“Thank you, Max.” Stroking her daughter’s hair, Ruby looked accusingly at her mate. “You told me you were sure the human was long gone.” Her voice shook with suppressed rage.
“We all thought that,” said Sage. “Hugh and the enforcers were sure he was nowhere near our territory.”
“Obviously they were wrong,” Ruby clipped.
“We searched everywhere,” Hugh told her. “Every area, every cave, every possible hiding place you can think of. There wasn’t even a trail to follow.”
Ruby whirled to face Tao. “I want the name of this human who has assassins shooting my daughter!”
Tao lifted his chin. “I don’t think it was him.”
Everyone swung to face Tao, their eyes widening.
“Excuse me?” asked Ruby.
“It makes absolutely no sense that he would ask someone to shoot your daughter,” said Tao.
Hugh exchanged a look with Sage. “Maybe he did it to get at Riley.”
Tao shook his head at the Beta. “He shot at Riley to get at me. Or at least I thought he did. There’s no reason for him to think that shooting Lucy or any other member of this flock would hurt me. The guy’s brother is dying, and he has it in his head that my Alpha female can help. He’s pissed at me because he feels I didn’t heed him. Does it make sense that he would have someone shoot at Riley as a warning to my pack? Yes, it does. Does it make sense that he would have someone shoot Lucy? None at all.”
Ruby clutched the collar of her sweater. “He might mistakenly think Lucy means something to you.”
“And why would he think that?” asked Tao. “I’ve spent no real time with Lucy. What’s more, she’s no one to my Alphas—they’re the people he wants the attention of, not you.”
Hugh rubbed the back of his head. “Who else would shoot at Riley and Lucy?”
Tao raised a brow. “You don’t think it’s odd that, out of all the things this person targeting them could have done, they shot at them? As I understand it, there was only ever one other time a gun was used against your flock members.”
Riley closed her eyes, not liking where she suspected he was going with this. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her raven.
“Wade’s dead,” Ruby whispered.
“But maybe someone feels he didn’t finish his job,” said Tao. “Lucy was supposed to be at that party, wasn’t she?”
Sage nodded, brows knitted. “She was on her way there when the shooting started.”
Ruby jutted out her chin. “No, this is totally unrelated.”
“Where did Wade get the gun?” Tao asked Sage.
“We figured he stole it from one of the humans who go hunting around here,” replied Sage. “But the person who shot Lucy and Riley used a rifle, Wade used a shotgun. He dumped it outside Alec’s house before he shifted and flew off into the mountains. We destroyed it.”
“They’re likely using a rifle because it’s better for shooting long-distance targets.” Tao folded his arms. “Just because it’s not the exact same weapon doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”
Ruby looked from Sage to Tao. “You can’t seriously think one of the flock did this.”
“Why not?” asked Tao. He understood why she wouldn’t want to believe it, but he wouldn’t placate her—they all needed to face the facts so they could take appropriate action. As long as they were blaming the wrong person, no one was safe.
Ruby opened her mouth, but no words came out. She shook her head again. “I won’t believe it.”
“Whatever way you look at this,” began Tao, “it makes no real sense that the human would target your daughter. Riley was right there at the table. He could have just as easily shot her”—the thought made his stomach roll—“but he chose not to. Lucy wasn’t near Riley, so he couldn’t have accidentally shot her. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that two people who should have technically died at the shooting are now being targeted with a weapon similar to what would have killed them that night.” He turned to Riley, who looked a little shell-shocked. “Who else should have been there?”
“Um, Cynthia. Apparently she had a ‘wardrobe crisis’ or something.” Riley looked to Sage for confirmation, and the Alpha nodded.
“Duncan should have been there too,” said Hugh. “And Sawyer.”
“Why weren’t they?” Tao asked.
Hugh shrugged. “I don’t know about Duncan; you’d have to ask him.”
“Sawyer was at our cabin, looking for Riley,” said Max, slumping into an armchair. “They’d just broken up, but he wanted to walk her to the party. I told him she’d already left.”
