Page 93

Cameron

N ate was being weird, but I liked it. The way he looked at me sent little shivers creeping up my legs. Butterflies swirled in my stomach. I couldn’t remember reacting to anyone like that. It was thrilling and scary all at the same time.

The waitress came back with our drinks and took our food orders before bustling off again. Nate’s smile had faded, and he seemed worried.

“We haven’t talked about it, but I’m still worried about that phone call from Rick,” he said, sliding his glass aside to lean his elbows on the table.

The mention of Rick put an immediate damper on the mood. Frowning, I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms.

“Yeah. It was not what I needed,” I said. “He sounded even more unhinged than before.”

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Nate replied. “He was already on the brink of crazy before. The fact that he’s fixated and obsessed with you doesn’t bode well for what might happen next.” He glanced around the restaurant before lowering his voice. “He could try something even worse next.”

“ Worse ?” I echoed, lifting an eyebrow. “Worse than sending guys to kidnap me from a convenience store, or getting a feral to bite and turn me?” I hissed under my breath.

“He may simply decide that if he can’t have you, then no one can.”

The words slammed into me with nuclear force. That hadn’t occurred to me. I’d assumed all Rick wanted was me as a trophy wife or mate. I never actually thought he’d want me dead, but Nate had a point. He might get desperate and jealous enough to do just that.

“You said you recorded the conversation?” Nate asked.

I nodded absently as I thought about the terrible things that might befall me.

“Send that to Ollie,” Nate said. “I don’t know if it’ll be enough to use as evidence against him, but it’ll be good that he has that. The recording might come in handy later on if there’s a trial or anything,” he added.

I pulled my phone out, attached the audio recording to a text, then sent it to Ollie with a message letting him know what it was.

“Okay, done,” I said.

“That, along with what I found last night, should help our case against them,” Nate grumbled. “Jesus, Cam, I never imagined there’d be so much of it. That right there is a direct link between the Masters, Lenny, and the drugs. Which is good. We need connections.”

The server reappeared a moment later and set our plates down. We ate in silence for a few bites before returning to the conversation.

Nate dipped a fry in ketchup. “Along with the info Anita gave us about what happened in Detroit years ago, it’s ironclad.

There’s too many things pointing at Lincoln Masters for it to all be coincidence.

” He popped the fry into his mouth and chewed.

“What we need is a link to drugs in Toronto,” Nate added.

“Then it’ll be full circle. Once we have that connection, then the TPD will have to open an investigation.

I don’t give a shit how many big names Lincoln has paid off. Evidence is evidence.”

Hearing all of that made me more determined than ever to take Lincoln and Rick down. Anger replaced my fear.

“I think some of my colleagues might have some information on things that happened in the past,” I said.

“Crimes and drug busts that took place years ago. The cops might have missed some connection. Stuff that took place not long after Lincoln arrived in Toronto. Maybe we can stop at The Chronicle on the way to the pack hearing?”

“Won’t it be difficult to pull that stuff last minute?” Nate asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

I grinned mischievously. “Usually, yeah. I may have emailed a couple folks after you left for the garage. Asked them to research some things.”

“Look at you,” Nate said with a smile. “I’m sitting here with an ace reporter.”

“Don’t be a dick,” I laughed, tossing a fry at him.

“They’ll already have pulled up the info we need?” Nate asked.

“They should have some of it, at least,” I replied. “Maybe not everything, but enough to get started, or at least get some heads turning.”

“Okay, we can swing by there once we get back to the city.”

The rest of our meal went by in a blissfully relaxed haze. We joked, talked, and simply enjoyed each other’s company. It felt so natural. So good .

Lunch in a diner on a road trip wasn’t necessarily what I’d call a date, but that was exactly what it felt like.

The realization was startling, and as we continued talking, I wondered if Nate and I were officially dating.

I wasn’t sure that running for our lives and researching drug kingpins was a great way to start a relationship, but maybe this was fate.

The world rarely worked the way it did in fairytales.

We still had a few things to talk about, but our issues had mostly faded into the background. I wanted to be with him. A deeper and more instinctual part of me shouted that I needed to be with him.

