10. Lexi

10

LEXI

I groan, dragged from sleep thanks to an annoyingly incessant beeping. Groggy from great sex and the first good night of sleep I've had in ages, I look for the source of the noise. There. The phone on the nightstand. I crawl across Grey's side of the bed so I can reach it, surprised he hasn't walked into the room to grab it. Before I can do anything, it stops ringing.

I sigh, debating the merits of going back to sleep.

A note on the nightstand catches my eye. A scrawled message from Grey that he'll be back after he runs some errands.

Sleep it is.

I start to roll over as the phone rings again.

Frowning down at it, I debate what to do. I've used the damn thing so little that it takes several long moments for me to realize this is my phone, not Grey's.

The screen says the caller is unavailable.

Isn't Grey the only one with this number?

"Hello?" I answer uncertainly, my voice still heavy with sleep.

"It's about time." Ramsey's snarl sends my heart racing.

I sit up, looking around the room as if he can somehow see me. Suddenly, sleep is long gone. "How did you get this number?"

"Grey gave it to all of us," Ramsey says, sarcasm dripping from the words. "For your safety."

Right. Ramsey keeping me safe. What a joke.

"What do you want?" I demand.

"First, how about a thank you for saving your ass the other day at the pool house."

Fear is replaced by fury. "Saving my ass? Is that what you call it?"

"They would've eaten you alive if I hadn't twisted that story for us."

The casual way he's talking about that moment at Dutch's pool house has my hands curling into fists. "Keyword being us , asshole. If I go down, you go with me."

His tone sharpens. "Relax, no one's going down if you just do your job."

"I hate you," I snap.

"And I'm devastated about it. Now, what information do you have for me?"

I hesitate, my heart pounding. This is it. The moment of truth. I look down at the twist-tie still twined around my ring finger, and my heart squeezes. I can't do this. I can't betray Grey. "I don't know anything you don't know."

"Bullshit. Grey spoke to Dutch about some kind of investigation he's doing. What are they looking into?"

"How do you know that?"

"Don't fucking worry about that. Answer the question. What's Dutch looking into?"

I frown, trying to decide whether to answer. But it's not anything that can hurt Grey. And I have to give him something. "We're trying to find out what happened to my wolf."

"What do you know so far?"

His question is so quick and urgent that I realize belatedly this is exactly the kind of information he wants, after all. I think of what Serena said about my mom and the questions Vincenzo had about my medical history. No way I'm telling him any of that.

"Nothing."

"Don't fucking lie to me, Lexi. You know what happens if you don't come through on this."

"I'm not lying," I snap. "I still don't know anything. Believe me, if I did, I'd act on it. No one wants me to shift more than I do."

"What the hell are you waiting for then? If Grey won't do the job, I'm happy to fill in."

Unease ripples through me. "What job?"

"Come on," he says. "Don't tell me he hasn't told you."

"Told me what?" My anxiety spikes. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"A bite, Lexi. That's how you trigger a wolf that's been suppressed. He really hasn't mentioned it to you?"

My heart pounds as I consider his words. "You're lying." Why would Grey keep something like that from me? Why wouldn't he just do it if it were that simple?

"Why would I do that?" he asks.

"Because you're jealous that Grey trusts me more than you. Because you're trying to control me by coming between me and him."

He scoffs. "You're controllable either way, believe me. Besides, you should be asking yourself why Grey hasn't mentioned it. Maybe he doesn't trust you, after all. Maybe he's just biding his time until this wedding deal is done and then he'll get rid of you."

My cheeks heat. "I'm not talking about this with you."

"Fine. All that matters is what you can tell me about Grey's plans."

"Grey trusts you," I try again. "Your betrayal will hurt him so much. Don't you care about that? About him?"

"You just remember what will happen if you decide to mention our little arrangement," he says sharply.

He's quiet for a long moment, clearly waiting for me to give him the information he's asking for.

I bite my lip, refusing.

"You know," he says at last, "telling me would've been so much easier than the alternative." He sounds regretful, which is fake as hell but also puts me on edge.

"What's the alternative?"

"If you won't talk to me, you'll have to talk to Dom."

"No way," I say. "I have nothing to say to that asshole."

"You made a deal, Lexi. You gave your word that you'd find out what Grey's up to."

"You didn't give me any choice," I say.

"You think that fucking matters?" he snaps, his voice rising enough that I flinch. "If you don't have anything to say, I'm sure Dom will find another way to extract what's owed."

He ends the call, and my blood runs cold.