Page 19

THERON

Over the past two days, I didn’t see or hear from Kaelin or Graham.

They were always on the back of my mind but I was buried under a mountain of other things—the big one being putting everything in place to draw Vetticus all the way out of the shadows. He’d started to take my men—I’d just gotten a text that Sakari and Knox were missing now. As much as I hated it, that meant the plan was working.

I was almost to Kaelin’s house when a call from Nyx came through the car.

“He blew up the fucking building!”

Nyx shouted as soon as I picked up. “He blew up NorTac, North. Half of the building is gone apparently!”

“Fuck,”

I slammed my fist on the steering wheel.

Luckily it was later in the evening so most of the people had gone home from work. The building would have been mostly empty, which was Vetticus’ point—it was a proverbial warning shot across the bow to get me to sit up and listen.

He was done with my games and I was done too.

“What do you want to do?”

Nyx asked.

“I’m pulling into Kaelin’s driveway now,” I said.

“Fuck, really? Did she text you?”

I didn’t answer, and Nyx sighed. “This should go over well. See you in a minute then.”

I pulled up to Kaelin’s house a moment later and Nyx met me at the door.

“Atrox is a sinking ship. It’s time to move on Albatron,”

I said without preamble. “Call King in Italy—get a tail going.”

Albatron was the shadow man behind Atrox. I’d only come across him once and the experience had put him right up on the top of the hit list with Vetticus. Since then we hadn’t found much on him but I got the gist he was powerful and had his hand in a lot more than just Atrox. He was rumored to often be at the games and I was banking on that being true.

King was the leader of our Italian team who helped lead our European sector of NorTac. West had located Albatron in Rome and I needed King’s team ready to keep tabs on him.

Kaelin appeared around the corner. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you,” I said.

“Are you ready to tell me what’s going on? I’m getting texts that there was an explosion at the NorTac buildings.”

“It’s getting taken care of—”

Her eyes flashed. “Is that your answer for everything?”

“I think you should come stay at Alpha One for a while,” I said.

“No. Not until you tell me what’s going on. I’m not going to just be locked in a house like one of your possessions—”

“It’s to keep you safe—”

“Fuck being safe, Theron!”

She shouted. “I don’t even know what that means anymore! Maybe I can help! You know what I do for a living—”

“I know who you are but so do a lot of other dangerous people.”

“I thought you’d give me more credit than that after everything,”

she said, her voice shaking. “I can take care of myself.”

“But you shouldn’t have to!”

I said, my own temper rising. “This is my problem. I never expected you to come into my life—”

“Oh, so you regret meeting me? Do you regret buying me? Do you wish I was a fucking sex slave you could just lock up somewhere because sometimes that’s how I think you still fucking see me!”

I took a step towards her. “I don’t regret meeting you—”

“Then tell me what the fuck is going on!”

“Enough!”

I shouted. “I want you to listen very carefully—I do not regret meeting you and I certainly don’t regret buying you. That was the best money I ever spent—I don’t see you as a sex slave, I had respect for you even when I thought you were only that. You dug under my skin with your tenacity and fire, and the strength you possess is staggering. You make me feel things I have no idea what to do with because I’ve been so wrapped up in my own shit for the last decade that I have no clue what I’m going to do once it’s over or if there will even be anything left—”

“North,”

Nyx said from behind me.

“I didn’t expect to have to deal with you and Graham—”

“North,”

Nyx said again.

“What?”

I whirled on him angrily.

“Lachlan was just shot—”

I heard Kaelin gasp. “—they’re rushing him to the house now, Doc’s on his way there.”

“Fuck!” I roared.

I turned back to Kaelin but there was a grim look on her face and she crossed her arms over her chest. She’d closed me out again.

“You should go,”

she said. “Sounds like you have a lot going on.”

I growled in frustration and with one last look at her; I stalked towards the door.

“Nyx, leave Viktor and Kon here—come with me.”

I hesitated at the door and turned back to see her lower lip tremble even as anger sparked in her eyes.

She had to watch me leave, again.

“I meant what I said. I care about you and would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line and I wished I could say something to erase the hurt in her eyes.

“I don’t know if that’s enough,”

she whispered, then turned and disappeared deeper into her house.