And that made me wonder if I was doing the right thing in asking him to take us on this new route.

If this road did lead to the bridge and the bait shop—and according to the map on my phone, it did—should I really let Nate stumble onto that with no warning?

Deep down, I thought it would be good for his ability to cope with what happened.

Yet, a voice in my head told me he might refuse and turn the car around if he knew where we were going.

He was one of the bravest men I knew, but this might be too painful for him to meet head-on willingly.

Did that make me a terrible person? I didn’t know, and I was a little terrified to find out.

The waitress brought the bill, and before I could talk myself out of it, I reached across the table, my fingers and palm open.

Nate slipped his hand into mine without hesitation.

A shudder of excitement ran through me, and I could hear the echo of my inner wolf howling with joy at the feel of his warm skin on mine.

“Are you ready to go?” Nate asked.

“Sure. I’ll drive the next bit.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I napped for an hour,” I said, snatching the keys from his hand. “I’m driving.”

“Fine,” he said, grinning and rolling his eyes.

I pulled out of the parking lot, and instead of turning right to go back to the highway, I turned left, my stomach doing little flips as the nerves caught up to me. This was it. The last chance to turn back. Instead, I hit the gas, going in the direction that would lead to answers.

“Where are you going?” Nate asked with a laugh. “I knew I should drive. You’re already getting us lost.”

“Very funny.” I swatted his thigh. “I’d rather see the countryside than a bunch of concrete and pavement on the highway.” I hoped he didn’t pick up on my anxiety. “Maybe we’ll find something interesting? Uh, have you ever been this way before?”

Nate didn’t answer right away. He frowned and looked in the passenger-side mirror, gazing at the quickly shrinking diner behind us.

“I’m not sure, honestly,” he finally said. “The highway leading up to the restaurant was kind of familiar. Even the restaurant itself jogged my memory a bit, but I have no clue why.”

I glanced over at him and swallowed hard. Not like this. I had to tell him what I’d found. This was ridiculous.

“Nate, I need to tell you something. This is?—”

“Holy shit !” Nate shouted, making me jerk in surprise. “Cameron, stop the car.”

Before I could make a conscious decision, instinct took over, and I slammed my foot on the brake. The car behind us swerved around, passing us in the oncoming lane and blaring their horn as our tires screeched. I nearly slammed my face into the steering wheel as the car rocked violently to a stop.

“Nate, what—” I gasped.

He was already out of the car.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” I pulled the car onto the shoulder and got out.

It only took a moment for me to see exactly what had gotten Nate’s attention. My stomach sank. I’d waited too long. We were at our destination. Dammit.

I watched him walk slowly toward the building at the bottom of the hill. The sides of the road were lined with trees. At the base, a small convenience store sat shaded by massive white pines. On the roof, a hand-painted sign read: “Zane’s Bait and Tackle.”

This was where Nate had wandered as a child. My heart ached as I watched him hesitate before walking toward the store. How long had it been since he’d been here? Years, probably. Had he never come back after that night?

The picture from the news article sprang into my mind. How did I broach the subject now? Nate was reliving that awful night at this very moment. A wave of shame washed across me as I realized I’d made a bad choice.

“Nate? Are you okay?” I asked, jogging after him to catch up.

He nodded absently. “I think so, yeah,” he muttered. “It looks exactly how I remembered it.”

A realtor sign hung in the window of the deserted building. The store had closed, but, from the looks of it, not too long ago. It didn’t have the depressed and stagnant air of a building long empty.

Nate stepped up onto the porch, his boots thunking on the old wooden boards. “Actually, that’s not right,” he said, running a hand down the locked front door. “It’s a lot smaller.”

“That happens,” I said. “All the stuff that seemed big when you’re a little kid is always smaller when you come back to it.”

I scrolled through the photos I’d taken of the news article, cursing myself for not showing him earlier.

“Nate, I have something you need to see.”

He turned around, a dazed look on his face. “What is it?”

I punched in the name of the bridge into my maps app and found it was only ten kilometers away.

“Let’s get in the car. We need to go somewhere. I’ll have to explain.”