CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

Staring down at the screen of his ringing cell a few days later, Deke cursed beneath his breath. Dayna.

Not that he didn’t like speaking with her; it would just be difficult to act normal when, unbeknownst to her, he’d made the official decision to pull out of their vow. He was good at deception, but he didn’t like to mislead people.

His moody cat turned his back on her, uninterested in giving his time or attention to her or anyone else. The feline really needed to get over his shit.

A glass of orange juice in hand, Deke sank onto his gray leather sofa as he accepted the call with a swipe of his thumb.

Usually, Dayna would be wearing a wide smile. This morning, a frown creased her face.

She looked nothing like the black mamba shifter who took up more of his mental space than he’d like. Dayna’s wide-set eyes were a startling blue. Faint freckles dusted her narrow, elfin face. Her auburn, corkscrew curls fountained down her back and would bounce with each jerk or tilt of her head.

“God, Deke, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” she complained, leaning the phone against something to hold it up.

He blinked. “Well, good morning to you, too.”

“I just heard from Therese. She said someone did a fake profile of you and used it to seduce some poor human woman. What the hell?”

Deke grunted, feeling his mouth tighten. “Yeah, the situation is fucked.”

“Do you really think it was someone in the pride?”

He’d been asked that question over and over by various members. They didn’t want to believe that one of their own would do something so messed up to a fellow pride mate. The code they lived by was to protect, support, and look out for each other. Inter-pride squabbles were one thing. This was something much bigger.

“I do, yes.” But as yet, Deke had no way to prove it. There were no instances of other pride members having their profiles cloned, so there was nothing else to hack; no more trails to follow.

“How come you didn’t call me and let me know what happened?” The demand was softly spoken, but it was a demand all the same. And it got his back up.

“This isn’t some minor thing, Deke.”

True, but he hadn’t wanted to contact her for the same reason he’d hesitated to answer her call. Besides … “It is compared to what’s currently going on in your life—you recently lost your great-uncle. Plus, the profile has been deleted and so the whole thing is over now.”

She leaned forward. “Do you have any suspects?”

No, he didn’t. But that wasn’t something that Deke could or would share with anyone outside the Alphas’ immediate circle. They always kept such speculations private, no matter the scenario. It wasn’t fair to publicly label someone a suspect unless you had a strong case. It could also be dangerous, since some pride mates would target said suspects even if there was no proof of guilt.

He lifted his glass to his mouth. “You know I can’t tell you that.” He took a swig of his juice.

“Oh come on, who am I going to tell?”

“Therese, for one. Who’d then tell everyone else.” She was one of the pride’s most notorious gossips.

“I’ll keep it to myself, I promise.” Dayna doodled a cross over her heart with her fingertip.

He gave her a pointed look. “This is need-to-know info. You don’t need to know,” he stated, calm and firm.

She let out a put-out sound. “Well, that’s rude. And unfair.”

He felt his mouth tighten. “What’s unfair is that you’re asking me to give you information that my Alphas have trusted me to keep private.” And he didn’t fucking appreciate that she’d expect him to go against his word; that she didn’t respect how seriously he took his position.

She sighed, her shoulders drooping, her face falling. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Apology accepted. Now can we talk about something else? We haven’t spoken in weeks. How are you?”

Her expression softened. “I’m fine. What about you? Is the touch-hunger any better?”

With the exception of the ever-present restlessness, it hadn’t been too bad after what happened between him and Bailey. But it had increasingly worsened as the days went by, and now he was back to being a walking hard-on. “No.”

A shifty expression crossed Dayna’s face, and the muscles there tightened. “Gerard mentioned that there was a short period where it eased a little. I’m guessing that means you had sex recently,” she said, her voice so flat he would have missed the note of jealousy there if he hadn’t known her so well.

His cat bristled, feeling she had no right to her possessiveness after being gone for so long. Deke didn’t disagree. Especially since she hadn’t been celibate herself when in his physical condition.

In the beginning, he’d felt jealous knowing that other men were touching her. But over time, it had bothered him less and less until, now, it didn’t affect him at all.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” she pushed.

Instead of responding, Deke took another swig of his juice.

Dayna’s chin inched up. “Who was she? Someone in the pride?”

He sighed. “Let’s not do this, Dayna.”

“I’m simply curious.”

“You’re always ‘simply curious.’ Then you’re always upset if I satisfy that curiosity, and you go weeks without speaking to me. So let’s not go into detail.”

“I just want to know if she’s from the pride.”

