Page 14 of Jasper

“Thanks, guys.”

“How long is the drive? When do we leave?” Alfie asked.

“About three hours. Since I haven’t been there in seven years, I’m going to have Melody sketch out the layout just to make sure things haven’t changed. We’ll leave in time to get there after dark so we can get in and out without detection.”

That was the plan, anyway.

The males all nodded.

He took them into the employee cafeteria and introduced them to Melody. He was glad to see she’d eaten something, but she still looked scared and tired.

And pissed.

Indio grabbed a tablet of paper and some pens from a drawer in the kitchen area and brought them over to the table. Jasper pulled off a piece of yellow paper and slid it across the table.“Draw the layout as best as you can around the prison. How many people did you actually see?”

She clicked the pen. “Um, I saw a couple taking Jeremy and his mate out of their house, and then there were at least two people in our house while I was hiding in the cellar.”

She was smart. She’d hidden and waited until it was safe to leave.

He watched as she sketched on the paper, making notes in her chicken scratch.

He wasnotpaying attention to the curve of her jaw or the way she pursed her lips when she concentrated.

Deliberately turning his gaze away from her, he talked to his friends about the trip and what they might encounter in the small wolf-only town of Northbelle.

After Melody had finished the map, it was clear that not much had changed in the time he’d been away.

“Let’s meet at seven,” Jasper said to his friends. “That will give us time to load up and get on the road, and should put us in Northbelle after ten. We’ll scout, finalize our plan, and get the hell out of there.”

“That works,” Lucius said.

He said goodbye to his friends, then turned to face Melody, who was still seated.

“I’ve got a place for you to stay, come on.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. There’s an apartment complex at the back of the park, and I’ve got the keys to one of them so you have a place to clean up and rest.”

He walked to the kitchen and grabbed sandwiches and drinks to stock the refrigerator in the apartment, then met her at the door.

“Just so we’re clear,” he said, looking down at her, “I’m not planning to get involved in any kind of battle between the high-ranked males and this Ludo guy. I will get your dad and mom free, and they can set the others free on their own. Then I’m walking away with my friends, period.”

She blinked up at him, her brow furrowed.

She looked away. “He’s counting on you. But I knew that was a bad idea.”

The door opened as she pushed it with a huff and trudged away. He caught up to her quickly, letting her words hang between them.

It made his skin itch to not talk to her. Or hold her hand. Or ask how she was doing.

Mostly, his brain wanted to explode with the need to find out why she didn’t reach out to him all these years.

By the time they reached the apartment complex, the sun was up fully and neither of them had said a word.

Using the key, he unlocked the door to a first-floor apartment and opened it, feeling inside for the switch and turning on the overhead light in the living room.

He let her inside and followed, putting the food and drinks in the refrigerator.

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