Page 14 of The Alpha's Grave Secrets

“Alright big man, that’s enough. You’ve been warned already tonight. It’s time for you to leave,” the security guard says.

“But that bitch threw her drink on me; this is a thousand-dollar suit!” The man’s eyes narrow on the woman as he lowers his voice to a growl, “You will pay for this.”

“Not tonight, she won’t,” the security guard says, pulling him away toward the exit.

Bruce and I hang on the sidelines, tense and ready to jump in if need be. After a minute or two outside, the security guard returns to the woman’s side, asking, “Are you alright, Miss?”

“Fine,” she offers a smile even though she’s trembling, “thank you.”

“Why don’t you head over to the bar and get a replacement drink on the house? When you are ready to leave, let us know, and we will get you a cab home.”

Now I can see why these women like this bar.There are creeps all over the place, but it’s not often that an establishment makes it a priority to protect their female patrons.Which would make it even more menacing if this were the source of the abductions.

I look over at Bruce, whose jaw is clenched as he sweeps his eyes around the bar. He must be thinking the same thing.

“Hey,” I say to the security guard who kicked out the sexual harasser, “do you tend to have issues like that in here a lot?”

“Here and there,” the man says, “we get to them fast, and if someone becomes a known problem, they are blacklisted. We must keep the kind of atmosphere that beautiful women want to be in because, according to the owner, that’s the kind of place rich men want to come and spend lots of money in.” He puffs out his chest.

“Good to know. Do you have a list of these blacklisted men?”

“There’s a wall of photos around the corner from the bar,” he says, a little deflated.

I nod at Bruce, who heads over to take photos of the blacklisted patrons. It’s not likely, but maybe someone is out for personal revenge. The security guard returns to his post, surveying the bar with a careful eye.

If Jackson isn’t the killer, who could be? Are we focusing our energy on the wrong place?

Chapter 8

Kato

“There’s no way Jackson Hughes is holding anyone in that apartment without his neighbors,

or the revolving harem of women he seems to keep around, finding out.” Gun offers up.

“Could he own a different location where he keeps the women?” Callie asks, looking at Gun.

“It’s possible, but Jackson isn’t our guy. He’s a dick, and I’d love to lock him up because we know he’s got violent tendencies, but he’s not our man.” I add.

“You’re sure?” I nod. “Great, so we are back to having absolutely nothing.” Callie says, twisting a lock of her hair, “We need to talk to Elara again.”

My heart races at the thought, and before I can stop myself, my voice is raised, and I am snapping at Callie: “Why are you so dead set on harassing Elara? You don’t typically want to drag our victims through hell and back repeatedly. What’s different this time? “

Gun lets out a low, disapproving whistle, and Bruce raises an eyebrow. Hati sits back, hardly affected by my outburst as if he’d been expecting something like this anytime now. Knowing him, he probably already figured out the sad song and dance between Elara and me.

“That’s, I- that’s not what I’m trying to do,” Callie’s brows knit together, and her cheeks flush.

“Kato didn’t mean that. He’s just a little sensitive about Elara. Protective. He’s about to be honest now and tell us all why. Aren’t you?” Gun says without a hint of trepidation.

He’s right, it’s time to fess up.

It’s late, and there’s no one else in the office, certainly not anyone who would understand the implications of what I’m about to say. Yet I lower my voice so much that my team must strain to hear me even with their enhanced hearing.

“Elara isn’t just an old friend or old girlfriend. She’s my mate,” Callie winces. “I’ve known her my whole life. We were best friends and childhood sweethearts. The mating bond hit us like a truck when we were old enough. Boy, I thought I was the luckiest man alive, but things don’t always go how you picture them. She broke things off with me years ago when I decided to join the service.”

Callie’s heart beats too fast, and her eyes are wide as saucers, tears rimming her bottom lash line. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“I didn’t want you to know, any of you, because I need to be on this case.”

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