Tough. Because he didn’t want to talk to her about Bailey or what happened between them. He felt … weirdly protective of the memory. Even a little possessive of it. He wanted to keep it all to himself. “What difference does it make?”

“I’d prefer to know before I return if one of my pride mates have been …” She trailed off and swallowed hard. “I wouldn’t want to be the only person who didn’t know.”

“I get it.” And if he wasn’t intending to pull out of the promise he’d made to Dayna, he might have told her. “But I’d rather not get into it.”

“So she is from the pride.”

“Jesus, Dayna, can we talk about something else?”

A pinched look came over her face. “My friends will tell me if you don’t.”

He only shrugged. Her friends didn’t know shit. And he couldn’t imagine Bailey sharing it with her or anyone else except for maybe Havana and Aspen.

Dayna gave him a wounded look. “How do you think it makes me feel that I heard about the fake profile from Therese instead of you?”

“How do you think it makes me feel that you have your friends keep tabs on me?” he shot back.

She pressed her lips tightly shut.

“We can either bicker, or we can talk. I’d rather we talked. You haven’t even mentioned Evan. He’s usually the first topic you hit. How is he?”

Dayna looked as though she might fight the switch in topic, but then she exhaled heavily and replied, “He’s fine.” Her lips hitched up slightly as she added, “He’s loving the ball pit I bought him.”

Deke remained silent as she chatted away about the toddler, so much love shining in her eyes. It didn’t surprise him that she’d bonded so tightly to the kid. Much like Deke, she didn’t let many people get close to her and was reserved with most. But if she considered you one of hers to protect or take care of, she would give as much of herself to you as you needed.

She blew out a breath, making some of her curls flutter. “It’s going to hurt to leave him.”

Deke lifted his shoulders. “So stay.”

She blinked. “What?”

He downed the last of his juice and then set his glass on the chestnut coffee table in front of him. “If it’ll hurt you that much to leave, stay with him. You can’t tell me you haven’t considered it. Anyone in your situation would.”

A line dented her brow. “I don’t know how I should feel about you encouraging me to stay here. I would have thought you wouldn’t want that.”

“We were friends before we were anything else, Dayna. I want you to do what’s best for you, not for me. I don’t think you returning would be best for you. I think you’d just be sad and wish you could go back. Am I wrong?”

Pulling her arms close to her body, she let her head drop forward. “I don’t know.” The words were soft. Quiet. Pained.

“If the reason you’re so conflicted is that you feel you owe it to me to come back, you don’t.”

After a few moments, she lifted her head and bit down on her lower lip. “Maybe you could come out here.”

He held back a sigh. “We’ve talked about this before.”

“You could be an enforcer here once you got settled and won the Alpha’s trust.”

“It’s not just about my position.” She knew that already. “I don’t want to relocate. I don’t want to leave my family any more than you want to leave yours. I’ve told you this many times.”

Her face hardened. “So I have to be the one who gives everything up?”

Annoyance flared through him. “You don’t have to give up anything. I’m not insisting that you come back. I never did.” Not even when he’d wished she would.

The anger drained out of her, and her shoulders slumped. “I know, I know. I don’t think I’d have been so patient in your shoes. I’m sorry for snapping at you. I’m upset about other things. My great-uncle’s mate slipped away in her sleep yesterday. I knew she would, and we weren’t close or anything, but it was still hard.”

Not good with stuff like this, Deke could only think to say, “I’m sorry.”

“She lived a long, fulfilling life. They both did. That makes it easier.” Her head turned to the side as someone spoke in the background, the words muffled. Dayna turned back to him. “I have to go.”

Deke gave a slow nod. “Take care.”

“You, too.” She smiled and then ended the call.

Puffing out a breath, he let his head fall back. He’d been on the verge of telling her to stay with Evan; that there was no point in her coming home if she was only doing so for Deke. But he’d held back the words, not wanting to kick her while she was already down. He’d give it a few weeks, and then he’d tell her.

He didn’t believe she’d be devastated by his decision, but it was bound to sting. He hoped she didn’t ask him to reconsider, because he couldn’t. More, he shouldn’t. Not when another woman constantly invaded his thoughts.

He hadn’t seen Bailey since the day he’d discovered the profile. He’d been invited to a movie night at the Alphas’ place that evening, but he’d declined the invitation, needing a little space from the mamba. He’d thought it would help prolong the break he was having from the relentless arousal, but it hadn’t. Maybe because his thoughts kept dancing back to that evening he’d blown his load all over her after feeling her come around his fingers.

