Page 5 of Understanding Fate

Stuffy business people probably don’t look out at the scenery when they drive.

A loud bang into the door on the far side of the car has me immediately defensive before the driver's door opens, and in climbs, someone I never thought I would see again.

“We gotta stop meeting like this, City.”

Son of a bitch.

Chapter 2

Ghost

It’s a miracle this girl is alive. Her sense of self-preservation must be on vacation because she just got back from being kidnapped over a pack battle, and now here we are, getting into the back of an SUV with a member of the Providence Pack. The pack, I’m assuming, took on the seven hundred fifty thousand dollar kidnapping contract that came out this morning. The one that sent me on this damn trip to begin with.

Reno submitted the contract through a third party I often work with. In the messaging, Reno was vague about the target and the location. Had I not reached out to an old contact, I would never have had any details about it.

So much for not getting involved.

When I see her waiting in the passenger pick-up, I know something has happened to her original ride. She would’ve had a ride set up otherwise. A quick circle around the area found him with a broken neck next to a dumpster with no identification and stinking of wolf. It still amazes me how they never try to cover their scent. They may not have my abilities, but there are a million ways to cover the tracks of a shifter.

Once I knew her ride was no longer in commission, I hustled back to the loading area to find her engaged in a conversation with Jett Dargis, the head enforcer for the Providence pack and Connor Saint’s protégée.

The growl that escaped my throat at the sight of him almost gave my location away. I had to push back my anger and focus on the rules. Keep emotions out of it.

Rule #2: Never let it get personal.

Emotion gets you dead.

While I had never met Jett in person, his reputation preceded him. He was quickly promoted in the Providence pack after a series of accidents took out those with higher ranks. Two deaths may have been a coincidence, but when seven people have that much bad luck in under a year, everyone takes notice. The Providence Pack Alpha, Tobias Ash, rewarded Jett’s enthusiasm for the role, and the packs in the surrounding areas have had problems ever since.

I wonder what he’s doing on a catch-and-release for less than a million dollars?

Whatever his motives, this isn’t good for Bri. Which means this isn’t good for me.

Over the last decade, every job I’ve taken, every contract secured, was in an effort to prevent the one future that still matters to me—My Mate. Every one of my visions leads me to her death. Well, every vision until I met Bri.

One chance encounter in the woods, and the visions have changed. The future has changed. Bri is the key to saving my Mate. All I have to do is keep her alive long enough to find the door.

Shaking my head, I refocus on the interaction to gauge Bri’s response. Her smile and the tension that releases from her shoulders instantly tell me she will follow his million-watt smile right into another kidnapping.

Damnit, City!

I look across the area, only to find that her bodyguard is no longer in the room.

What the actual fuck?

My protective instincts flare, and I’m moving before I can second guess it.

Avoiding the open areas of the room, I follow them out, keeping enough distance to stay undetected. The snow-covered ground outside has them moving slowly to the side lot, filled with company vehicles.

He must have checked out the vehicle first to ensure its location and that the chauffeur didn’t have another passenger because he guides her right to the SUV and presses the button to unlock it. I remain in the shadows and wait patiently until I have him alone.

Once Bri is loaded into the car, he pauses to do a cursory scan of the lot, his eyes lingering an extra moment on the alley where the body is stashed.

Sloppy work, Jett.

This is why I work alone.

The only person I can count on is me. If my training taught me anything, it’s that little mistakes become big mistakes, so if you take care of the small shit, the bigger shit is less likely.

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