Page 30 of Coming Up Aces

“If your mate was missing, would you be calm? Either one of you?”

Lucy winced. “No. Pops, send the coordinates to my phone. Tamian and I will drive Rayna to Oasis.”

“Dammit— Hang on. King’s calling.”

Rayna handed the phone to Lucy and went to the closet and pulled out a suit. If she was going in as an agent, she needed to look the part. But that meant not wearing the prosthetic. Fuck it. She wasn’t taking it off.

“Rayna?” Sutton came back on the line.

“It’s me. Rayna’s changing clothes,” Lucy answered.

“King’s at Oasis. Both bikes are there, but he didn’t find either male. What he did find was a shitshow. Abraham was raving about how Spencer got into a shootout with a guard. Ruth jumped in front of David and was killed, then Spencer killed the guard too before running off.”

“Maybe Asher and Viper shifted and are waiting until the chaos settles?” Rayna offered.

“If that were the case, one of them would have called. Rayna, I know you want to go find Ace, but let the Hounds look first.”

“No. He’s my mate. If the others haven’t found him by now, they aren’t going to. My Cheetah can talk to his Gryphon.”

“Did you two complete the bond?” Lucy asked.

“Not yet, but our beasts still communicate. Sutton, either you send the coordinates, or I’ll figure it out on my own. It’ll be faster if you help me.”

“Fuck,” he muttered. “Sending them now.”

“Have you called Ripley?” If they were as close as Asher said, Ripley would want to know what was going on.

“No. He and Glory have enough on their plate with her family. Lucy—”

“We’ll be careful, Pops. I promise.”

“Rory’s going to skin me alive.”

“No, she won’t. I’ll keep you posted.” Lucy disconnected and blew out a breath.

“Lucy?” a male voice called out.

“Be right there.” To Rayna, Lucy said, “Let’s do this.”

Rayna followed Lucy down the hall. A gorgeous male stood by the front door with his arms crossed over his chest, scowling. Lucy approached her mate, pulled his head down, and kissed him soundly. Tamian gripped Lucy’s hips, pressing his forehead to hers once their lips parted. “Come on, Papa. We need to get Rayna to Oasis. There was a shootout, and Ace and Viper are missing.”

Rayna wondered if the endearment was a kink thing or… No, when she reached out with her shifter senses, she detected the faint heartbeat alongside Lucy’s. She hadn’t noticed the small bump beneath Lucy’s tee, but now it was evident. Rayna was happy for the couple, if not somewhat wistful. She set the alarm and locked the door behind them, then followed along to their SUV and climbed in the back seat.

Lucy’s phone pinged, and she studied it a few seconds, then tapped the address into the car’s GPS. Once they were on the road, Lucy turned sideways. “I’ve never heard of a Cheetah shifter. Are there many like you?”

“Not that I’m aware of. My mom, grandmother, and I are King Cheetahs. My grandfather was a regular Cheetah shifter. His family was spread over the world, but there weren’t many of them. My grandmother was an only child, and her parents passed away before my mom was born.”

“And your father?”

“Human. Has no idea I exist.”

“Do Cheetahs have fated mates?”

“My grandmother says yes, but my mother didn’t believe her, or maybe she did and just didn’t want one. My Cat and Asher’s Gryphon have decided we’re mates.”

Lucy cocked her head to the side. “You don’t agree?”

Rayna tried to smile, but her heart was breaking not knowing where or how Asher was. “Considering I’ve known him four days and I’m ready to tear Oasis apart? Yes, I agree. I appreciate you siding with me since Sutton’s your grandfather.”

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