Cursing his cock for throbbing at the memory, Deke righted his head and stood, determined to put Bailey out of his mind … and utterly clueless as to why such a thing couldn’t be simple.

“Bailey, if you’re drawing boobs on that board again I swear …”

Turning the smoothie menu toward her Alpha female, Bailey said, “I only did a few decorative swirls this time.”

“Why bother?” asked Havana.

“Why not bother? They look pretty.”

There was a loud twang followed by a “Shit, sorry.” Seeing that one of the guys working out had lost control of a resistance band and sent it sailing through the air toward another of the rec center’s regulars, Bailey winced. “I did that to a guy once.”

“You did it on purpose,” said Havana, her eyes dancing.

“I was just testing Randy’s balance.” The band had wacked his head, knocked his equilibrium, and caused him to trip on the treadmill. He’d gone ass over tit. “I wouldn’t have if he hadn’t upset Aspen.” The guy was Camden’s ex and had blamed Aspen for the whole “ex” part. Randy no longer came to the center these days, which was awesome.

Bailey returned the menu to its spot beside the tip jar and then placed the chalk beneath the counter. They didn’t only sell smoothies; they sold other stuff such as hydration drinks, active wear, energy bars, and even weight-lifting belts.

The center’s fitness area was often busy. There was an array of equipment, such as cardio machines, exercise benches, and towers of weights and dumbbells. PTs spotted and fired instructions at clients. Wall-mounted TVs played low near the cardio machines.

A highly intolerant creature, her mamba didn’t like working shifts here. The scents of sweat, metal, rubber mats, and antibacterial cleaner overpowered the air. More, it could be seriously noisy. There was constant heavy breathing, grunting, beeping, feet thumping, and metallic clanging.

Havana propped her hip against the side of the counter. “So … have you seen anything of Deke over the past few days?”

Bailey’s belly did a ridiculous little flutter. Ugh. She shook her head. “Nope.”

“Not at all? You guys live on the same floor.”

“I live on the same floor as several people. Days go by when I don’t see them either.” Truthfully, she’d considered checking on him a time or two. But she’d vetoed the idea, knowing he wouldn’t want her company.

“I saw him yesterday. He’s not doing so good. The touch-hunger’s bad again.”

Bailey tensed, and her snake lifted her head in interest.

“I don’t understand why he’s not doing anything about it.” Havana paused. “But I think you do.”

Bailey forced herself not to tense. “Why?”

“Because you don’t seem confused by it anymore.” The devil shifter straightened. “Tell me what’s wrong so I can help him.”

“If he wants to tell you, he will.”

“I’m his Alpha female. It’s my job to look out for him.”

“Then go do it. But don’t ask me to betray his confidence—I’m not gonna.”

Her lips quirking, Havana gave a slow shake of her head. “And he thinks you have no morals.” She exhaled heavily. “Have you had any more visits from Livy?”

Bailey felt her mouth briefly flatten. “She came to see me yesterday. She brought food again.”

Havana hummed, clearly amused. “You’re being courted by proxy. You realize that, right?”

“But why would she do that?” Bailey raised her shoulders. “It can’t have escaped her notice that he likes control, so she has to see that me and him don’t suit.”

Havana casually braced a hand on her hip. “Deke’s a highly dominant male who likes control, yes. But he also not only thrives on being challenged, he needs it—he’ll otherwise feel bored and restless. So it stands to reason that he’ll need a partner who challenges him or he’ll lose interest in them fast. Livy will know that, just as she’ll know that you are anything but easy to handle.”

“But still, who’d want me as a partner for their son? I wouldn’t.” Not if she wanted her kid to be happy anyway.

“She likes you. Which shows good judgement on her part. You might be a nut, but you’re an awesome nut.”

Bailey felt her lips curve. “Aw, thanks. You’re awesome, too.” She held out her arms. “Can we hug?”

Havana’s good humor fled in an instant. “No.”

Bailey choked back a laugh. Her Alpha was not at all touchy-feely. “But it—”

“No.”

Sighing, Bailey dropped her arms. “You’re supposed to love me.”

“I do love you. I’m just not gonna hug you.”

Noticing one of the center’s staff members, Jonesy, heading their way, Bailey raised her brow. “Yo, what’s up?”

The barely eighteen-year-old jaguar replied, “Corbin wants to speak to you in his office.”

Bailey exchanged a look with Havana and then slid her gaze back to Jonesy. “Do you know what it’s about?”