Ethan nodded. “Then we heard the shots. Normally we’re not alarmed by the sound of gunfire, but”—he swallowed—“we heard the screams, we knew something was wrong.”
Hugh let out a long sigh. “I don’t want to believe that one of our own could do this.”
“Wade was one of yours, and he did it,” Tao pointed out. He didn’t want to be insensitive, but he wouldn’t allow them to bury their heads in the sand.
Sage inhaled deeply. “Tomorrow, Hugh and I will question every member of the flock. We need their whereabouts for tonight and the morning that Ethan was shot. The only people we can be sure had no part in the shootings are in this room.”
Ruby once more shook her head in denial. “I don’t see how it could be anyone in this flock.” She held up her hand when her mate tried to speak. “I don’t want to think about it anymore. I just want to put Lucy to bed.”
Sage hugged his mate. “Then that’s what we’ll do.” He whispered something into her ear; whatever it was made her visibly gather herself.
Tao took Riley’s hand. “We’ll go.”
“I’ll drive you all back home.” Hugh pulled out his car keys. “I doubt anyone’s still out there aiming a rifle—they hit their target, after all, and they’ll be hiding from the enforcers. But it’s best to be safe.”
Ethan grabbed Max by the arm and pulled him to his feet. “Home.”
Max nodded. “Home.”
Hugh first dropped off Ethan and Max, who both warned Tao to “watch over” Riley. Tao picked up on the double meaning: “keep her safe” and “make sure she doesn’t go off alone.” She seemed to have also picked up on the double meaning, because she gave both her uncles a narrow-eyed look.
When Hugh pulled up outside the guest cabin, Tao thanked him for the ride before literally hustling Riley inside. Locking the door, he announced, “We should leave.”
She whirled on Tao. “What?”
“Leave. Tonight.”
She took a step back, shaking her head. “I’m not going anywhere.”
His wolf growled. “Yes, you are,” said Tao, his tone nonnegotiable. He knew he needed to handle this delicately, but he wasn’t a delicate guy. “This situation isn’t what it seemed. You weren’t shot at as a warning; the gunman didn’t deliberately miss. You’ve got a crazy-ass son of a bitch out there shooting at the guests that didn’t show up for Alec’s party. Their bullet did nothing more than graze you, which may not be enough for them. They could try again. We need to leave.”
“Run away, you mean? No way.”
“It’s not running, it’s being smart.”
“I want to find out who shot Ethan and Lucy, and I want their blood. I’m not leaving here until I have it.”
Tao would have ranted and railed at her until he got his way, but the sight of her—pale, confused, hands shaking with suppressed anger—made his heart soften. And not a lot could do that, because he was a hard bastard. “Ethan and Lucy would agree that this isn’t a place you should be right now.”
“Has it occurred to you that you’re wrong and it was the human? That he shot Lucy to scare us into leaving so we’ll be easier to grab?”
Actually, he hadn’t thought of that. It annoyed him that he couldn’t deny it was a possible scenario.
“Either way, Tao, I’m not leaving.”
“Why? What can you do here? You’re not an enforcer. Let
the people responsible for the safety of the flock handle this—that’s their job.”
“Oh, and they’ve done a great job of that so far, haven’t they?” she mocked.
“You can’t find this bastard alone—”
“So help me.” Her voice cracked. She never asked anyone for anything, which was why Tao seemed taken aback by the request. It wasn’t that she was too proud to seek help, rather she liked relying on herself. But this . . . this was different. “I was a mess after the shootings, Tao. I don’t do well with grief, I’m not strong when faced with it.”
The self-condemnation in her voice pissed him off. “That’s not weak, Riley. Of course you find death hard to cope with—it must trigger memories and dredge up all the pain you felt when you lost your parents.”
“You think it was bad the other day when I disappeared in my ‘zone’?” Riley shook her head. “That was nothing compared to how I was after that party.”
“Do you think I’d judge you for that? Hell, you might not have watched all those people get shot at the party, but you were there and you heard it. That would leave anyone a mess.”
