Page 8

I leaned over the table, scribbling on some papers as I tried to take notes on everything that had happened so far, including everything Kendra had told me. I wanted to plot out logical next steps.

That would have been infinitely easier if I could actually focus. I couldn’t stop thinking about Kendra. More to the point, I couldn’t stop thinking about last night, and how terrified I had been when I had woken up and discovered her missing. I’d been frantic, my wolf pacing in agitation, wanting to go after her. My mind had raced, running over every scenario that could have happened, dwelling on all the bad things that could possibly happen to her. It had taken all my strength to stay rational enough to get out and chase after her. And once I’d caught her, that relief that she was okay, along with the infuriation that she refused to tell me the truth about anything, had swirled inside, constantly distracting me. All I had been able to think about since getting her back home was all the things that could have gone wrong, and how much danger she had put herself in.

It unsettled me how much I kept thinking about her. Something about her made everything else go out the window. Nothing seemed as important when she was around. It was like she sucked all the air out of the room with that piercing stare and the borderline haughty expression she got whenever she was annoyed. She kept entering my thoughts, distracting me, making my job here harder because it wasn’t just about the mission anymore. It was also about keeping Kendra safe, a woman who seemed determined not to let me keep her safe in the first place.

She was distracting me. She was making it impossible to focus on the job without thoughts of her lurking at the edges of all my thoughts. It had never happened to me before. It wasn’t supposed to happen to me. I had always been the one who focused on the mission above all else. And now…

I shook my head to clear it, scowling as I forced my attention back to the papers in front of me.

The shower started overhead. I tried to shut out the noise, not wanting to think about what Kendra was doing in there, how she wasn’t wearing any clothes. It was hard not to imagine what she looked like.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I needed to focus.

We knew Cain was around the center of town. It seemed like he had a couple of places where he would see people. Some large room, Kendra had mentioned, without going into too much detail, and probably an office for more private conversations. If he were as ruthless as Kendra said, no wonder she didn’t care for me all that much.

That was the other thing about Kendra. I wanted her to like me. It wasn’t just that I had this overwhelming need to keep her safe. I had to want her to trust me on top of it. I couldn’t explain why. It just—

I snarled, ducking my head and rereading the line I had just written that I had already forgotten. Stop thinking about Kendra. Stop letting her into your head. She’s just part of a mission.

Only it didn’t feel like that. After all, if it were just for the mission, I wouldn’t have followed her all the way to the fighting pits. Something had drawn me to her in a way no other woman had ever done. I was curious about it. About her.

Once again, I shoved the thoughts from my head. It didn’t matter what it was about her. That mystery could wait until another day. I had other things to focus on.

A knock sounded on the door. I stiffened, all my senses on alert. I hadn’t expected anyone. Had someone seen Kendra alone the night before? Or was it something else? Had I somehow managed to blow my cover?

Then came the second round of knocking, this one in a strange, musical pattern—one that I knew from years of reconnaissance and safe houses. My shoulders relaxed as the fight-or-flight senses subsided. Pushing myself away from the table, I moved down the hall. As I did, a second round of knocking in an identical pattern filled the air. The knocking was to the tune of “Happy Birthday.”

Relief washed over me at the sound, and I actually broke into a grin. I grabbed the knob and pulled, already knowing who I would see.

Chris and Nolan stood on the other side of the door.

“Thank God,” Nolan said. “I was worried the guy who pointed us here was bullshitting us for fun.”

“You all right?” Chris asked, looking me up and down. His eyes lingered on the bruise on my temple.

“Had worse. Come on in.” I jerked my head and let them inside.

They filed in, both of them looking mildly bewildered as they took in the massive house. Nolan sniffed, his brow furrowing, and I wondered if he smelled Kendra.

“How the hell did you find me exactly?” I asked.

“We poked around and asked about any Viking-esque newcomers. Someone pointed us here,” Nolan said. “I was kind of hoping that we would get an actual Viking instead of you, but beggars can’t be choosers, so I guess we’ll have to make do with you.”

“What happened?” I asked. “How did you guys get in?”

“When we got back to the rendezvous point, you weren’t there,” Chris said, giving me a look that could generously be described as mildly annoyed. “So we followed your scent.”