“No, but …” He licked his lips. “There are some people in his office with him. Ginny’s one of them.”

Her mamba’s head jerked, and Bailey inwardly groaned. The little witch had probably come here to push Corbin into firing Bailey, since the phone calls had failed to work.

Havana swore. “You can hold the fort here, right, Jonesy?”

He blinked twice. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

“Great.” She turned to Bailey. “I’m coming with you.”

Unbothered either way, Bailey said nothing as she and her Alpha skirted the counter.

As they walked off, Havana looked at her askance. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That I should have carved a dick onto Ginny’s forehead?”

The devil’s brows dipped. “No. I’m thinking there’s a good chance that the people with her are Jackson’s relatives.”

“You think she’d bring them here?”

“If they wanted to question you, this would be the easiest way for them to get to you. I can totally see her pushing them to come at you. In their shoes, if I had someone repeatedly insisting that you’re the person who hurt my relative, I’d want to speak to you myself and ask you a few questions.”

Actually, Bailey would do the same. No, scrap that. If someone left one of her loved ones for dead, she’d tie any possible suspect to a chair and interrogate their ass until she felt positive they were innocent.

A mere minute later, they arrived at Corbin’s office. Havana’s quick knock earned them a “Come in.” She opened the door, and Bailey followed her inside. Her inner snake coiled her body tight, not liking the scene before them.

Ginny stood off to the side, her eyes hard, her mouth tight, her arms folded. Two males stood in front of Corbin’s desk, their posture strong and vigilant.

All heads turned as Bailey and Havana waltzed into the room. Taking in the features of the two strangers, Bailey felt her eyes narrow. Yeah, these were Jackson’s relatives all right. The resemblance was plain to see.

Bailey closed the door behind her and pinned her gaze on Corbin. “Jonesy said you wanted to talk to me.”

Havana swept her eyes over the others in the room. “What’s all this?”

Corbin cleared his throat. “Well—”

“You’re Bailey?” one of the males cut in, sounding as stunned as he looked. “Bailey Bryant?”

His relative seemed equally dumbfounded. Obviously she wasn’t what they’d expected. Well, since Ginny had no doubt painted her as an evil crone, it was no surprise. She’d been told many times that she looked as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.

Bailey had used it to her advantage during her years working for the Movement, and it had eventually become instinctive for her to give off a harmless air. Many were fooled by it; didn’t see the danger. Which suited her just fine.

“One and the very same,” Bailey affirmed. “Is there a problem?”

It was Corbin who spoke, “Ginny brought some people to the center in the hope of finding you.” He did not look happy about it. “These are Jackson’s brothers, Jarrett and Keaton. I intercepted them during their search and then brought them to my office. I did think of tossing them all out of the building instead, but I would prefer that they speak with you in an environment such as this rather than them catching you while you’re alone.”

Appreciating his protectiveness, Bailey gave him a brief nod before turning to the brothers. “My guess is that you’re here to ask questions that a certain someone put in your head. Go for it,” she invited.

The brothers exchanged a look, seeming taken aback that she hadn’t clammed up, gone on the defensive, and sent them away.

Keaton cleared his throat, regarding her with something close to distaste—he tried to hide it, but not hard enough. “We’ve heard a lot about the … activity that went on between you and Jackson since your fallout.”

“I can imagine.” Jackson was a total whiner, and Ginny had probably been more than happy to fill in any gaps.

“For the record, he doesn’t believe you’re the one who jumped him. I trust his judgement. But I’m not entirely convinced, and I’m a man who likes to cover his bases,” explained Keaton, all reasonable. But she could tell that he did suspect her.

“And we have to consider that you certainly have a history of targeting him,” added Jarrett, his voice clipped—he clearly had no more respect for her than his brother did. “Where were you the evening that Jackson was attacked?”

“At the afterparty of a mating ceremony,” replied Bailey.

“Which means she has literally hundreds of alibis,” Havana chipped in.

Both Keaton and Jarrett blinked, surprised.

Bailey winged up a brow. “Ginny didn’t tell you? Because I know that Corbin made her aware of it.”

Jarrett fixed an intent stare on Ginny. “You failed to mention any of that.”

With a defensive sniff, Ginny inched up her chin and nervously scraped her fingers through her teal bob. “Assuming it’s even true, it doesn’t mean she didn’t leave the party at some point, does it? She’s a snake. They’re sneaky. She could have left without anyone noticing.”

