4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Cain

W hat the fuck did I think about before I met her?

The thought has been bouncing around since she left for Boston last night. Letting her leave for the airport without me felt like a kind of torture worse than I've ever encountered.

She deserves to be happy.

We can make her happy .

Fighting my wolf has been a new challenge placed on my control. Patience has never been a strong virtue of mine, and knowing my Mate is flying across the country nearly unprotected leaves my skin itching.

She asked for space.

She's been reaching out more.

Landed safe in Boston

Thank The Fates for that.

I breathe a sigh of relief, texting her back much faster than is socially acceptable, but my pride went out the window a long time ago when it came to her.

Glad to hear you are safe. I'm here if you need anything.

I wish I were there, but I think I'm making progress in getting her to trust me again, and I don't want to lose the fragile foundation we've begun building.

I finish the report I'm working on when her text comes through.

You're here? Where? I don't see anyone.

Anyone? Shouldn't someone be there waiting?

No one is there to get you? How long have you been waiting?

My wolf reels at the thought of her sitting alone in that airport.

Well, not alone. Dante sent Carter on the flight with her to ensure she made it there without any issues. The LLC investigation has started, and from what we've heard, it's not looking like they are going to let the Tahoe incident go without more information, adjudicators, and documentation.

Part of me is glad they aren't taking this lightly. The kidnapping of female wolves has been too overlooked in our history, and I, for one, like the progressive change this is taking. That being said, Brielle doesn't belong to Deacon Marlo. She's Mine.

About half an hour.

The buzzing in my hand pulls me back.

Thirty minutes with no ride? Absolutely not. I'll have Jess reach out to her old pack to pick her up and get her safely to her hotel. There is no excuse for that kind of oversight from this company.

I may have disliked that Ethan guy, but he never struck me as incompetent. With as much heat as is on both our pack and Brielle, having her sitting alone in an airport is unacceptable.

Cain: Can you message Carter to find out what's going on? Brielle's ride never showed up at the airport.

My mind link message goes out as I text her back.

Hang on, Firefly, I'm sending a car.

I've tried not using the nickname with her as often because I know it makes her put her guard up, but I don't want her to forget what she means to me, what she will always mean to me.

Dante: He isn't responding, but I don't feel any stress through the bond.

Cain: Can Jess contact Montgomery to have someone pick Bri up and safely take her to her hotel?

I send before leaving my office, headed for his.

Dante: Jess is on duty; I'll call.

He responds as my phone vibrates again

Don't worry about it. I'm grabbing an Uber. See you when I get back.

A random Uber isn't safe enough.

"Yes, thank you so much for reaching out, Lily. Tell Doug that Mr. Stone appreciates the opportunity to clear up these allegations." Quinn's voice is sweet, but her facial expression shows her irritation. "We will get that over to you as soon as we can. Thanks so much. Bye now." She finishes, placing the receiver down before rubbing her temples as I approach.

Her eyes close briefly before she opens them, and she has a new determination on her face. She notices me standing there, grabs a Post-it off her desk, and waves it at me.

"Can you bring this to him? It's the number for the Boston Alpha he asked for. Also, let him know Martin responded." She doesn't need to say more for me to understand that it wasn't good.

"How bad?" I ask, dread filling me.

"He's going to need to call another council meeting later tonight," she answers before returning to her email.

"I'm emailing him the documents with my phone call notes. He should have it… now." Turning her chair, she grabs the Red Bull beside the keyboard and takes a long drink.

Looks like we have a long night ahead of us.

When I walk into the office, Dante's back is to me. Every screen is lit up with legal documents, camera feeds, and web browsers. I glance at the city, remembering how different the view felt two months ago—before everything changed.

Before I found her.

"I don't need any more shit news today, Cain, so tell me she texted back, and her ride was there." He turns in his chair, his face lacking the humor he used to carry.

Looking at him now, I notice the lines that have appeared over the last few months, the dark circles under his eyes. Gone is the kid who took over as our Alpha too young, and before me sits a man who strongly resembles his father instead.

"Wish I could. She says she's getting an Uber. Anything from Carter yet? It's not like him to fail to check in," I say, extending my arm to hand him the yellow Post-it from Quinn. "Montgomery's number," I add before falling into the seat.

He dials, leaving the phone on its cradle and the speaker going. It's just after 8 pm in Boston, so there's a chance he is no longer in his office.

"Montgomery Financing Specialists, how can I assist you today?" A man answers robotically.

The business is a front similar to Marlo's companies. Consulting fees are much more difficult for human governments to trace.

"Yes, I'd like to speak with management about an account issue," Dante responds.

"Of course, can I have the account name?" he replies.

"Dante Stone."

"One moment, Mr. Stone." The line clicks, and hold music plays before another voice comes on the line.

"Stone, I didn't think I'd hear from you this quickly. I guess news travels fast." The voice says, interest lacing his voice as Dante's eyes flash up to mine.

Contacting him for what?

"Thought I'd go right to the source for answers," Dante replies noncommittally.

"Well, I don't know about that. I wouldn't say I'm the source. The contract just happens to fall in my jurisdiction. I don't own it and have nothing to do with its execution. My Second brought it to my attention today when we started getting access requests to our territory."

Contract? What contract?

I can tell Dante is as in the dark as I am.

"Can you tell me who has accepted?" Dante asks, trying to pull as much information as possible without admitting he doesn't know what's happening.

"Damn near everyone, if I'm being honest. I'm not sure who will actually complete it, though; there is lots of competition. But you've got your own man here, so I guess you have a wolf in this race. I did hear Jett and Dimitri are among them," he adds, listing two of the most prominent contract mercenaries in the US.

"Yes, and I appreciate you allowing him access. We're going to do our best to shut this down. I just wanted to check who the big players were and thought I could see how the Ostler twins are doing for you," Dante says, turning the conversation despite us still not knowing what the contract is for.

It's better to let Pres look into it now that we know it exists.

"Oh, those boys have been great. You certainly trained them well. They keep my young recruits on their toes with the programs they instituted. How's my girl holding up?" he asks, extending the conversation past what I want to hear.

"She's the best. I'll have to give her some time off to go home and visit soon. Thanks for the information. We'll get this cleaned up for you as quickly as we can." Dante finishes and hangs up after a few more pleasantries.

Before I can speak, Pres pops in behind me, headphones blaring and laptop in her hand.

"What do you need?" she asks, her voice all business as her eyes slide between Dante and me.

"Montgomery's got an open contract in his city. Find it," Dante orders.

Pres drops into the chair next to me, fingers flying over the keys as she flips through the TOR network, dark web windows changing faster than I can keep up.

Please don't be her.

Part of me knows it's a long shot. She was just taken. There are a lot of eyes on us about the exchange from before Thanksgiving, but the coincidence of her being there and Alpha Montgomery implying it had something to do with us doesn't sit right with me.

It's then that I realize Presley's typing has stopped, and the room is silent. My eyes flip between her and Dante, and I realize they are talking, just not to me.

"Pres…" I growl out, seeing the expression on her face seconds before the mind-link message hits my ears.

Dante: Conference room ten minutes. Shit just hit the fan.

Fuck!