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“I don’t know,” Hawk said. “Sean can be… convincing. Even though he’s crazy and pathetic, he’s still an alpha. He hasn’t screwed Forrest over yet, so Forrest still might buy what he’s selling.”

“The honeymoon stage,” I murmured. That was how Sean got guys to work with him. He lured them in with an alpha’s natural charm and lots of pie-in-the-sky promises, but he could never follow through.

“It gets worse,” Hawk said.

“How the fuck could this get worse?” I blinked at Hawk. I felt like nothing could surprise me anymore.

“The guys working at the bar didn’t tell me anything, but the customers did.”

“They saw Liz get drugged?”

“Not exactly,” Hawk said. “But Forrest was there the night before last. Before Liz showed up.”

“Okay…”

“Keep your dragon down when I tell you this.”

“Just tell me.”

“He was there with Blakely.”

“Jesus Christ!” I slammed the side of my fist against the bar, hard enough to rattle the pints at the other end. My claws were back out, digging into my palms.

“Apparently they looked pretty cozy together,” Hawk said.

“This is bad.”

“And unexpected,” Hawk agreed. “I honestly didn’t think she’d ever get over you. Especially not after you saved her life.”

“Don’t remind me.” I glanced down at the red marks on my palms, then withdrew my claws again. “I don’t think she’s gotten over me at all. She’s never liked Forrest. She’s using Forrest to get back at me. Helping him, somehow.”

“Which means she’s helping Sean, too.”

“Fuck.” I sat up in my bar stool and raked my hand through my hair. “You know, when Harley put the fear of God into her, I really thought we might be done with her.”

“She’s like a roach. Indestructible.”

I stood up. “I’ll go talk to her.”

“What? Right now?”

“Yes, right now. I’m not letting this spiral out of control any more than it already has.” I sighed, then placed my hand on Hawk’s shoulder and squeezed. “Thanks for investigating the bar. I’ll handle this.”

First, I had to talk to Harley.

Outside, I leaned against my motorcycle and called my mate.

She picked up on the first ring. “Steph? Everything okay?”

“Hawk just got back from the bar where your mother was picked up,” I said. “He asked around about what happened.”

“So you still think she was telling the truth?”

“I do,” I said. “And on top of that, apparently Forrest was there. With Blakely.”

“What? What the hell wasshedoing there?”

“I had the same question. I’m going to her place to ask.”