Page 37 of Secret Wolf Baby

A dull, pulsating sound echoed in my ears as my mind continued to swirl and spiral, teetering on the edge of total panic. How did he find out? I never told anyone, even when Dad threatened me all those years ago. It was supposed to be a secret.

I searched Reacher’s expression, trying to gauge whether he truly knew or if this was all just a grand bluff. My stomach sank as I saw the truth in his expression. He knew. Somehow, he knew. And the worst part was, I knew he wasn’t lying. He would tell Jackson who Claire really was in a heartbeat if he didn’t get his way.

I couldn’t have that. Things were already complicated enough. I didn’t want Claire to get hurt if Jackson rejected her the way he rejected me, and I didn’t want Jackson kicking us out if he found out that I had been lying to him this whole time about who she really was. Things were complicated enough as is. The only thing I could do at the moment was exactly what Reacher wanted.

I glanced down, breaking eye contact. “All right,” I muttered.

The alpha gave a sleazy smirk, his eyes dancing with triumphant glee. “Good girl,” he said. “Now, let’s have a chat.”

“Just give me a minute,” I said.

“Keep the door open,” Reacher ordered. “I don’t trust you to not run off.”

I didn’t answer. I just obeyed and walked upstairs to Claire’s room.

“Claire, I have to step out for a few minutes,” I said, peering around the open door. She sat cross-legged on her bed, schoolbooks splayed out in front of her, the tub of peanut clusters open beside her. “I won’t be too far away. Don’t leave the house, and don’t open the door for anyone.”

My daughter tilted her head, giving me a quizzical look so reminiscent of her father that I nearly reeled backward in surprise.

“Is everything all right?” she asked.

“Everything’s fine,” I said, forcing a smile on my face. Why did she have to be so perceptive?

“Why do I smell Grandpa?” she asked, knitting her brow.

I tried not to wince, keeping my expression neutral. “Probably just something in the air. I’ll be back in a few, all right?”

She hesitated for a moment. “Okay.”

I walked back to the front door, head still swimming. This whole thing felt like a horrible dream. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t seem to even open my mouth.

“Come on,” I said to the men, pushing past them.

They followed me into the woods, where the only sounds were birdsong and our footsteps as we crunched across dry leaves and twigs. When I was satisfied we were far enough away, I turned back to look at them.

“How did you know?” I asked. I didn’t bother elaborating. They knew exactly what I was referring to.

“I didn’t become alpha for nothing,” Reacher said. “That Gold Wolf wouldn’t have backed down from his mission for just anyone. And I noticed the way you looked at him. It was clear you knew one another. The only time you would have met him would have been when you ran away and came back knocked up.”

“That doesn’t prove anything,” I said, keeping my voice low.

He gave another sinister smile. “No, it doesn’t,” he agreed. “But I was over at Saul’s house and saw a photo of Claire. When you look closely, she has more than a passing resemblance to your new mate. Honestly, I’m surprised he hasn’t figured it out yet.”

“I guess the Gold Wolves don’t look for intelligence when they pick their recruits,” Dad jeered. “He does strike me as the all-brawn-and-no-brains type.”

“How do you know he doesn’t know already?” I asked, trying to sound more confident and sure of myself than I actually was. “Maybe I told him already.”

It was obvious that attempting to lie and tell them they were way off the mark wasn’t going to work. This was the only bluff I had. I didn’t know what they wanted. All I knew was that I couldn’t let them have any leverage over me.

But Reacher laughed, and my stomach sank as I realized that my one line of defense wasn’t going to cut it. “If that was the case, then you wouldn’t have come out and talked to us.”

I winced. He was right. He had me over a barrel, and all I could do was go along with it.

“What do you want?” I asked, my voice hoarse, barely above a whisper.

“I want your help,” Reacher said. “You’re going to keep me informed about the Gold Wolves and what they’re up to. You’re going to let me know if they decide to move against me. In short, you’re going to be my eyes and ears here to make sure they don’t interfere with any of my plans.”

I knew more about Reacher’s plans than he thought. I knew the general gist of what he planned, and what would happen if he achieved those plans. I hadn’t told Jackson any of it out of fear, but that was different than actively helping Reacher with his plot.

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