“Until it randomly vanished in the middle of nowhere,” Nolan added.

“So we staked out the area to see if you came back or if anyone else showed up. We watched a couple of shifters wander into the clearing.”

“At which point, they disappeared,” Nolan added. “So we wandered into the clearing with our arms out. We looked like idiots, by the way. At some point, we hit the portal because something jerked us into it.”

“And then we wound up in this spooky underworld area,” Chris finished.

“Spooky seems a little unfair,” Nolan mused. “Yeah, sure, it’s creepy as all get out, but if we dismantle the whole slave trade economy, it’s got some promise. I think it could stand a bit of redecorating, maybe improve some of the infrastructure, and add some public transport, but I think it’s got potential. Think of the property values.” He fell silent when both Chris and I gave him exasperated looks. He shrugged. “I’m just saying.”

Something didn’t add up. I held up a hand. “How long were you waiting for me?” I asked.

“Few hours?” Chris shrugged. “Not very long. Why?”

“Because it’s been at least twenty-four hours since I showed up,” I said.

We all fell silent, digesting the new information.

“So time goes slower here,” Chris muttered.

“I guess that makes sense,” Nolan said. “Gives the creeps here more time with their new acquisitions. But that doesn’t answer my biggest question. How the hell did you manage to get a house this nice in about twenty-four hours?”

“Ah.” I paused, trying not to glance at the steps. “About that…”

Before I could even come up with a way to explain everything, light footsteps sounded as Kendra descended the stairs. Both Nolan and Chris’s heads turned toward the sound, and Chris’s fingers turned to claws. Nolan, slightly less trigger-happy, stared, alert, waiting to see what the threat was.

Kendra froze at the bottom of the steps as she took in the newcomers on the couch. Her hair was still damp from the shower, her red hair a shade darker than normal but still striking. Her eyes went wide as she glanced from them to me. Distrust and caution flickered through her gaze as she stared at me, but she remained quiet. I could see her entire body coil like a spring, as if waiting to start fighting at any moment.

Chris and Nolan continued to gape at her. I could see their eyes go from the bracelet to her collar. It didn’t take long for them to understand. Their heads slowly turned back to me, each with identical quizzical expressions, both waiting for an explanation.

“It’s not what it looks like,” I said.

“Right,” Chris said, glancing back at Kendra again.

“Um, hi,” Nolan told her.

Kendra didn’t answer, just glanced at me. Her jaw set as her lips turned into a frown, and she took a step back up the stairs.

“Mind filling us in, Will?” Chris asked.

“It’s okay,” I told Kendra. “They’re part of my group.”

Her shoulders relaxed, but only a little. She didn’t step fully into the living room. I moved forward so I stood between her and Chris and Nolan, hoping that might soothe some of her anxiety.

“This is Kendra,” I said. “She was a slave from the fighting pits.”

“Right. And how did she come to be staying in the mansion that you managed to get in the span of a day?” Nolan asked.

“He won me,” she answered matter-of-factly. “And the house.”

Chris and Nolan turned back to me, still waiting for a more thorough explanation. I took a deep breath and walked over to Kendra. I reached out, putting my hand on her shoulder. She didn’t flinch away, but I could still see the mistrust in her expression.

“Why don’t you go upstairs?” I said. “I’ll come talk to you later. But I promise, we’re all on the same team here.”

The tension in her shoulders eased a bit more, knowing she didn’t have to stick around. Though she still didn’t know what to make of any of this, she at least seemed to get that I had no interest in taking advantage of her or letting anyone else do that. She gave a short, sharp nod, turned, and walked back up the stairs.

Chris and Nolan stared after her, still gawking just a little bit. They stayed silent until the door upstairs closed, and they turned back and looked at me again.

“You have a slave now?” Chris asked.

“It’s not like that,” I said. “I got roped into the fighting pits while I was wandering around. I pretended I was interested in getting a girl, got put into a fight, and won. Then they made me marry her and—”

“You married her?” Nolan gaped.

“It wasn’t as though I had much of a choice on that end,” I growled, running my fingers through my hair. “I had to play along, or I risked giving up the whole game. And the only other option was losing and effectively having a psychopath kill me in the pits.”

