Page 81 of Shifter for Brains

“I’ll know it when I see it.” I better.

I dialed a number that I honestly wasn’t 100% sure led anywhere but had no other source of reaching the person it allegedly belonged to.

Rowan coughed. “Is Temple gonna help or—"

“More searching, less talking.”

The tone, sounding so close to my brother, stopped his protests. But I’d been thinking the same damn thing. Temple was supposed to be here too. He was good at analyzing and seeing connections.

The end of our conversation went much less productively. I mostly remembered driving so fast I feared even accelerated healing could save me in the event of a crash.

Temple tipped off Hodge and nobody suspected him because of the public spectacle I made in the parking lot. Of course, why he’d help Hodge one moment and then turn the man in along with himself remained a total mystery. He’d only given some vague explanation about being wrong and not realizing and I lost my ability to rein in my mouth around then.

I’d cut him off with a string of curses that would make my mother blush and demanded to know just whose fucking side he was on.

The same side as always,he’d replied.

I followed that up with another round of cursing that would shock and appall dear old mom, which really said something because she taught me most of the words in the first place.

Temple informed me he was taking a sick day next. I told him I’d kill him if I ever saw him again. The call ended.

Whatever reason he warned me, he had warned me. I could catch him or find Lucas.

I picked find Lucas. An option that was not freaking working and I really wanted to punch any and all the things as I dialed a number to nowhere for the third time.

"What."Frost’s phone skills needed work.

At least the number went through. And he answered.

"We have a situation here,” I said, “The black-market auctioneers—”

“Can you handle it?”Frost cut in.

“What, really? They took—"

"There’s two situations, one incident, and one incredibly annoying clusterfuck ahead of you.”

A barrage of noises that sounded like several things exploding at once helped sell how busy he was at the moment but I couldn’t give up yet.

“Frost, this is urgent.”

"Everything is.”

“Hodge—”

“Yes, I agree.” Huh? “I suspect…" Hard to tell if the hitting sounds now filling the line caused him to stop talking or he almost said something he shouldn’t.

"What’s going on?"

"Several situations considered under control just exploded in unison…Hodge must have decided his best chance of escaping wasn’t a quick exit but a distracted one. I’d wager he’s called in every legitimate and illegitimate favor he has to create enough chaos to keep us busy.”

"But there’s already a team after him. Is that an oversight, a risk he was willing to take?"

"Well…Hodge does seem to genuinely hate Merritt."

Merritt felt the same way.

This was personal for Merritt. Must be the same for Hodge.