Page 14

“Sir, if you’ll take your seat? I’ll close the door,” the pilot asks politely. They have a firm departure time, and since the flight plans have been filed last minute, they are clearly eager to keep to the schedule.

Who had Lauren known to get them a private plane out of Tune Airport in less than twelve hours? Even Leo had been surprised.

First, that Nix had known to ask her; and second, that she’d agreed immediately and hung up without blasting Leo about the babies.

She’d called Nix back forty minutes later with a time out of Tune, with the admonishment that Antonio’s legal expertise and connections did not extend to Florida, so if they ran into trouble, they were to call her directly, therefore insinuating that hers did.

Jay checks that his family is buckled in, finding Grayson and Nix on the couch, with Nix already sound asleep on the alpha’s shoulder and his hand tucked into the waistband of Grayson’s sweats.

The alpha had a thick book about human pregnancy and parenting during the first year open on his lap, apparently more concerned with being a good parent than flying two hours to kill his father-in-law.

If only Jay could be so relaxed about either event.

Gideon and Luca have taken the two captain’s chairs in the back left corner, as both are reluctant fliers. Luca has his favorite headphones on, and Gideon is determinedly avoiding Jay’s gaze by pretending to doze.

That’s fine. They’d already had it out at home, where there had been growling and some yelling.

He feels that same anger surge again, and his wolf floods the cabin with smoky pine. It’s bad enough that the pilot gives him a wide berth as he makes his way to the front, happy to lock himself in the cockpit away from the angry enigma.

They’d asked to fly without a cabin crew for Nix’s sake, so the omega could relax his vigilance around his scent and the babies. Nix had expressed lately that he hated hiding them away like they were sins instead of blessings.

The company Lauren had arranged hadn’t blinked an eye, thankfully. They had asked if there was anything explosive, incendiary, or biohazardous that needed stowing in the overhead compartments.

Leo had all but short-circuited at the suggestion his mother might’ve once needed that kind of courtesy, standing there like someone had unplugged him. Eventually, Rowan just threw an arm around him and herded him toward the front of the plane.

He’d offered him one of the pocket snacks from his cargo pants that were normally reserved for Nix, chocolate chip cookies this time. Nix had baked them while waiting for the car to arrive and they were Leo’s favorites.

Jay’s too, come to think of it—although he’d rather eat the raw dough if only Gideon wouldn’t harp about raw eggs and salmonella.

The abnormally subdued alpha hadn’t gone to bed after their “discussion” like the others but had instead set about planning snacks to get them through the two-hour flight, entirely close-mouthed whenever Jay had tried to re-engage.

Because the truth is, Jay hadn’t wanted to take anyone but Gideon to Florida.

Why he thought he could do anything this big without them all seems foolish, in retrospect. When Nix announced to Lauren that they needed a plane, it set in motion no small amount of discussion.

It went something like this:

If Jay and Gideon were going, then Luca couldn’t be left behind because, regardless of the theoretical danger in Clearwater, he was in real danger from Broken Bond Syndrome if Gideon was several states away, especially if it dragged on like they expected it might.

As soon as Luca had offered the logic of it, Jay could see the rest of his arguments fall to the wayside.

Nix had stomped his foot and refused to be left behind, because it’s Clearwater, Jamie, I need to go back. And once again, thanks to the wonders of BBS, he came with a non-negotiable addition.

Grayson’s bag was packed and at the front door without a word of agreement from Jay, as if Grayson had only needed Nix’s approval before adding both of their names to the flight manifest.

Even Finn had put his glasses on and fetched his medical bag with raised eyebrows, daring Jay to even suggest their medical expert in prenatal care and Broken Bond Syndrome be left behind.

That left Leo standing in the living room with a sad frown, trying to figure out how he could be indispensable too, and yet, he was the only person who Jay actively recruited to this crazy crusade.

Leo had always been his rock in tough times, and he felt he might need that sort of tempering, patience, and strength in this endeavor. Rowan had also added, in an attempt to be supportive, “Who would Lauren yell at if she called?”

Ha-fucking-ha, as Leo likes to say.

Only Rowan, the self-declared “introvert’s introvert,” had offered to stay home with the pets.

He hadn’t meant it, as he was filling his pockets with snacks from the cupboard already, but Gideon intervened.

He stated that they couldn’t leave Rowan home alone.

