Slumping against the cool metal wall, she placed a hand over her chest. That had been too close. It had pained her not to kiss Evan goodbye, but she didn’t have a choice.
Her knees were practically jelly by the time the elevator reached her floor. He’s just here for a few days, she reminded herself as she made her way to her apartment. He’ll leave soon.
Once again, her wolf made its displeasure known, growling at her. Shut up! Didn’t it remember what it was like when Ransom left? How it felt to have been abandoned by their True Mate, the pain that they carried around? All those tears they wasted … that feeling of despair for days after … only the knowledge that they carried a pup pulled them through the depression.
Her she-wolf yowled woefully. “See?” she said. “We don’t want to go through that when he leaves us again.” And he would leave again.
She bit her lip, forced down the wave of tears threatening to spill over and swallowed it all. No, she wasn’t going to cry for him anymore. He was the one who walked away and had his phone disconnected. Nor did he try to contact her, even to see how she was doing.
“He abandoned all of us. You, me, and Evan.” she told her wolf bitterly. No way was she going to let him see Evan. Evan was her son. She birthed him and cared for him. He was hers alone, as far as she was concerned.
Chapter Eight
What the hell did I do?
Ransom shook his head as he watched Isabelle bolt into the building. He tried calling after her again as she didn’t hear him the first time. Or pretended not to.
It stuck in his craw, how she was avoiding him still. Sure, things hadn’t ended the right way between them, but he left for her own good, even if she didn’t know it. After he’d recovered from the fall in the Hudson, he’d wanted to go back to her so many times. To see her again. But it wasn’t right. He told himself he couldn’t, because she was the daughter of his enemy. The man he wanted to crush like a bug under his heel.
And now?
Well things had gotten worse.
But still, he couldn’t leave her alone. Something spooked her, for some reason. Did she sense that her father’s name had put him on edge?
He had to forget about her. His wolf let out a guttural sound. It didn’t want to leave Isabelle. It wanted to be near her, wanted him to touch her and feel her again.
Turning on his heel, he headed back to the South Cluster garage where he’d parked his bike. He felt his phone buzz in his vest pocket but ignored it. He knew who that was. Who had been calling him since last night. Unfortunately, he had no answers. There was really no update on the situation—hell, he didn’t even know where Grant Anderson was at the moment.
For now, he had to focus on what he could do. Cross wanted to take him to the Guardian Initiative headquarters so he could meet with the team and figure out how they could work together. He offered to transport him there, but Ransom declined. Traveling using magic, though convenient, still didn’t sit well with him. Besides that’s why he’d brought his bike back, so he could move around without relying on anyone else.
Though he’d been inside the headquarters of GI, he didn’t actually know where it was since Cross had transported him in and out of the building. The hybrid gave him the cross street where they were supposed to meet so Cross could show him the way. Don’t know why he couldn’t just give me the address.
Soon, he found himself on the right street, and slowed his bike to a stop as he approached an alley hidden between two large buildings.
“What the fuck?” There wasn’t anything here that seemed like the headquarters he’d been to. Was he at the right place?
“Oh good, you’re here.”
Ransom was so used to Cross’s powers that he wasn’t surprised he just popped out of nowhere. “I wasn’t sure this was the place,” he said. “I don’t see any door or entrance.”
Cross nodded at the brick wall at the end of the alley. “It’s over there.”
“Where?”
“The wall,” he said. “Just drive through.”
“Is it going to open up like in some James Bond movie?” He scrubbed his hand down his face when Cross smiled at him mysteriously. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ll survive the crash, but my bike won’t. If it ends up in pieces—”
“I’ll get you a new one,” he said wryly. “Now, go ahead and drive in, and I’ll meet you inside.” With a last wave, Cross disappeared.
Ransom gritted his teeth and revved his bike, then headed straight for the end of the alley. Holding his breath, he sped up and then braced himself, waiting for the impact. But, much to his relief, he went straight through the wall, into a long, well-lit tunnel. He continued on, until finally he reached a large space, like the inside of a warehouse. Cross waited for him at the other end, arms crossed over his chest.
“That smile you’ve got on your face is as big as the Brooklyn Bridge, I’m almost tempted to wipe it off with my fists,” Ransom noted. “Where the hell are we?”
“In the Brooklyn Bridge.”
“No, really, where are we?”
Cross laughed. “Like I said. In the Brooklyn Bridge. One of the towers over the water, to be exact.”
“Motherfucker.” He parked his bike in one of the empty spots, then hopped off and strode over to Cross. “All right. Let’s get this show on the road.”
Cross led him to the waiting elevator in the lobby just behind them, then pressed the button for the top floor. He recognized the office where Cross had first brought him
