Page 11 of Protected By Artemis

“How did it get that…?” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Never mind. But what exactly are you doing here?”

“I thought shifters had good hearing?” she challenged. “Or is this a memory problem? You said we were meeting first thing in the morning, remember?”

“I recall saying those words…to Xavier.” Circling the large oak desk by the window, he sat down on the worn leather chair. “You should go before he gets here.”

“Excuse me? Go?” She walked over to the front of his desk. “I’m supposed to be helping you find out who blew up your barn.”

He turned to his computer monitor and tapped on a few keys, the screen lighting up. “I didn’t think you were serious about that.”

“And why would you think I wasn’t serious?”

“We don’t need your help. This is pack business.” His gaze remained fixed on the screen.

“Then why did you say ‘let’s work on this together’?”

Cade blew out an impatient breath. “Because I didn’t want Geri to worry. And as I said, I didn’t think your kind would be interested in what goes on outside Olympus.”

Our kind?

“Now, that’s just silly.” When he didn’t look up, she rapped her knuckles on the desktop. “Don’t you think I love Geri asmuch as you do? I promised her I would stay and help, and I would never break my promise. Besides, how do you think Geri will react when I go to her and tell her you won’t let me help? She’ll insist on coming back right away.”

His head snapped up, those emerald green eyes once again holding her hostage. “Alright. I guess you can stay for the meeting.”

“Of course I can.” She sat down on one of the chairs in front of his desk, and this time, she stared right back at him, refusing to be the one to break their eye contact first.

A knock on the door made them both start. “Come in,” Cade called out.

“Alpha, I—oh, apologies. I didn’t realize you weren’t alone.” Xavier glanced at the whiteboard and then at Cade. “Am I interrupting?”

“No, you weren’t.” The Alpha gestured to the chair next to Artemis. “The lady Artemis will be joining us.”

The shifter nodded at her in acknowledgement, then sat down.

Cade folded his hands together. “Did you find anything new?”

“Not much more than what I’ve already told you last night,” Xavier began. “Just a few more key pieces of information and evidence that only solidifies the fact that this bombing was deliberate. The bomb was likely hidden in the decorations that arrived yesterday morning.”

“And how did we miss that?”

Xavier continued. “Hannah said there was nothing unusual about them except that an extra two rolls of burlap had arrived. When we checked with her supplier, they said that someone had called them the day before and canceled the entire order.”

“And someone else sent the bomb, concealed in the burlap,” Cade concluded. “Any more leads on that?”

“Working on it. Checked out the van from our security cameras, but they’re our usual courier. I called them, and they’re working on finding out who sent it.”

“If it’s a professional job, I doubt they’ll leave a trace. But, good job. We will need every piece of evidence we can to prove this was a deliberate act. It’s the only way we won’t get any blowback from the other packs.”

“Blowback?” Artemis piped in. “Blowback from what?”

“When we get justice for what they’ve done.” Cade’s tone was deadly.

“You mean when you report them to the police, right?” The question was met with silence. “You can’t mean?—”

“Shifters have their own brand of justice.” Cade’s expression turned hard as steel and just as cold. “When one pack wrongs another, they can seek retribution without getting the human authorities involved.”

Artemis swallowed, thinking of what retribution could mean.

“Too much for you, my lady?” Cade inquired, his face remaining stoic. “Perhaps you should rethink?—”

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