Page 54 of Coming Up Aces

“My beast hasn’t said. Let me ask.” Ace waited for his Gryphon to reach out again.

She’s waiting at an old sand quarry not far from here. She hid the evidence bag in the trunk and needs Tamian to bring it to her.

Frustrated, Ace relayed the message, then asked, “Why you?”

Tamian’s stoicism softened. “You are supposed to be resting in the clinic. Besides that, she knows bullets won’t hurt me, and I can also voice humans like a Gryphon can. We had this conversation during our drive to Oasis.” Tamian walked to Rayna’s car and pushed the trunk release button. With the back end being damaged, the Gargoyle had to pry the trunk lid open to retrieve the plastic bag she’d hidden there.

Ace pulled out his phone and opened the map app. “She’s here,” he said, showing Tamian.

The Gargoyle hummed. “Not far then. I would tell you to go home and let me handle this, but I won’t patronize you. Do you want to ride with me or follow behind?”

“You should ride with Tamian,” Rev said. “I’m going to call Sutton to have someone come tow Rayna’s car to the clubhouse. We don’t need humans asking questions about the claw marks. I’ll stay here and wait on the truck.”

“Thanks Rev.”

“You got it, Brother. And do try to take it easy if possible. You are still healing. Come on.” He motioned his head toward Tamian’s vehicle. Ace didn’t bother fussing. Instead, he let his friend help him into the cab, which honestly, was much appreciated.

The quarry was less than a mile away, and when they approached the gate, Ace opened his senses, searching for trouble. Tamian continued through the entrance, following the gravel road until they reached a dilapidated trailer. Rayna was nowhere he could see, but Tamian drove around behind the metal building. Thank Zeus one of them had their emotions under control.

Ace had never seen a more beautiful sight when his mate came into view. Rayna was leaning against a car, holding a gun. When she noticed Ace, her eyes widened. She shoved the firearm into the back of her pants as she strolled toward Tamian’s vehicle.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as he opened the door. Rayna crowded Ace, not letting him get out.

“Came to assist you.”

Rayna rolled her eyes, but then she grinned up at him. “I’d have done the same thing.” Looking past Ace, she said, “Hey, Tamian.”

“Rayna. I brought the evidence packet. Where is Grissom?”

She waved behind her. “He and Perkins are in the trunk. They may need medical attention.” Rayna placed a hand on Ace’s thigh. “The reason I asked for you is because you’re a Gargoyle, and both Grissom and Perkins had firearms.”

“Why didn’t you take them to the field office?” Ace asked.

“Because I don’t know who to trust. Plus, I want to see what’s on the thumb drive first.”

The two men were shouting about bleeding out and needing a hospital. Ace asked, “Did you shoot them?”

“Grissom, yes, but nowhere critical. I did claw Perkins, so one of you will need to voice him and convince him he cut his arm trying to drag me out of the car.”

Ace narrowed his eyes. “Did he hurt you? Is that the real reason your Cheetah reached out to my Gryphon?”

“I wasn’t sure how I was getting out of being confronted by two agents with guns. If I were human, I probably wouldn’t be standing here, but I’m fine. Now that you’re both here, can we take the thumb drive to Lucy and see what’s on it?”

“What are you going to do with those two?” Ace inclined his head toward the other vehicle.

“Can we take them to the clinic and have Rev patch them up after you voice them? I don’t want them losing too much blood.”

“Rev’s waiting at your car for one of the Hounds to bring a tow truck. We didn’t want someone to happen upon it and see the gash marks in the door.”

“Oh, that’s awesome. While you’re voicing Grissom, maybe you could encourage him to pay for the damages since he’s the asshole who ran me off the road.”

“You’re not going to tell… Who are you going to give the evidence to if you don’t know who to trust?” Ace asked.

“I’ll probably go to Stanton Milsap, the director.”

“Once we see what’s on the thumb drive, we can pass it off to Lachlan. He can do a deep dive to uncover who all is involved,” Tamian said. “Do you want me to drive the two captives and meet with Rev while you two head to our house? Or would you rather get back to the clinic?”

“That’s up to Asher.”

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