Page 36 of Whispers of Wisteria

“She started in cold cases,” Bryce explained. “When she gained notoriety, she moved on to espionage, serial killers, and other violent crimes. Joe, Uncle Gregory, and Gloria were on the same team for a long time.”

Yes, that was probably when Uncle Gregory and Gloria were dating.

“What happened?”

“Their other team member was killed,” Bryce answered. “His name was Michael.”

The words rang heavy in the air. Uncle Gregory had told me about this.

Michael Abernathy.

He’d said he was his best friend, that they worked together, that he was one of the members of his quintet.

But nowhere had he mentioned Gloria.

This added yet another layer to the already complicated story.

“So why do you think he’s concerned?” Shouldn’t he know she was capable if they’d worked together?

“Because if she takes on something risky, he won’t be there to help.” Bryce’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.

“How could he help?” I asked. He was old. “It’s not like he can beat anyone up.”

Bryce glanced at me, frowning. “He’s an Er Bashou.” When I tilted my head, he added, “We outlive humans by two or so decades. The Elders are still capable of fighting so long as they’re in good health. They’re only out-skilled in strength by the Paragons.”

“What about you?” I asked.

His expression turned carefully blank. “I’m suitable.”

What wasthatsupposed to mean?

“But…” My heart was beginning to race. Had I made a mistake? What if… what if she took on a case I couldn’t handle? “She said she’s not doing anything risky anymore. Plus, she’s a wolf. So why would he be worried?”

“I don’t know.” Bryce’s reply was slow—thoughtful—as his attention returned to the road. “All I know is he has an issue with you being in any situation where she’d be forced to protect you.”

I clenched my fists in my lap. “She could probably bite off someone’s face if she wanted.”

Then what was his real reason?

A surface-level assessment might suggest that Uncle Gregory disliked Gloria due to their past. But I didn’t think that was true, even though she seemed to loathe him.

What made more sense, to me at least, was my original theory. Uncle Gregory and Gloria had been embroiled in a scandalous love affair, and he still harbored feelings for her. It explained his overbearing—but protective—nature.

Explained. But did not justify. She’d been furious to learn that he was interfering in our arrangement.

“Love makes people do crazy things,” I mused.

“Love?” Bryce scoffed, glancing at me with a raised brow. “Who’s in love?”

I frowned at the blind fool—anyone could see it. “Uncle Gregory and Gloria.”

He barked out a laugh, and the humor made him seem a little less tired than before. “You’re joking. Uncle Gregory doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body, and Gloria glares at him during faculty meetings. Once, she was sitting by the copier, and he had to go near her to pick up his prints. I thought she was going to skewer him with her knitting needle.”

“There’s a fine line between love and hate,” I pointed out, recalling Finn’s words.

“I thought your theory was thatUncle Calebwas her long-lost beau,” Bryce continued sarcastically. “That’s why you claimed it wasn’t such a big deal that you’d trapped him in her office. What happened to that?”

I chose to ignore the reminder of my mistakes. Bryce still wasn’t seeing the bigger picture. If I was correct—and I was almost sure I was—we had a conspiracy. Who better to clear up this misunderstanding than us?