Page 51 of The Runaway Mate

“Mattie Bowster? She owns the convenience store on Russell?”

Carson nodded. “I always stop at her shop for supplies before I head up.”

I sighed. “I gotta say, Carson, you don’t have a lot of information for me to go on.”

His smile was bitter. “Don’t I know it. What happens now?”

I looked up at Derek, sitting across from me, close enough to Carson, in case he made a run for it or tried to attack me. “Keep Carson here, under lock and key, until we find out more. I don’t like this. I think it’s best if we keep an eye on Carson for his safety.”

Carson watched me, a quiet resignation etched on his face. His gaze held an understanding of the gravity of the situation, the wolf in him recognizing the Pack’s need for the truth.

“You have my word, Carson. We won’t stop digging. We’ll find the truth. This isn’t over.”

The Alpha’s house always had a cage room. No matter what the issue—a rogue werewolf, a man-eater, a grieving werewolf, a teen who didn’t know how to control themselves, or an older wolf letting off steam that got out of hand—the Alpha was the best person to contain them. Ours had been updated since Oliver’s time and now housed an impressive array of steel cages, padded walls and floors. Everything was built to withstand the strength and power of the most stubborn werewolves while also being comfortable and calming for the confused and distressed.

I waited while Derek locked Carson inside.

Derek looked grim as he came back into the dining room, and we headed outside. My boots crunched the gravel underfoot as we left Jem’s house.

Derek broke the silence first, his voice a low rumble. “So?”

"Did you check with Mattie?"

Derek nodded. "No one else was in her store when Carson was there and she didn't mention it to anyone."

I shot him a sidelong glance. “You think he did it?”

“Carson’s been with us for years. We’ve seen what he is and isn’t capable of. I’ve worked next to him for the last year. He’s not our guy.”

“Agreed."

"So, what now?”

“Any news on the victims?”

“Paul Abbotsford and Kaz Wheston. Both nineteen. Graduated together from the human-Shifter high school in Bridgetown. Known to run dodgy deals with both humans and Shifters. Drugs mostly.”

“They could have pissed off one of their suppliers. Had an argument with a client. Lots of motives. Any connection to Carson?”

“None that I’ve found.”

“Keep digging. In the meantime, we need to talk to the witness.”

He quirked a brow at me. “We might be able to get in and talk to people in Bridgetown, but there is no way Michael’s going to let us talk to the witness. Especially not if this whole thing is a setup.”

I shrugged. “We’ll need to go around him.”

Derek stared at me, not saying a word.

“It’ll mean war if Michael finds out,” he eventually said.

“The other option is to hand over Carson. It’d be a death sentence. What do you want to do?”

He was silent for a while, staring at the Alpha house with a thoughtful expression. Then, without turning his gaze, he said, “He’s Pack. We protect our own. If there’s a chance to clear Carson’s name, we have to take it. And if it means marching into that prick’s den, then so be it.”

The conviction in his voice made me smile, but even more than that, it was the undercurrent of compassion for Carson that struck me. Derek, for all his military hardness, carried a deep empathy for his Packmates.

“I knew there was a reason I kept you around,” I teased as we got in my car and I pulled out into the street. His lips twitched upwards in a grin.

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