curt nod. “I’ll go back inside and give you some privacy.”
Ransom waited until the other man disappeared through the door before dialing the number he knew by heart. It rang three times before the person on the other line picked up.
“It’s me.”
There was a huff. “So, you survived. When are you heading back?”
“Soon,” he said.
“Is he dead?”
“Who?” he asked.
“You know who.”
“Grant Anderson wasn’t even there,” he groused. “And I told you, he’s not the Alpha anymore.”
“Who cares? He still has to pay.” There was a pause. “Tell me what happened.”
Ransom ran through the events of yesterday and the night before, including what Cross had said. “Don’t worry, I’m leaving soon.”
Another pause. “Wait. Don’t go yet.”
“Wait?” he said incredulously. “You didn’t want me coming here in the first place.”
“I know. But maybe we can use this to our advantage.”
“Our advan—what the fuck are
