Page 121 of Contested Crown

“Will JD tell Declan?” Cade asked from beside me.

I turned to him, but his cool expression masked any nervousness he felt being surrounded by wolves. His eyes didn’t even glance at Joel and Pablo where they were slapping each other on the shoulder, trying to see who could push the other over.

“Maybe,” I said. “Probably not. If he lost one of Declan’s crews, then dealing with me himself would be his chance to get back in Declan’s good graces.”

“Declan doesn’t have a good side,” Cade said flatly.

For a second, I felt a bizarre sense of déjà vu because I’d said those exact words to the werewolf hunters who’d caught me. The arch of Cade’s eyebrow was the only indication he was messing with me, and I shook my head.

“Nope. He has his side and the side you’re on when you’re dead.” I smirked. “If I’m guessing, JD is trying to get back on the not-dead side.”

“Well, that’s the only sensible thing he’s done so far,” Cade said. “Since he didn’t even bother to lock his car.”

“You stole hiscar?” Pablo whooped and made the mistake of nudging Evelyn. “He stole JD’sride.”

Evelyn glared at him until he backed down, raising both his eyebrows and taking an exaggerated step away. She waved her phone again. “What do you want me to do?”

I wanted to have her make the decision. There was a long, endless moment where I was going to tell her to figure out who in the crews didn’t like Thorn, who wasn’t as loyal to Declan as Declan thought.

Cade squeezed my shoulder, and when I looked over, he arched a chilly eyebrow. To the others, I’m sure he looked disinterested, bored. But I could see underneath. I knew that he was watching me just as closely as I used to watch him at council meetings, silently urging him to step up, to be the leader his house needed.

“Text Heather and Gabriel. Tell them that there’s another option, that I’m offering a new path. One without Thorn.” I met her eyes.

“You don’t like Thorn?” Her question was weighted. Thorn was drugs. And drugs were how we made our living.

“It’s bad for wolves. I don’t like things that are bad for wolves.”

Gabe ran his crew tight; no one who wasn’t loyal to him stayed. If he turned on JD, turned on Declan, they would all come to heel quickly enough. Heather was always looking for new opportunities. She had always been trying to come up with new schemes, different ways to make money.

Declan hadn’t been interested, not only because taking advice from someone that far down on the food chain made him look weak but also because he understood his business was establishments and drugs, two ends of the same spectrum. People who wanted to lose themselves, either because they were so wealthy they felt nothing or because their lives were unbearable as they were.

“Okay, you’re the boss.” Evelyn glanced down at her phone.

Joel held up his. “JD just texted me. I don’t think he knows we’re here. What should I tell him?”

“Tell him you’ll meet him. Where’s the staging ground?” I waited as Joel typed into his phone.

“What’s the plan?” Cade asked.

“It depends on where the staging ground is. If it’s somewhere we might have an advantage, we get there first. If it’s not, then we set traps here.” I looked around us, knowing that no matter where we ended up, it was going to get bloody fast.

Your heart is beating too fast. You’re afraid. Don’t be. Whatever you can’t kill, I will.Basil hissed in my ear, and I could practically feel his tongue flicking out to touch my earlobe.And I eat what I kill.

“He says the supermarket around the corner.” Joel gestured with his thumb.

I shook my head. Too many people, too much of a chance of collateral damage.

“Should I go? Find out what the situation is?” Joel asked.

“Yeah! We could be your men on the inside! Feed you all the intel.” Pablo nodded.

“No.” I shook my head. “We set up here. He’ll already be off-balance, missing two crews. The longer he waits for you, the more antsy he’s going to get.”

Cade looked around us. “How far out do you want the illusion to go?”

I blinked, observing the street. In my mind’s eye, we were already mid-battle. I could picture myself taking on JD, cutting the head off the snake in one swoop. With my wolf back, it would be easy.

“The sidewalk. Set yourself up in the doorway so that you can back into the room if you need to.” I met Cade’s eyes. “I need you safe.”