Page 130 of Pack of Crooks

“Because I know Tristan. He only looks out for himself.” She shrugs. “This was my insurance.”

“And you’re just giving it to us? What’s the catch?” Maddox asks.

Ellen exhales, holding his stare. “There’s no catch. Tristan was extorting me, too. He dug into my family’s past and found out my sister was in love with a serial killer. He threatened to expose everything in a documentary, even how the man she loved killed her just like he did everyone else.” She bats away a single tear, the only one that slipped past her control. “Make the bastard pay.”

“And what about those employees he assaulted?” If Ellen thinks this binder absolves her from standing aside and letting him be a pig, she’s fucking wrong.

“I’m not proud of what I did.” She stares at her feet. “Trust me, no one hates me more than myself. It wasn’t until Vivian that I. . . I realized I couldn’t keep covering up for him.”

I scoff. “So what, you finally get laid and grow a conscience?”

“I don’t expect you to understand,” she says, voice hoarse.

“There’s nothing to understand,” I tell her, growling. “You know about something like that, you report it. You don’t fucking cover it up.”

“I know,” she whispers.

Lip curling in disgust, I force myself to turn away before I lash out at her. Vivian is finally calm. I don’t want to be the reason she has another panic attack. Even still, I look her dead in the eye. “Your alpha is a piece of shit and you deserve better.”

Vivian nods, glancing at Ellen with a mixture of empathy and her own sort of betrayal.

“I couldn’t let him do that to her, not after what she went through when she died,” Ellen says, choking on her words. “She deserved to rest in peace, not with the entire world watching a reenactment of her death and digging into her childhood. She deserved better.”

I hear what she’s saying, I do, but I still don’t forgive Ellen. I probably never will. There are some lines you don’t cross. Defending a rapist is one of them. Shaking my head, I simply look at Vivian. “My pack is here if you need somewhere safe to land if you decide to leave her.”

Pressing her lips together, she nods. She’s been hit with so many bombshells today, I don’t expect her to think rationally about what Ellen’s done, but I’m hopeful that when the dust settles, Vivian will see her value and leave this piece of trash. There are other female alphas out there. They’d be lucky to have my friend.

Ezra closes the binder. “Do we need to tell you what will happen if you go to the cops?”

“No,” Ellen murmurs. “Trust me. I’m done protecting Tristan.”

A little too late, asshole.

Kill clears his throat. “Your house is bugged. We’ll know if you so much as think of snitching.”

“And the bomb will go off before you’re able to tell them your name,” Maddox adds.

“You guys planted a bomb?” I ask, eyes widening. “What the hell?”

“She threatened you.” Ezra shrugs.

Kill drops his arm around my shoulder. “Are you really that surprised?”

Honestly. No. “It’s just, what about Vivian?”

Maddox addresses her. “You should probably stay at a hotel until Tristan is dealt with. We reserved a room.”

“Thanks.” Vivian hesitates, glances at Ellen, features contorting, and steps away. “I think. . . I need some space. Today has been a lot.”

She’s really underselling it, but I’m happy she’s taking some time for herself. I still don’t trust Ellen. Speaking of, the alpha is staring at her omega like she’s already lost her, but all she does is simply nod.

“Call me tomorrow?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Vivian murmurs, looking at me.

“Right, well, this has been terrible. I’d tell you to go fuck yourself, Ellen, but I don’t want you to experience any sort of pleasure, so I kind of hope the bomb goes off.”

“Hazel,” Vivian says.