No one mentioned the last time that Rowan had been home alone for over twenty-four hours, he’d drunk twenty-five energy drinks just to prove that he could, before passing out naked on a video call with Jay.

Riordan had broken in, called an ambulance, pumped his stomach, and then given Jay the lecture.

Aside from Lauren’s support with transport (no small feat for eight men), Finn had taken on most of the logistics of planning their accommodations. It’s a task he and Leo often share, as they both have analytical minds and are planners by nature.

Jay is, too, he supposes—but he always has the big picture on his mind, whereas they focus on the details.

Together, they all make a good team, connected like gears in a well-oiled machine.

Jay sighs and takes his chair next to Finn, who smiles, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. Finn isn’t a fan of flying either, though mostly because of the small, confined spaces, rather than heights, like his two mates in the back.

“Ready?” Jay murmurs, and his voice cracks with how dry his mouth is and how his throat aches a bit.

Jay wishes it had been because of the pleasure he’d given Rowan yesterday afternoon— shit, was that yesterday already —but it’s definitely because of the yelling.

It hadn’t been about Gideon sneaking around, to his mate’s evident surprise, but about who was going to end Patrick Carnell.

Jay can’t believe he is once again having to argue about his right as Pack Alpha to bring justice for his pack, to protect them from danger and the consequences.

Yes, it’s high-handed; no, he fucking doesn’t care.

He is Pack Alpha, and while he doesn’t throw his weight around often, in this, he will.

Jay understands why Gideon argued that it should be his job—his duty.

He has felt only the slightest glimmer of that feeling himself, back when he’d learned how his parents had deceived him and how the following nine years had subsequently been torture for his beloved.

Jay can’t say he would be past some kind of physical reaction if he came across his parents in person.

But Carnell is a different matter entirely.

There are too many moving pieces of Carnell’s plan in play here.

While Gideon had been out skulking in bars, greasing palms, and threatening small-time players, Jay hadn’t been idle. How could he be, when his family’s safety is at risk? Gideon should know that is one point Jay has never made more clear.

So Jay had spent long hours calling in quiet favors in the industry—favors from people who ran in the same elite circles, attended the same social functions, and knew the same officials as Patrick Carnell.

Thankfully, they’d been happy to offer what they could and point Jay in the right direction, especially since Carnell did not inspire loyalty in those same circles .

Gideon’s sire had burned quite a few bridges, and in the light of those burning bridges, Jay had discovered that Carnell’s tentacles of insidious evil reach deep into Ripley Records—and therefore right up to Jay’s back door.

Ew…no, okay, that sounds weird. He chuckles at how fucking awful that sounds.

Finn clenches his hand tighter. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. It’s just, my brain won’t shut off. You know?”

“Come on, distract me. This tiny tin can is taking off, and I need a laugh.”

“Okay, I was thinking about Carnell’s connections at Ripley, how even there, he’s been working behind the scenes to affect our pack.

Blackmailing members of the Board or blocking promotional stuff.

I wish I knew why. Called them his tentacles of insidious evil in my head, and thought that they reached into my back door. ”

Gideon snorts from the back corner as Jay feels the landing gear retract.

Jay hears Rowan mutter, “I’ll reach into your back door.”

“Don’t judge me. So maybe I am a bit fanciful in my hero’s inner monologue.”

Rowan finally turns his chair around, urging Leo to do the same.

The plane hasn’t leveled out yet, so they pitch forward a bit toward the back of the plane, but Rowan throws a protective arm out to hold Leo in his seat, even though the seatbelt and Leo being a grown-ass man hold him in his seat just fine.

It puts a sweet smile on Jay’s face for a minute and makes Rowan roll his eyes.

“Jay, you got a thing for tentacle porn, fine. But not Carnell, please. Ew. ”

Leo gags at that and…blushes, with a burst of spicy cinnamon scent.

“Leo, you got something you want to share with the class?” Jay asks, interested now for a whole new reason.

It’s even enough to intrigue Grayson—so much so that he deigns to put his book down. “Tentacles? Gid, don’t they make dildos for that?”

“Oh, come on. Is it Pick on Leo Day ?” Leo whines, covering his face with his hands.

“No. You’re right. That’s the second Saturday of the month…” Finn de adpans, making a show of checking his phone for the date. “Oh, wait, will you look at that.”