Anchor of Secrets by Tessa Hale
46
I staredout the window of the SUV, all the warmth from my normal day gone. Even I could read between the lines of Alister’s statement. The twins’ father had allied himself with Alister. As if I needed another reason to hate the man.
I wrapped my arms tighter around myself as Colt turned into The Nest.
He rolled down his window, and the gate guard stepped forward. “We need to raise the alert level.”
The guard’s eyes flared. “We’re already on yellow.”
“We need to move to orange,” Colt told him.
The guard nodded. “Right away, sir.”
My stomach churned. Maryanne was simply a tool, a weapon for Alister and Patrick to wield, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be deadly. I knew the guys would do anything to keep her from getting to me, and that could have disastrous effects if the vamps and dragons were involved.
I struggled to keep my breathing even as Colt pulled to a stop outside the mansion. I was out of the SUV the moment he put it into park. I needed the fresh, clean air. It had become a balm of sorts over the past few weeks.
Dash’s hands came to my shoulders. “You okay?”
A laugh bubbled out of me that I couldn’t control. “Am I okay? Let’s see. My mom showed up out of the blue. And she’s working with the two worst people on the planet. Patrick won’t stop fucking with Declan’s and Ronan’s heads. Damien’s still on the loose. And I have no idea if we’ll all kill ourselves off in the next few years or descend into madness.”
“Eh,” Trace said as he shut the door. “That’s nothing.”
I glared at him.
Ronan hit Trace upside the head. “Not helping.”
Trace shoved him away. “Would you stop doing that?”
“When you stop saying stupid shit.”
“Enough,” Colt said quietly. “Let’s get inside. We can talk about a plan.”
Just the word plan had my insides tightening into a painful knot.
“Come on,” Dash said, wrapping an arm around me.
I shot a glance at Declan. Emotions warred in his expression. The two fighting for dominance most were guilt and anger.
That just pissed me off. Even with this distance, Patrick was still messing with his son’s head.
We all filed inside and headed for the lounge. The guys took seats in chairs and beanbags, while Dash settled me on the couch.
Declan leaned forward in his chair, staring down at his hands. “Maybe I should just go home. Play along. I could be enough to get Patrick to back off.”
“Hell no,” Ronan snarled.
I gripped the sofa cushion. “Dec, this is your home.”
“She’s right,” Colt agreed.
Declan lifted his head. “This is because I left. He wouldn’t have been so bold otherwise.”
Dash met his gaze. “It’s better that he’s forced to be bold. Then at least we know where he truly stands.”
Trace grunted. “Better to have someone come at you from the front than the back. At least then you can defend yourself.”
Declan shook his head. “If I go back, maybe I can change his mind—”
“You’re not going back to that monster,” Ronan growled.
Declan met his brother’s stare. “Ronan—”
“No. We’ll chain you up in the basement if you try.”
Declan’s lips twitched. “Why does that feel like a warm hug?”
Ronan grunted. “Whatever.”
Colt leaned back in his chair. “You’re not going back there. We stick together. It’s the only play.”
“But we do need a plan,” Dash said.
Colt nodded. “We need to know who’s truly on our side.”
“And how the hell do we do that?” Trace mumbled.
Dash adjusted his glasses. “We need a series of tests.”
Trace dropped his head back against the beanbag. “This isn’t the time for brainiac games.”
Dash sent him a dirty look. “Scientific experiments are exactly what we need.”
Trace opened his mouth to argue, but Colt held up a hand to stop him. “What are you thinking?”
“Tiny, little tests. We give bits of information to leaders in each clan, see what makes it back to Alister,” Dash explained.
Ronan shifted. “Could work.”
“But it’ll take time,” Trace argued.
Ronan shot him a look. “And what are you going to do? Torture the truth out of them?”
Trace shrugged. “Whatever works.”
Colt groaned. “If they weren’t already against us, I think causing them severe bodily harm might change that tune.”
Trace’s mouth pulled into a frown. “Why does everyone have to be so touchy?”
Dash rolled his eyes. “Losing a finger will do that to a person.”
I shivered, and Dash sent me an apologetic look. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I whispered, turning to Colt. “What about your investigator? The one trying to dig up dirt on my mom.”
If we could get her to leave, Alister and Patrick would at least lose one of their weapons.
“They’re still digging. They’ve found quite a bit on your mom’s ex,” Colt said.
I frowned. “Ex?”
Colt winced. “Apparently, the moment vamps showed up to whisk Maryanne away, she kicked ole Chuck to the curb.”
“Of course, she did,” I muttered. One glimmer of a new meal ticket and he was toast.
“We need to find proof that she was involved in some of his shadier dealings,” Colt went on.
A heaviness settled in my stomach. “What kinds of shady things?”
Colt was quiet for a moment. “Did you know he dealt drugs?”
I bit the inside of my cheek as I shook my head. “It shouldn’t really be a surprise, though. Maryanne seemed to be imbibing in a variety of substances lately.”
Colt shifted.
“What?” I pressed.
He blew out a breath. “There was a charge of rape in the system. It was dropped. The girl was young and scared. Said she didn’t want to go through with a court case.”
Ice slid through my veins. That poor girl. She must’ve been terrified. My teeth started to chatter. That so easily could’ve been me.
Dash pulled me into his side. “Hey, you’re safe. He can’t touch you.”
Ronan stood, grabbing a blanket and draping it over me. “Should’ve killed that fucker when I had the chance.”
Trace ground his teeth together. “Feeling inspired to make a quick trip to Louisiana.”
“Trips are going to have to wait until later,” Colt clipped. “We need to focus on our enemies here.”
A series of alert sounds went off, and the guys stilled. They all pulled out their phones.
My stomach cramped. “What?”
Colt looked up. “It’s The Assembly. They’re calling you to a meeting.”