Nolan blinked. “That’s a hell of a lot to get up to in twenty-four hours. You’ve been busy.”

“This place is bad,” I growled. “We need to take it down, and the best way to do that is from the inside.”

“Okay, so the plan is more or less to play along for the time being?” Chris asked.

I nodded. “And if I can get Kendra to trust me, then she might be able to help us.”

“Well, let’s hope you managed to find a way to do that,” Nolan remarked, rubbing his chin as he stared at the stairs, “Because I got the feeling she really doesn’t like you.”

Chris nodded in agreement.

Ignoring this, I finished giving them a recap of everything that had happened, glossing over Kendra’s mysterious escape attempt. I still didn’t know what to think of that. It hadn’t felt like she had been running away. She had been going somewhere. She’d had a purpose. The only question was what.

Stop thinking about Kendra , I told myself for the hundredth time. But I realized that wasn’t going to be possible. I wanted to talk to her, to make sure she was okay. I couldn’t forget that uneasy expression on her face when she’d seen Chris and Nolan. I wanted to make sure she knew she had nothing to be afraid of.

“I’ve taken notes on everything I know so far. You can go and read through them,” I said, gesturing to the stacks of papers on the table. “I’m going to go try and talk to Kendra.”

“Better you than us,” Nolan remarked. At the same time, Chris said, “Good luck.”

I nodded, waiting until they moved toward the table with the scattered papers. Once I knew they were occupied, I turned and walked up to Kendra’s closed door. I hesitated for just a moment, then knocked on the door.

“It’s unlocked,” Kendra’s voice called.

I opened the door. She lay on the bed, her red hair splayed out behind her. She lifted her head when I entered, then propped herself up on her elbows as she watched me.

“Sorry about that,” I said, coming to stand just inside the room. “Not exactly how I was expecting the morning to go down. If I’d known they were coming, I would have warned you.”

“They’re Gold Wolves, too?” she asked.

“Yeah. Does that mean you believe me?”

She let out a sigh and rolled onto her side so she was looking at me. Her hair fell down her neck in elegant waves.

“More so than before,” she admitted. “If only because I would have assumed you or one of your friends would have tried something by now if you were only here for slaves. But you did still win me and take the prize, and I’m not dismissing some sort of elaborate ruse. I don’t have proof you’re one of the Gold Wolves.”

I exhaled, not bothering to hide my annoyance. “You’re not really good at trusting people, are you?”

She flashed me a feral grin. “I don’t have much reason to trust people anymore, now do I?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Would you rather have gone to the other creep?”

Her lips turned into a frown, and she didn’t answer.

“So, what can you tell me about yourself?” I asked as the silence dragged on.

The frown deepened. “Why?”

“Because we’re stuck together for the time being, and I want to get to know you better?” I suggested. “Do you seriously think everyone has some sort of hidden agenda?”

“Don’t they?” she asked, one eyebrow raised, the freckles on her forehead bunching together. Finally, she sighed, slumping back so she stared upward. She took a deep breath. “What do you want to know, exactly?”

“How about how you came to be here?”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she kept gazing at the ceiling.

She’s not going to open up without something in return , a voice in my head told me. The voice had a point.

“Mine is a bit convoluted,” I said. “When I was a kid, I didn’t have much interest in the military or spec ops. Honestly, I was sort of thinking of taking over my parents’ store when I grew up. I had a head for numbers, and I liked the work. Nothing exciting, but I liked it.”

Her eyes moved to me as I spoke.

“Except when I was a teenager, one of the spec-ops groups—the Redwoods—came through town. I remember they were searching for some guy they thought had holed up in town. I happened to be walking by when they arrested him. He broke away and actually ran toward me. Guess he was going to try and use me as a hostage.”

Kendra was now sitting up, her mouth slightly parted as she listened intently, leaning forward slightly as I continued the story.

“Anyway, before he was able to get to me, a couple of the Redwoods tackled him and took him down. I realized later that they had found a bunch of explosives on him. There’s no telling what he would have done if they hadn’t grabbed him. That’s when I decided I wanted to do that—help as many people as possible and save the world.” I gave a half-grin. “Bit ambitious, and I know it doesn’t work that way. But I was an impressionable teen.”