“But I didn’t,” said Bailey. “You’d love for it to have been me, but I don’t think you’re really so convinced that it was. I think you’re using this as an excuse to dick with me.”

“I second that,” Havana piped up, glaring at the bitch. “And if you genuinely gave a damn about Jackson, you wouldn’t take advantage of his pain this way.”

Ginny’s face hardened. “Don’t twist what’s happening here. I’m trying to help his family bring him justice. He could have died. And all because she can’t handle that he didn’t love her as she did him.”

Bailey almost took a step back in sheer surprise. “Love?” Her snake would have laughed if she could.

“You wanted to take him as your mate,” accused Ginny.

Bailey looked at Havana. “I totally didn’t see her pulling something like that out of her butthole.”

The Alpha shrugged. “People can surprise you that way.”

“If you didn’t care for him,” Jarrett interjected, a challenging note to his tone, “why did you react so badly to him cheating on you?”

Bailey met his gaze. “I don’t tolerate betrayal. He knew that. He took his mental safety into his own hands when he slept with her.” He’d basically signed up for some psychological torture.

Havana looked from one brother to the other. “You’re wasting your time here. The odds are that Jackson was targeted by a shifter or two who felt like kicking the shit out of him and took it too far.”

Ginny’s hands fisted at her sides. “The culprit is standing right there.” She turned to Keaton and Jarrett. “Don’t be fooled by Bailey’s exterior. She’s the reincarnation of Rasputin.” Ginny tore a sheet of paper from the corkboard. “Look, I started this petition to have her fired. See how many signatures are on it.”

Jarrett took it from her and scanned it. His eyes flicked up to Bailey. “You signed this yourself. Six times.”

Bailey lifted and dropped one shoulder. “I like to be included in things.”

“It’s true that there are a fair few signatures on there,” said Havana. “Ginny and her friends not only scribbled their names on it but a bunch of fake names.”

Ginny’s mouth fell open. “That’s a lie!”

“No, it isn’t,” snapped Havana before turning back to Keaton and Jarrett. “Like I told you once before, Bailey had nothing to do with Jackson’s attack. She was at a pride event all day long. There’s an endless amount of witnesses who can confirm that.”

“But they’re all from your pride. They’d lie for her.” Ginny jabbed a finger in Bailey’s direction. “You wanted revenge on Jackson, so you went after it just like you always do. You’ve been punishing him for God knows how long.”

“But I never tried to kill him, did I? No, I toyed with him. That’s what I do.” Bailey had perfected the art of it when young. “I will do a lot of things to get revenge—I’m a black mamba, after all—but what I don’t do is cut my enjoyment short by ending my enemy’s life. And where’s the fun in coming at someone from behind anyway? Makes the whole thing too easy. I like a challenge.”

“Ask around the center,” Havana invited, again focused on Jackson’s brothers. “The people here know Bailey. You won’t find anyone who believes that she’s responsible for what happened to Jackson. The only person who’ll finger her as the culprit is Ginny.”

Ginny scowled. “I—”

“Need to shut the fuck up,” Havana finished, a growl building in her throat, Alpha vibes spilling from her. “I am just about done listening to you toss unfounded accusations around. It. Ends. Now.”

Ginny snapped her mouth shut, finally showing some damn sense. No one wanted to tangle with a devil shifter—particularly not an Alpha.

Corbin pushed out of his chair. “It would be best if you all left,” he told Ginny and her companions.

The brothers flicked Bailey one last hard look before stalking out of the office. Ginny trailed behind them, her head held high, avoiding everyone’s gaze. She also slammed the door shut on her way out.

Exhaling heavily, Corbin rubbed at his nape. “I’m sorry about that scene, Bailey. I would have thrown them out—”

“It’s fine, I get why you didn’t,” Bailey told him, waving off the unnecessary apology.

“Just so you’re aware, I made it clear to Ginny before you entered the office that she’s barred from this day forward.” Corbin’s face tightened. “What she’s doing isn’t simply a bitchy game, it’s dangerous.”

Very much so. Shifters craved blood and violence during times of injustice. Yearned for vengeance on a massive scale. That Jackson had almost been killed was enough of an injustice. That his would-be-killer roamed free was yet another. His family would be craving retribution … and Ginny was trying to sic them on Bailey like junkyard dogs.

One corner of Corbin’s mouth very briefly hiked up as he regarded Bailey carefully. “I’m proud of you for not leaping at her just now.”

Bailey shrugged. “She was braced for that. It’s no fun when people are braced for it.”

