Chapter 10
Gunnolf
T his is bullshit.
I am so sick of the runaround.
The warehouse lead has gone to hell. As usual, we were too late. By the time we arrived, the figure we’d been tracking had vanished. The officers we’d stationed nearby lost sight of whoever had come for the package, and it’s back to square one.
Tracking the secret society members has led to absolutely nothing yet. There are no signs of Marcus Crowe, bombs, or anything else we can use.
“Enough of this,” I growl as we park. “No more watching from the shadows. It’s time we start pulling these bastards in.”
Hati shoots me a glance, but he doesn’t argue. He knows I’m right.
“We’ll each grab a guy,” I say as I exit the car. “Bruce, you take Clark. Hati, you take Ramirez. I’ll handle Thompson. Kato and Callie will monitor the interrogations.”
“Who made you boss?” Hati asks.
“Ask Kato then,” I shrug. I’m not in the mood to play power games.
Bruce nods. “What’s the play if they don’t talk?”
“They will,” I say, my jaw tight. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Hours later, I’m sitting across from Blake Thompson. His blonde hair is perfectly combed to the side. The cocky grin he’d sported when we first entered the interrogation room has now been wiped from his face completely.
I stare at him. Eyes fixed on his. Sweat drips down his forehead, and he shifts uncomfortably in his seat. He may have stonewalled me up until this point, but I can feel it, he’s close to cracking.
“I wonder how your family will react when they find out you chose to protect Marcus Crowe over securing their own futures. These types of things tend to stain a reputation you know. Your daughter can say goodbye to a political career, and your son will never be a judge after all this comes out. It’s too messy. And they’ll have daddy to thank for that.”
He swallows hard, his hands trembling slightly as his eyes dart around the room. I’m getting through.
“Unless, maybe, they are involved? Should I call your wife and arrange for a family visit?”
A flicker of fear crosses his eyes.
“While I’m at it, I can let her know about the young woman you’ve been spending your Tuesday lunches with. Does she know about her already?”
“Don’t.” He says, but the intended sharpness of his tone falls flat. I’ve got him.
“Yeah, I figured she didn’t know about that. Word is you didn’t have her sign a prenup. Emotional damages can get… expensive.” I sigh and stretch my arms above my head.
“I don’t... I don’t know much,” he finally stammers, wiping the sweat from his brow. “But I do know Marcus Crowe tried to recruit me. He was building some kind of underground network of paranormal shifters. They were going to take out the hunters once and for all.”
I narrow my eyes. “And who else is in this ‘network’?”
Blake hesitates, looking like he wants to bolt from the room, but he knows better. After a moment, he lets out a shaky breath. “I don’t have proof... just rumors. But there’s one guy who used to work for the bomb squad. With everything going on in town... I’m guessing he’s involved.”
I lean back looking Blake over. He’s scared, but he’s telling the truth. “Give me the list of who you know.”
He nods, scribbling down a few names. As I look at the paper, my gut tightens. It’s not much, but it’s something.
“You won’t tell my wife what you know, will you?” He asks as I’m heading out of the door.
“Not unless I find out you’ve lied to me,” and with that, I let the door slam shut behind me.
Minna grabs the list already moving toward her computer. “I’ll track down the guy,” she says.
The door swings open before she can get started, and Val walks in. There’s something different about her. A tension in her eyes and a stiffness in her shoulders immediately put me on edge.
“I need to talk to you,” she says, her voice strained. “All of you.” She crosses her arms, and when her eyes meet mine, something there sends a cold spike through my chest.
“What is it?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady, but my wolf is pacing inside me, ready to break free.
Val takes a deep breath, then looks at the team. “I’ve been getting texts... threatening ones. They’ve increased since I learned about the secret society, and now I think I’m being followed.”
Every muscle in my body locks up. My vision blurs as fury roars through me. She’s got to be fucking kidding me.
The wolf claws at my skin, demanding release. I can feel it trying to break through, to tear apart anything that could be a threat to her. It takes everything I have to keep myself from losing control right here, right now.
“You’re just telling us this now?” I snap, “Why the hell didn’t you say something sooner?”
“I thought I could handle it,” she says, “But now it’s getting worse.”
The room is dead silent, everyone’s eyes bouncing between us. Everyone knows what she is to me now. They didn’t say anything after my conversation with Kato, but the ribbing stopped, so I knew they were listening.
I can’t think straight. “You should’ve come to me the minute it started,” I growl, stepping closer. “Are you stupid? This isn’t something you can handle on your own.”
Val’s eyes narrow, her anger flaring. “I don’t need you to tell me what I can and can’t handle.”
Before I can respond, Kato clears his throat and steps in, “Minna, see if you can trace where those texts are coming from. Callie, Hati, Bruce—start digging into the names on that list, especially the ex-bomb squad guy. We need to find him.”
Everyone moves into action, leaving Val and me alone in the middle of the room. When the door closes behind the last of them, I turn to her, barely keeping my wolf in check.
“We need to talk,” I say, my voice low and controlled.
Val crosses her arms, “About what? You already made it clear how you feel.”
I run a hand through my hair, pacing. “This isn’t about me or how I feel. This is about you putting yourself in danger by keeping this from me.”
“I didn’t want to be a distraction,” her frustration breaks through. “And honestly? I didn’t think you cared.”
Her words hit harder than I expect but I swallow the blow. “You’re wrong about that.”
She takes a step toward me, her eyes searching mine. “Why do I feel so... strange around you? Something is going on here, something I don’t understand. I’ve never felt so out of control around someone.”
I freeze. My heart pounds loudly in my chest, blood rushing to my ears. This is it—the moment I’ve been dreading. I can’t keep dodging this, not anymore.
“How much do you know about shifters?” I ask quietly.
Val frowns. “Not much. I’ve been researching a little, but I still don’t know the specifics of everything. You lot are a bit… secretive.”
I stare at her. I don’t want to do this. Not now. Not like this. But before I stop myself, the words slip out, “What do you know about fated mates?”
Her eyes widen slightly, and for a second, she doesn’t say anything. Then, slowly, she shakes her head. “Not much. Just that... it’s rare.”
I nod, “It is. But it’s real.”
The silence stretches between us, the tension thick enough to choke on. Val’s breathing quickens and I see the realization slowly dawning on her, “Are you saying...?”
I swallow hard, my throat tight. “Yeah. I think that’s exactly what I’m saying.”