Page 19 of Understanding Fate

Copy. When she leaves tonight, let your guys know they’re off duty. She’s staying with me. I’ll have her back at 8 a.m. tomorrow.

Cain will want to know where she is.

Then he should have told her the truth two months ago, and his Mate bond would have been in place, and none of us would be here.

You aren’t wrong. Glad to have you back working with us.

I’m not back.

You sure have a funny way of showing it.

I bite my cheek at his message.

I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be getting involved. But ever since I saw Brielle’s future, everything changed. The visions changed. Fate changed.

If there’s one thing I know about The Fates, second chances don’t come around often.

She doesn’t know it yet, but Brielle is the only one who can reset the balance.

Walking back to the main street, I step out of the shadows and pull back my hood, allowing Carter and Nyxon to see me. Their eyes snap to mine, and I see their expressions change from feigned disinterest to alert to gawking in a matter of moments.

Typically, I wouldn’t have revealed myself before leaving, but they need to know the importance of this mission.

After I allow them the time to process who I am, I raise an eyebrow at Carter and point at the restaurant. He nods, understanding my silent question.

You got her?

I return the gesture and pull my hood back on before disappearing into the alley. I have four hours until I need to be back at Boston Digital to pick her up.

Four hours to find Saint’s stronghold in Boston.

It’s time to put my focus back on the Fallon Project.

Chapter 8

Bri

Lunch with Tris, Genny, Duncan, and Marie was perfect. I got the inside scoop on their favorite things to do around Boston, and I heard stories about the company's Fourth of July party, which apparently lasted until two in the morning and nearly caught two people on fire.

Duncan, the company’s media network liaison, reenacted the event, which had half the restaurant staring at us while we tried to stop laughing. By the time we head back to the office, my worries about kidnapping contracts and life as a wolf are a distant memory.

By one o’clock, I’m energized with newfound motivation. I’ve got ideas for current and future clients bouncing around, and I’ve started scribbling down notes to bring up tomorrow with a few of the associates I met with today.

The conference room is large and easily accommodates the twenty-two staff members. Sixteen chairs are poised around the table, and another ten are along the walls. I sit against the wall nearest the far corner and prepare a new notebook page.

Ethan sits at the head of the table farthest from me, and to my surprise, Vince attends the meeting, sitting at the foot of the table closest to me.

“Good afternoon, everyone!” Ethan begins, cool charisma pouring from him as he quickly gains the room's attention. “Thank you for making time for us to meet today. We have a few items to hit on our agenda today, so please make sure you have the documents either open on your devices or grab a copy from the table by the door so we are all on the same page here.”

“Before we start, I’d like to introduce Brielle DelaCourt. She comes to us from Las Vegas, Nevada, through the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and we are desperately trying to convince her to join our citizenship and sustainability team. Please give her a warm welcome today.”

Applause fills the room as the smiling faces turn my way.

“Thank you,” I say, waving quietly, wishing I could fade into the background.

He quickly shifts the meeting focus back to the agenda items. Watching the staff interact tells me everything I need to know about how this company operates. Everyone has a voice. Everyone is valued.

It’s too good to be true.

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