Page 31 of Resurgence of the Pack

‘She said I need to find Farrier or I won’t survive the year.’

The car swerved a bit as Greg glared at me. I had omitted telling him that part. Whoops.

‘Dammit,’ Jess muttered. ‘Okay, we can’t risk that. I’m going to find out where he is and give you an address, but when you go to see him you need to be low key. Just you and Manners. And don’t tell anyone his location, don’t tell anyone you’re seeing him. I’m breaking a trust here, and I’m not happy about it.’

‘I promise,’ Ivowed solemnly. ‘No one will find out his location from me.’

‘Or the fact he’s still alive,’ Jess pressed.

‘Or that,’ I agreed.

‘He’s living under an alias. I’ll text it to you. Lucy … be safe.’

‘I’m working on it,’ I said drolly. ‘Love you.’

‘Love you, Luce. Speak soon. I’ll text the address now.’ She rang off. Moments later my phone pinged with a name, Cain Stilwell, and an address. I plugged it into my phone: it was a two-hour drive away and we needed to drop off Ben and Noah.

‘Mansion first,’ I said to Greg. ‘Then you and I are taking a drive.’

He flashed me a grin. ‘It’s road-trip time, Peaches.’

‘I’m coming with you,’ Ben said firmly.

‘No, you’re not,’ I replied equally firmly. ‘I need you and Rohan and Noah here. I need you to schmooze with our guests, Tarkers and Wakado – and Denby should be arriving soon, too. I need you to keep everyone happy. Make friends, Ben.’

He grimaced but nodded reluctantly. Like me, Ben was a Grade-A schmoozer. He was used to socialising at work events and he also needed somethingto keep him busy. And I needed someone to keep an eye on my guests whilst I went off on a frolic with Greg to find a dead man.

It was win-win.

Chapter 17

The atmosphere around the mansion was tense. A team of witches was working on Nina and David was helping them out, running around with ladders so they could rune across the breadth of the ever-growing structure. I couldn’t spot Amber amongst the swarm but I could see her in the organised and synchronised movements of the witches. They worked like a well-oiled machine. Nina would be safer than ever by the time they were done which – judging by the sheer volume of runes already present – would be soon.

Satisfied, I turned back to the mansion. Leaning against the front door were Maxwell and Grandy. Neither looked happy. ‘Hey,’ I greeted my family lightly. ‘What’s up?’

‘What’s up is that you were attacked by a fire elemental,’ Grandy growled.

Maxwell folded his arms. ‘You need to claim your heritage.’

I raised aperfectly shaped eyebrow. ‘Claim my heritage how exactly?’

‘The Alessandro name. It’s time you started using it.’

I bristled. ‘I’m not abandoning my roots as a Barrett.’ Even if it did feel like my father had abandoned me.

Maxwell looked at me flatly, ‘I’m not saying that, but why not double-barrel? Lucy Alessandro-Barrett.’

I chewed on my thumb as I considered it. ‘Why Alessandro first?’

‘Alphabetical,’ he said blandly.

‘Uh-huh. And you know that people will be too lazy to say the whole thing and I’ll end up just being called Alessandro.’

Maxwell gave a one-shouldered shrug, ‘I’m not responsible for other people’s choices or actions.’

‘Yet you’re trying to inform mine,’ I shot back dryly.

He flashed me a boyish grin, winked then slung an arm around my shoulders. ‘That’s different. You’re my cous – I’msupposedto take care of you.’

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