Page 49 of War Games

“Pa, it’s me. It’s Landon. Come here. We have to make sure?—”

“Make sure she’s alive!” he roared.

“Pa!” The person holding him got around him and slugged him.

Heath went back, his head nearly bouncing on the floor, but someone had a hold on him still, keeping him from going down that far.

He blinked, seeing his son Landon with a fist ready to swing again. Landon looked terrified, which wasn’t right. Landon wasn’t scared of anyone, certainly not him. Heath never wanted his son to be afraid of him. Behind Landon, Dirk was beside Jacky, checking her pulse. Niko was right there with him, looking over his shoulder.

“She’s alive!” Dirk said loudly for everyone to hear.

“Yeah, I can hear her heartbeat. Let me get her off the floor,” Niko snarled.

Take a couple of deep breaths… Take control of the room. Figure this out.

His commands to himself were the only way Heath could think to pull himself together. He relaxed in Landon’s grasp, meeting his son’s gaze.

“Are you sane?” Landon asked him softly. “You knocked out Shamus. I need to make sure.”

Heath nodded and was glad to know his son was nice enough to help him discreetly maintain his own balance before fully letting him go.

“I need orders, Alpha,” Landon said strongly.

“Niko, take her back to the house and secure her in our room. Dirk, go with him, get everyone from your family on a call. Carey, go with them. Stay with Jacky if you want, or go to your room and lock the door. Landon, secure the building once they’ve left. No one in. No one out.”

“Yes, sir,” Dirk and Landon responded in unison.

“I need gloves,” Niko called out. “Anything will do. I don’t want this shit touching my skin. No idea what it will do.”

“Oliver, gloves from the kitchen, please,” Heath said coolly, and the human complied. Heath didn’t take his eyes off her, thewoman who owned his heart, unconscious on the floor. He paid attention to the slow rise and fall of her chest, focusing on it intently, letting it keep him as grounded as he could manage.

Oliver ran, getting the gloves for Niko. He snapped them on and picked up her, carrying her out without another word, Dirk running to keep up with him. Carey was the last to leave, Landon lingering at the door for some time. Heath knew he was waiting to see that Dirk had grabbed Carey to help her get home faster.

With Jacky in the care of her brother and away from Kick Shot and his daughter away from the scene of the crime, he could finally focus on everyone else.

Carey, Dirk, and Niko were allowed to leave because he knew none of them had anything to do with this. Landon was the one locking the doors because he wouldn’t have done it, either.

Everyone else was a suspect.

“Stacy, Kody, you can pick your father up off the floor and put him in a booth, then find separate tables to sit at. Ranger, you will find a private booth across the room from Shamus. Jenny, there.” Heath pointed to a table in the corner. “Carlos over there.” He pointed to a different table for him, far from Jenny. “Roselyn, Piper, same deal. Sit across the room from each other. Teagan, Benjamin can stay with you as a minor. Arlo, find a private booth to sit in. No one will speak to each other. Put your phones on the table in front of you.”

No one moved quickly enough for him, and he snarled, which set off Landon.

“You heard your Alpha,” Landon snapped, pushing Kody to move, which started the chain of events Heath desired.

By the time they were all sitting and their phones were on the tables in front of them, the room was thick with fear.

“Oliver, take all the human staff upstairs. Windows will remain locked and closed. I’ll be speaking to them first.”

He should have been able to trust Oliver with that. He saw no reason for Oliver to betray Jacky or anyone else here, but he didn’t know if he trusted Oliver enough to rely on his testimony about the rest of the staff.

I’ll interrogate all of them. No one is leaving until they speak to me.

“Landon, collect the phones from the humans after you secure these,” Heath ordered. Landon was already grabbing all the werewolves’ phones.

“Yes, sir.”

Landon waited at the bottom of the stairs, and each human handed over their phone before they went upstairs.

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