Page 52 of Deadly Wolf Bite

“I’ll take the car. You have the day off.”

“I’m not sure the alpha?—”

“Feel free to report me. But you’re no longer needed.” My voice is firm with only the barest hint of alpha power in it.

Elio blinks then nods. “Yes, sir.” He steps away from the door and strides off toward the parking garage.

I look back at Lexi. “Want to ride up front this time?”

“Sure.”

I round the car and hold the passenger door open for her. Then I slide into the driver’s seat. The engine’s still running, so I don’t waste any time before easing back into traffic. Elio will have told the other guards I ordered him to let us leave alone, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try to follow us anyway, especially if they’re loyal to my father.

I drive strategically for almost half an hour to make sure we’ve lost any tails before heading to our destination. Lexi is quiet and contemplative. I try to read her mood, but I can’t sense anything more than low anxiety humming off her.

When she finally looks up and notes where we are, her expression turns wary. “What are we doing here?”

“I need to grab something before we head over to meet the others,” I tell her. “You want to come inside with me?”

Through the car window, she studies the warehouse. I know she must be thinking about the first time I brought her here. A visit that ended in me killing Trucker, an informant for Franco. After what she just went through, I hate asking her to come into a place that holds nothing but bad memories, but I also have no intention of leaving her out here alone.

“Promise you’re not going to kill anyone in there?” she jokes.

I laugh, though it’s not funny. “I promise. Come on.”

She takes my hand and lets me lead her through the side door we used last time. I flip a switch on the wall to get the lights blinking on overhead. The place looks the same as always. Dusty concrete walls, aging and empty. Forgotten. The perfect off-grid place for our various needs.

The warehouse belongs to Vincenzo Diavolo, but even he’s forgotten it.

I stop in front of a narrow door at the end of the passageway. Inside, I find a mop and bucket along with a few random cleaning supplies left over from another era. The bottles of disinfectant shove aside easily, and I feel for the catch along the wall beneath the empty aluminum shelving.

Click.

I pull open the compartment and grab the hard case from its hiding place in the wall. There’s a duffel bag behind it, but I don’t take that with me. No need to. Yet.

“Nice hiding spot,” Lexi says.

I grab her hand, squeezing for emphasis. “If something happens to me, take this bag and follow the instructions inside.”

“What?” Her amusement turns to worry.

“The duffel,” I say, pointing at it before closing the compartment again. “See this spot here.” I grab her hand and position it over the catch along the wall. “This will open the compartment. Got it?”

I shake my head. “Grey, you’re being ridiculous. Nothing’s going to happen to you.”

“But if it does,” I insist.

She studies me, clearly noting my seriousness. “What’s in the bag?”

“Instructions,” I say again.

“How would I get through the wards?” she asks.

“The less you know, the better. For now. Don’t look inside until you’re ready to use it, okay?”

She doesn’t look convinced, but she says, “Okay.”

Shaking off my darkening thoughts, I push the compartment back into place until it clicks shut. Then I step back and close the closet door. “Ready?”

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