“It wasn’t just the victims I was grieving, though, Tao. I was grieving the friend I lost, and I couldn’t even be seen doing it because he’d taken all those lives. It was so hard to watch people hate Wade, to watch them forget that he’d been a victim of their kids all his life. I’m not saying those kids deserved to die. They didn’t, not by any means. But how was it fair that everyone so easily overlooked just how much pain Wade must have been in to get in that state?
“What made it worse was that I didn’t even have the space to grieve because Shirley was harassing me, blaming me for what he did. But Ethan, Max, and Lucy were there for me. They talked with me about the old Wade, looked through his pictures with me, and helped me grieve the person I once knew. They didn’t judge me or try to make me feel bad for grieving a killer. Without them I wouldn’t have coped. I really wouldn’t have. They were there for me when I needed help, so I’ll be damned if I’ll walk away from this and—”
Tao grabbed her nape and pulled her to him, wrapping an arm around her. “Shh,” he soothed, rubbing her back. He wanted to argue with her, talk her into changing her mind, but the pain in her eyes and voice absolutely gutted him. He kissed her temple. “I’ll make you a deal. We’ll stay and we’ll try to find out who did it, but if somebody tries to hurt you again in the meantime, Riley, we go. That’s the deal.”
“And if I don’t agree to go until I’ve made the bastard pay?”
“I’ll shoot you myself and haul your ass home where you’re safe.”
Um, no, he wouldn’t, thought Riley. She wouldn’t be going anywhere until this shit was over, but she decided to keep that to herself. She needed his help. Tao had a sharp mind and a keen eye; he was tireless when in pursuit of something. “Deal.”
She just had to hope she didn’t have to back out of that deal.
CHAPTER TEN
Tao woke to a very pretty view. Riley was sprawled over him in bed, her gorgeous hair fanned out all over his chest. Instantly he remembered last night. Remembered calming her as best he could, remembered taking her to bed and just holding her, remembered waking up at two in the morning to find her trying to edge out of the bed. Tao had coaxed her back to him, talked to her for hours about Lucy, about how close they’d been since childhood. Then he’d taken her soft and slow, drawing the whole thing out for as long as he could. Afterward he’d rolled onto his back, still inside her, and they’d both pretty much crashed.
He didn’t want to wake her—God knew she didn’t get enough sleep as it was—but he had an important call to make. He carefully rolled her onto the bed and slipped out from under the covers. She muttered something into the pillow as her face scrunched up adorably. His chest sort of . . . clenched. He frowned, not sure he liked the sensation.
Grabbing his phone from the nightstand, he made his way into the bathroom and called Trey. Predictably, the Alphas didn’t take the latest news too well.
As Taryn ranted in the background, Trey spoke to Tao. “Ramón denied having anything to do with Riley being shot at, but I didn’t believe him.”
“Why would you? He’s a prick who does tons of illegal shit for a living—not exactly a person whose word means anything.”
“I’m going to send some wolves to you. You need people there you can trust and who can help you work out what the hell happened.”
Tao couldn’t agree more.
“They’ll arrive sometime tomorrow. In the meantime, don’t let Riley go far from your side.”
“Don’t worry; I have no intention of doing that.” Even though her instincts would probably balk at it, especially since she was a dominant female.
“Be on high alert. Suspect everyone.”
Tao smiled. “The latter is pretty automatic for me.”
Ending the call, he did his business and then returned to the bedroom to find Riley gone. After tugging on some jeans, he followed the sounds coming from the kitchen and found her stirring two coffees, wearing nothing but one of his shirts. He came up behind her and snaked his arms around her waist. “Morning,” he said, kissing her neck.
She tilted her head to give him better access. “Morning. You called Trey,” she guessed.
“I did.” Tao turned her to face him and dropped a kiss on her mouth. “He’s sending reinforcements. We need people here we can trust to help us figure out what’s going on.”
“Sounds good.”