He gave her a flat look. “Ruin my illusions that you’re maturing, why don’t you.”

Snorting, Havana put a hand on Bailey’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get back to the smoothie bar. Hopefully Jackson’s brothers will leave you alone after this. If they don’t, I won’t be so nice next time.”

Neither would Bailey.

The rest of her shift went without incident. It didn’t seem that Keaton and Jarrett hung around to question members of the rec center, but she couldn’t say for sure. If they did, no one mentioned it to her.

Later on, after they’d finished their shifts, Aspen and Camden left in their own vehicle while Bailey drove Havana home. Bailey then headed to the nearby parking lot of her apartment building. Having whipped her car into the closest available space, she cut the engine and slid out of the vehicle. She began walking toward her complex … just as two unfamiliar males stepped out from between two cars up ahead.

They turned to fully face her, their gazes hard and inscrutable. Bailey went on high alert, and her snake’s head snapped up. Both males looked neat and polished with their slicked-back dark hair, clean shaven face, and tailored suits.

She slowed her pace as she neared them, dragging in a subtle breath through her nose, pulling their scents into her lungs. Jackals. Her snake tensed, flicking out her tongue.

The taller of the two males cocked his head as he studied Bailey. “You don’t look much like your cousin. The eyes, though … They’re the same.”

Coming to a stop before the jackals, Bailey asked, “Who might you be?”

The taller dude nodded. “I’m Amiri.” He tipped his head toward his pack mate. “This is Lincoln,” he added, all forced friendliness. “We’re from the Westwood Pack. How’s Roman doing?”

She gave a slight, uncaring shrug. “Don’t know. Don’t care.”

Lincoln’s eyes narrowed. “You’re aware he isn’t actually dead, then?”

“I’m aware,” she confirmed. “And before you ask, yes, I’ve seen him recently.”

Amiri’s gaze sharpened. “When?”

“Last week,” she replied. “He came to my pride seeking protection from your pack. Given I have no love for him, I sent him on his way.”

Lincoln cast her a doubtful look. “You sent away your own cousin?”

“I feel no loyalty toward anyone in my old nest.”

Amiri dug his tongue into the tip of one incisor. “I heard what they did after your parents were killed. Cold to the bone, it was. But Roman was young back then. Not part of the decision to banish you.”

“But he turned his back on me like they did, so …” And Bailey wasn’t what anyone could call a forgiving person.

“In your position, I would have no time for anyone from that nest,” said Lincoln. “But some people will protect family, regardless of past betrayals.”

Possibly. “I’m not some people.”

“So you say,” said Lincoln, clearly still dubious.

She sighed at him, annoyed. “Dude, I can’t help you.Like I said, I sent him on his way. I’m not going to keep repeating myself. If you struggle to believe me, go ask my Alphas. You know what pride I belong to or you wouldn’t have located me here, so you’ll know who they are. They were around when Roman showed up. Tate very firmly ordered him to leave and not return.”

Amiri hummed. “And you have no idea where your cousin could be?”

She shook her head. “Nope.”

“He gave you no hints?” asked Lincoln.

“He wouldn’t have trusted me with any.” Would she have given away his location? Probably not. But he wouldn’t have risked it.

Amiri reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a business card. “If he contacts you, I’d appreciate it if you gave us a call.”

She took the card. A number was printed on it—nothing more.

Amiri straightened the lapels of his jacket. “Things between you and my pack don’t need to be unpleasant. We have no issue with you, providing you don’t stand in our way. Believe me when I tell you that Roman would not be worth the consequences.”

She narrowed her eyes, and her snake coiled her muscles as if to spring. “And believe me when I tell you that you’d forfeit your life if you came for me.”

Amiri’s lips quirked. “A mamba through and through.”

“Is everything all right here?” a new voice asked as a figure silently approached.

Bailey gave the newcomer a too-quick smile. “Everything’s fine, Gerard, thanks.”

Despite her assurance, he glared at the jackals. “I think it’s best that you left.”

“Do you?” asked Lincoln, a smirk playing around the edges of his mouth. “Well, then, lucky for you we’re about to leave.” He returned his gaze to Bailey. “We’ll be in touch, just in case you lose Amiri’s number or forget to contact us with something you might learn.” With that, the two jackals walked away.

Gerard turned to her. “You sure you’re all right?”

“Positive. But thanks for stepping in all the same.” Watching the two jackals head to a parked town car, Bailey exhaled heavily. This day really had sucked so far.