I paused for a moment, deep in my memories. “When I told my parents, they weren’t super happy.” I still remember the look of anger on my dad’s face. “They were the type of people who thought that an organized military or a council that oversaw all the packs shouldn’t be a thing in the first place. They were the type that thought each pack should take care of themselves and not have to deal with meddling. So when I told them, they flat-out forbade me to do it.”

Kendra listened in silence, her gray eyes locked on mine as I spoke. As the story continued, the more her features seemed to soften, as if allowing herself to relax a little.

“So I ran away. Snuck out in the middle of the night with a bag, and that was it. Joined the military. After a couple of years, they figured I would be a good candidate for spec ops, and so I got tapped to join the Gold Wolves.”

“Did you ever see your parents again?”

The question was almost as startling as the fact that she had spoken at all. I’d resigned myself to a one-person conversation.

“A couple of times,” I said. “They still aren’t happy with my decisions, but I’ve stopped by to let them know I’m alive, and the conversations are cordial enough.”

She nodded slowly, her eyes going far away for a moment before returning to me. “Do you regret it?” she asked. “Running away?”

I blinked, taken aback by the question. Why on earth would I ever regret that choice? The military was the only thing I had cared about. Running away had been the only way for me to do it. And yet, I couldn’t deny that it had put a strain on my relationship with my parents, and the couple of times I had spoken to them, they had been cold, almost distant. As much as I loved my job, I still remembered how warm and welcoming they had been when I was a kid, and how that had changed once I returned home. Part of me missed that old life.

“No,” I finally answered her question, shaking my head, but more to clear my thoughts than to emphasize the statement. “It was the right choice. I’ve been able to help hundreds. I’ve always liked having a mission I can dedicate myself to and throw myself headfirst into, knowing that, at the end, I would have done something to help people and make the world a better place. It sucks that my parents aren’t thrilled about my career, but I wouldn’t change it.”

“You should be happy you can still have a relationship with them at all,” Kendra muttered, startling me out of my own thoughts. I turned to see her talking to the far wall, determined not to look at me. “I’d kill to see my parents one more time.”

“They’re dead?” I asked.

She nodded. “Which was really when everything went to shit. I was a mess. So was…” She coughed, eyes flashing with something I couldn’t read for the briefest of moments. “I was a mess,” she repeated.

She was covering for something else she had been about to say, but I had no idea what it might have been. And I didn’t want to interrupt her, not when she was finally opening up to me.

“A few weeks after Mom and Dad died, while I was still trying to get my head on straight, a guy who had been in town a few days came over to check on how we were doing,” she said, her voice small, sounding almost distant. Her eyes had turned glassy, making her look as if she were miles away from here. “He’d seemed nice whenever I’d run into him in town, so I let him in the house without thinking about it. The instant he knew I was home alone, he let his friends in while I was distracted, and they grabbed me.” She made a bitter sound. “I was the perfect target—no parents to miss me, easy enough to say I had decided to leave town after their death. No one would have given it much thought.”

I let out a low growl, almost without realizing it. Kendra looked at me, blinking as if surprised by the outrage.

“How long ago was that?” I asked.

Shrugging, she muttered, “A couple of years ago? I’m not sure. We got passed around from slaver to slaver, had a couple of owners in the interim, until we wound up with Cain. That was maybe a few weeks ago? I’ve lost track of time.”

I frowned, turning to look at her. “‘We?’”

Her entire demeanor changed. Her body tensed, and her eyes grew wide as her face paled. She coughed, covering her face.

“I meant the group of us,” she said. “We were sold to Cain as a whole group. It wasn’t just me.”

I looked at her for a long moment, studying the way her lips twitched and her eyes darted away from me. She was keeping something from me, but I couldn’t tell what. I also knew that she didn’t trust me enough to tell me anything.

“Right,” I said. “Regardless, Chris and Nolan are good guys. We’re all here to help. I promise.”

She nodded, her tongue poking into her cheek as she studied me. I got the sense she was debating whether to tell me something more. She seemed to think better of it at the last moment.

“We’ll see,” was all she muttered.