He grabbed his coffee off the counter and took a sip. “I need to let Sage know that more wolves will be showing up tomorrow. Before you assure me that you’ll be fine here, know that you’re coming with me. There’s no way I’m leaving you here alone. Huff and stamp your feet if you want—I don’t mind watching your tits jiggle.”
She folded her arms. “I actually wasn’t going to object. I’m not stupid, Tao. Someone means me harm. If I die, I don’t get revenge.”
He sighed. “Only a raven would care more about revenge than their own life.”
“I’ll go speak with Ruby and see how Lucy is doing while you talk with Sage.”
Tao narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like the idea of you out of my sight.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll be in the same building as you.”
Not good enough. Tao curved his hand around her nape. “I know you can take care of yourself, and I know that keeping you close might make you feel suffocated. I don’t want to make you feel that way, but I have to know you’re safe. Just give me this.”
Deliberating on it, she poked her tongue into the inside of her cheek. “Okay. I’ll wait outside the office, where I’ll call Ruby. She’s not going to let me in the room while Lucy’s vulnerable anyway.”
Tao kissed her again. “I can live with that.”
An hour later Hugh escorted Tao into Sage’s spacious mahogany office. It was very old-fashioned, with antique bookcases, a double-pedestal desk, and a vintage leather office chair.
Instead of leaving, the Beta leaned against the window at the right of Sage’s desk—a supportive move. Tao came to a halt in the center of the room, standing solidly and at the ready. The Alpha sat at his desk chair before him, looking tired.
“Tao, I can guess why you’re here,” said Sage with a weary sigh. “I can assure you that my attention is focused on finding out who shot at Riley and my daughter. Hugh and I will be interviewing each member of the flock today—not accusing them of anything, simply asking questions that may help. I am ruling no one out at this point.”
“Good, but I didn’t come here to ask how you plan to deal with this.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve come to notify you that my Alphas are sending some wolves here. They’ll arrive sometime tomorrow.” Tao noticed Hugh stiffen in his peripheral vision.
Fingers digging into the arms of the chair, Sage pushed to his feet. “Now hold on a damn minute. If you want to bring outsiders here, you ask permission.”
>
“The only permission I’ll ever seek is that of my Alphas. They’re the only people I’ll ever answer to.” Though, truth be told, Trey would have snorted at that comment and claimed that Tao was too single-minded to answer to anyone but himself. According to Trey it was one of the reasons he’d named Tao Head Enforcer. The Alpha didn’t want blind obedience, he wanted people who were decisive and wouldn’t fold under the weight of Trey’s dominance.
Face reddening, Sage said, “This is my territory and my flock.”
“Let me ask you a question. Do you have a single suspect?”
Sage averted his eyes. “No.”
“That’s a lie,” said Tao. “You know who it could be, but you don’t want to believe any of your flock could possibly be responsible. It’s understandable. It also gives you too many blind spots. Outsiders won’t have that problem. They’ll be able to look at the matter objectively. You’ll benefit from having them here.”
Hugh pushed away from the window. “He could be right, Sage.”
“I don’t need the help of outsiders,” Sage insisted, Alpha energy radiating from him.
Tao stood tall and strong against the dominant vibes. He didn’t fold under Trey’s and he wouldn’t fold under Sage’s, so the Alpha raven needn’t think he’d make Tao submit to his wishes. “You can guarantee Riley’s safety? Really?” Doubt was heavy in every syllable.
“I know you’re worried for her,” said Sage, “but it doesn’t give you leave to show such disrespect.”
Clearly the Alpha was mistaking Tao for someone who gave a shit about the feelings of anyone outside his pack. “This isn’t about respect, so set aside your ego’s need for it for just a minute. I’m not questioning how long your proverbial dick is. None of that is important to me. Riley’s important to me. Her safety is my priority and, considering you believe her to be one of your flock, it should be yours too.”
“She is part of my flock. You’re not the only one who cares for her. I want this person caught too. They shot my daughter. If it hadn’t been for Max, she might well be dead. Knowing someone from the flock could be the shooter . . . it’s hard.”