Page 123 of Wolf

Her eyes brighten and she crawls into the bed as I change the channel. While she gets comfortable, I nibble my lip before asking, “Mir? Do you know Rose?”

Collapsing against the pillows with a sigh, she says, “Duke’s sister? I mean I know of her, but I’ve never met her. Why?”

Sister. Okay, this I can handle. Waving my hand, I mumble, “No reason.”

Soon we’re knee-deep in vampires. When I wake up later, the sun is lowering in the sky. I feel refreshed and for the first time, I make it to the bathroom on my own before sitting back down on the bed.

This is when Miriam’s phone chirps and not wanting to disturb her, snoring softly beside me, I reach over and grab it from the table. When the phone blinks, asking for her password, I enter her birthday with a guilty look in her direction.

When I click on it, it’s a picture…of Mercy with a man standing behind her. I can’t see his face, but I don’t need to, I see his neck with the tattooed handprint.

The next message says:You have one hour to come home, little bitch…tell anyone and she’s dead

Shoot.

It was foolish but with everything that’s happened I forgot about the sheriff and his lackey. Now what am I going to do?

I glance at Miriam sleeping peacefully and ease off the bed. How do I get out of here without anyone noticing and beyond that, is there a car I can steal because it’s going to take too long on foot?

Either way, I have to go.

I assume with Duke and Wolf gone Giant and Maddox are too. I don’t know who else I can trust and considering Hand was once a brother, I know it’s foolish to do so. Clearly, there are people I can’t rely on here.

Toni probably has a car, but I don’t want to involve her because she might insist on coming along. I can’t risk someone else getting hurt.

My gut churns as I pace beside the bed. As much as I don’t want to ask Miriam, I have no other choice.

“Ugh,” I mumble, tapping her gently on the shoulder. “Mir?”

“Mm,” she mumbles, and I smile when she bats at my hand before she fades back into sleep. Miriam has never been a morning person. I guess some things never change.

“Mir,” I say more firmly this time and she blinks open one eye.

“What?”

“Mir, Mercy is in trouble.”

She sits up, grasping her belly. “What do you mean?”

Flapping my hands, I say, “Hand. He sent a message.”

“Okay back up. Hand sent you a message about Mercy. How? When? Why?”

It occurs to me as she stares blankly that I’ve never told anyone what happened that night with Hand. Everyone still thinks I walked off this compound and went home. So much other stuff has happened that I’ve also never told Wolf about the sheriff who ultimately forced me to go home.

“Look, it’s a long story. Can we maybe discuss this later?” I say and Miriam raises a brow.

“Fine. Let’s go.”

“Whoa.” I hold up my hand. “You can’t go.”

She pushes to her feet, wobbling like a top and I grab her arm. “See you can’t go.”

“Lilli,” she says, her fingers digging into my skin. “You have fractured ribs. You can barely move. Who’s the better bet, here?”

“Yeah,” I snap, “but I’m not carrying a baby.”

The reminder sends a chill through me, but I don’t have time to consider what I lost.

---