Page 69 of Blades of Ice

“I see.” Heather’s shoulders slumped. “When we were in high school, Chloe was at my house a lot. She didn’t have to study to make good grades, but I did. Whenever I was working on a report or doing homework, she’d hang out with Orson. They bonded over some stupid reality show. Later, when you and I got together, I’d come home and find her there. She always said she was waiting around to hang out with me, but now I’m not so sure if they didn’t have something going on.”

Beck took a sip of coffee then admitted, “I doubt it. She was in love with you.”

“What? No, we were friends.”

“To you, but to her, you were the love of her life.”

“That’s not… Oh, goddess.” Heather stared at her coffee. When she looked back up, there were tears in her eyes.

“Back to Boyd. What happened there and with the listening devices?” Lydia asked.

Heather wiped the wetness off her face with one hand. “Chloe must have gotten tired of waiting for her father to agree, since she offered Orson a quarter of a million to get rid of Amara, but he said he wouldn’t do it for less than half a million. He said since she’d offered him the business, she could sell it if she didn’t have that kind of money. After that, she told him to update his travel documents, and she would get back to him when she was ready to make a move. In the meantime, Boyd did some odd jobs to make money so he could get to Sterling.”

“Why Sterling?” Lydia asked.

“He didn’t want Chloe to see him in Seward. I came with him, planning to warn Delaney. Chloe might have been my best friend, but I was close with Delaney too, and there’s no way I could sit back and let Chloe kill her, especially since she’s pregnant. Tate rented the house and car for Boyd in his mother’s name since Boyd’s credit is shit. Tate remained in BC listening in on my father’s calls, then he would relay messages to us.”

“Why would Tate help Boyd when his mother kicked Boyd to the curb?”

“Because he’s a good male. Most of the ones in our pack are. Males tend to stick together since they’re lower in hierarchy.” Heather cut her eyes to Beck but looked away quickly. Lydia wondered if the female regretted not coming to Alaska with him. “Besides, Chloe wasn’t merely plotting to overthrow her mother. She was going to kill Delaney too. Boyd went to see Delaney, but you already know that. He warned her about Orson and Chloe, but she didn’t believe him. As much as we tried to get ahead of them, my father got to Amara first, and then Chloe disappeared.Delaney contacted Boyd after she sent you to look for Amara. That was the right call since you took care of them both.”

“How do you know that?” Lydia asked.

“Boyd received a message. At first, he thought it was from Tate, but Tate assured him he didn’t send it. Delaney mentioned early on that Beck knew Boyd was in Sterling, so Tate had him search the house for listening devices, which he found. That meant someone had the same type of expertise with technology as Tate. Anyway, the message said the baby bear would no longer be eating porridge, and that her accomplice would never bother the Black Canary again.”

Beck hummed. “That explains why the two of you left the house to talk.”

Heather gasped. “And how do you know that?”

“You found the bugs, but you missed the cameras we installed outside.”

Scrubbing a hand down her face, Heather sighed. “That tracks. Are we done here? I was on my way to offer my condolences to Delaney before heading to Anchorage.”

Lydia set her cup down and picked up the sai. “I would say I’m sorry for killing your father, but I’m not. It was him or me. Since you’re leaving, what are Boyd’s plans?”

Heather eyed the weapon and swallowed hard. “With Chloe and my father dead, I’m not needed here any longer. Boyd’s only in Sterling until the money runs out unless Delaney offers to help him.”

Lydia changed the sai from ice to metal, and twirled it a few times. “Maybe Delaney should hire him as a bodyguard until we find Amara.”

“You think she’s still alive?”

“I do.” Beck took his empty cup to the sink, then stepped behind Lydia, wrapping his arms around her waist. Heather downed the rest of her coffee and pushed away from the wall.

“I’m happy for you both, and I wish you luck finding the Empress. If you have no more questions, I have a plane to catch.”

“We’ll drive you back,” Lydia offered.

“No thanks. I’ll call for a ride.”

Beck kept his arms around Lydia as he moved them out of the way. Heather darted past with her eyes on the weapon. She opened the door, but before she walked out, she looked at Lydia and raised her chin. “You’ve got a good one.”

“The best.”

Heather inclined her head, then she was gone.

Beck turned Lydia in his arms and kissed her hard. When he pulled away, he said, “Let’s go find my mother so we can get on with our lives.”

After emptying the coffee pot, they got in the rental and stopped at the store before making their way to where the helo was waiting. Beck parked in one of Sagan’s reserved spots with him waving at several workers. He and Lydia hauled their gear to the bird, and instead of the portable wheels like she had back at the warehouse, Beck used a towing frame to get the craft out of the hangar and onto the tarmac. With Seward being a busy port town, he called the flight tower. They didn’t have to wait long for clearance, and then they were off. The view from the sky was breathtaking, and it was only less awe-inspiring than the male sitting next to her. It would have made more sense for Lydia to remain at the rental, allowing Beck to search in his fur, but after being apart for two weeks, she hadn’t offered, and Beck hadn’t mentioned it. While tromping through snow again wasn’t on her list of things she wanted to do, she’d endure it if it meant being with her mate.

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