Page 109 of All In

“I’m sorry?” Ranger frowns, his brow wrinkling.

“The two of you are terrible communicators, but only with each other.” Tanner laughs, wrapping his arm around my lower back. “Which is kinda wild, considering you’re supposedly a soul match.”

I twist my head to check his face for clues that indicate the thought upsets him.

I don’t even know how he heard about that conversation, unless Ranger told him.

Tanner kisses my temple, and his amusement pulses in the bond. “She and Locke fucked a few months ago. There was alcohol involved, and Laken forgot about the whole thing.”

Ranger growls. “Consent is dubious when?—”

“No, stop,” I snap, jabbing a finger at his chest. “Look at it this way. I no longer have any concern regarding what you do with Will. Do your worst.”

“Really?” His head tilts as his interest in all the new possibilities he just gained access to hits the bond.

“He’s such a psycho. He just went from angry to intrigued in two seconds flat.” Tanner chuckles. “God, it’s weird when his emotions spill over to me in the bond.”

“We need to collect your other alpha from his family meeting and leave immediately if we intend to make your doctor’s appointment,” Ranger says, nodding toward the door.

“How are you doing with that new piece of information?” I try to feel him out in the bond, but after his excitement fades, it’s basically impossible to pick out what he’s thinking or feeling.

“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” His forehead wrinkles, and he glances between me and Tanner.

“Okay, good.” I step out of Tanner’s hold to reassure my stoic alpha. I wrap my arm around Ranger’s middle, and we walk into the living room.

“We need to talk,” Bless says as soon as we make it three steps inside the room.

“No,” Ranger says, shaking his head. “Laken has an appointment that she can’t miss.” He looks at Locke. “If you’re coming, I recommend following us out to the car.”

“Yeah, I’m not missing that.” His dark eyes sparkle as they meet mine.

“Fine,” Bless concedes. “Fill them in, and we can speak when you get back.”

Ranger looks at the two women like they’re insane. He finally sighs, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Maverick and Gunner will keep you company while we’re gone.”

Tanner drives, Locke ends up in the passenger seat, and Ranger and I are in the middle row of the SUV.

“What’s the issue?” Ranger asks, glaring at the side of Locke’s head.

“Bless plays friendly with the family, but she hates them at least as much as I do,” Locke says. “It’s all part of her long-game strategy. Apparently, my family has begun battening down the hatches. They’re pulling everyone in and attempting to take stock of what the hell is happening. It just so happens that Braxton was Will’s contact in the Barrett family. Now that both Will and Braxton are missing…”

“They believe you took them out,” Ranger says. “You’ve disappeared from Chicago, so they can wonder and make assumptions, but it’s unlikely they’ll tie you to us.”

“I guess that’s the best we can hope for, under the circumstances,” Locke says.

“And what does your cousin want to discuss?” Ranger asks.

“She wants assistance helping some woman escape my middle brother,” Locke says, glancing out his window. “I think it’s unwise. It would lead to Avan having a literal shit fit.”

“Why?” Ranger probes.

“They have a kid together, which I didn’t know until Bless passed that piece of information on. They aren’t together, from my understanding, but she’s stuck in his realm. She was giving Bless inside information, but with everyone on high alert, my cousin hasn’t been able to verify that she’s okay.”

My chest gets tight.

That sounds terrible. Hopefully, she’s safe from any of the awful stuff Locke’s family is involved in.

If she and Locke’s brother have a child together…

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