Page 47 of Understanding Fate

“Are you sure? Mason could probably handle that,” she tentatively asks, questioning the directive, which gives me pause.

Pres is always a straight shooter; she speaks her mind. Why the hesitation?

“Is there some reason I should be worried about Keith’s skills in this capacity or his allegiances?” I counter, opening the door for her to explain.

“Nope, he can do it. I will contact him and have him on it by the end of the hour,” she says, her voice steady again.

Odd…

“Ok, let me know if anything, and I mean anything, changes,” I say before disconnecting and dialing Quinn.

“Dante Stone’s office. This is Quinn,” she answers.

“Quinn, you know it’s me. Why do you always answer like that?” I ask, grinning for the first time since the trial.

“Because it’s my job to be professional, and it’s my work phone. So yes, Mr. Stone, how can I help you?” Her snark reminds me so much of Pres, and I roll my eyes.

“I need you to call a full council meeting for tomorrow morning. Notify them they will remain on the property for the foreseeable future. Please make sure their on-site rooms are available. I also need full reports of our active pack members, their skill level rankings, and anything we have on Reno’s numbers. I know we pulled this for a risk assessment in the Spring, but we need the most up-to-date information we can get.” I pause giving her time to write down those directions before continuing.

“Please draft a message to all pack members notifying them to increase security around their property lines. Anyone who needs a more fortified position may come back to pack housing. They need to be ready for an attack. I will look the message over in the morning. Also, can you get me a list of our compromised pack members? Injured, disabled, pregnant, under 5, etc.”

“Are we recalling our members who are serving other packs?” she asks, making me consider her question.

“Not yet, but we need to warn them. I don’t want to shorthand our allies, especially since we are the ones who initiated this. Get that rolling, and let me know if anyone fromthe LLC reaches out,” I say, intending to end our call, but her voice interrupts me.

“We received a call a few minutes ago, but you were in the air, so I figured I would notify you when you landed. Alpha Doug Martin requested you call him back. Immediately,” she says, pausing for effect.

“Did he leave a reason?” I ask, fear building at what response they will have.

We planned for this.

“No, but when I refused to give him your personal phone number as he requested, he had a few choice words about my abilities. I’ll spare you those, but just know he isn’t happy with our customer service,” she says, and I hear the smile in her voice.

One of the things I like most about Quinn is her no-nonsense attitude. She handles more clients and Alphas than I can count and doesn’t break a sweat. It’s always impressed me how she holds her own against those more powerful than her.

“Let’s try not to pick fights with everyone today, but thank you for standing your ground. Let me know if it ever crosses a line, and I’ll take care of it,” I say, hoping she knows she doesn’t have to take on these men alone.

“It wouldn’t be a Wednesday if I haven’t been called a bitch a few times,” she says, and I can almost see her shrugging.

“It’s Saturday,” I correct her.

“Same thing. I’ll get that started and see you when you land. Goodbye, Mr. Stone,” she says, hanging up the phone.

There’s so much to do.

We need to be ready for anything because if there's one thing I know about Deacon Marlo, he doesn’t bluff.

Chapter 19

Bri

You’d think I would be used to the surprises by now, and yet, every time I think I’ve found my new normal, I turn around, and my world flips again.

Cain showing up today while I waited for news about the case made me hopeful. I’d thought maybe we’d won, and he was taking me home.

Instead, we are riding in a beat-up Chevy pickup that’s probably as old as I am.

At least the heater works.

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