Page 3 of Escalating Alpha

The real world had bad guys and monsters.

And we were the ones who signed up to stop them.

“I know where Seraphine Thomas really stays,” Cindy blurted. “She doesn’t really live at the packhouse anymore—that apartment building downtown. She’s too worried aboutsomeone trying to raid it. The Master of the City bought her a mansion. Her son is always there with—”

“Shut up, Cindy!” Roach bellowed. “What are you doing?”

Someone else punched him.

“Where? Tell me where?” the first vamp demanded.

“I tell you and you’ll kill us,” Cindy argued.

He studied her a moment. “No, I won’t, and we didn’t want him to die. This was supposed to be a snatch and get information, but he fought us and had an extra gun. Thomas can get us what we really need or if we have her son. Tell me and we’ll leave you here to be found.” He put the gun up to Corbin’s forehead. “Or I shoot him.”

She gave him the address of the mansion I was gifted from Apollo that Noah and his company had tricked out as the ultimate training for breach teams. Meaning it was a huge fucking trap.

“There it is,” I chuckled and moved the IA guy. “Yeah, she’s got it.”

“Check with the boss,” the vamp called over his shoulder.

I was out of the surveillance van and already halfway there before the words even left his mouth. Every emotion under the sun played over Cindy’s face when she saw me.

Every. Single. One.

Rage. Hurt. Annoyance—that I’d put her through this and that she’d not figured it out. The whole list.

And she had the same reaction I’d had when I’d been released.

She decked me.

I held my hand up to hold off everyone else and kept her gaze, my head not even moving which pissed her off even more. “I deserve that. I more than deserve that, and I did the same to the asshole who did this to me.” She lost a bit of anger then. “ButI also sent him a huge fucking loaded fruit basket when Ididface something like this undercover.”

She let out a slow breath, still shaking and loaded up with too much of everything. “You did.”

It wasn’t really a question, but I still answered it. “I did. You don’t have clearance for specifics, but I did. I used to have the scar from the gunshot wound to prove it, but being Alpha and almost dying a few times since becoming a wolf had some perks.” I gave a half shrug.

Cindy bobbed her head. “I assume you called it because I fucked up and gave info, right? I can explain and—”

“I called it because you aced it,” I interrupted, beaming at her when she seemed confused. “You aced it. You kept calm besides that first antagonistic comment—which we’re all allowed. You saw when things were escalating and you couldn’t just hold out for people to realize you were gone. Why would that not work?”

“I can’t think yet,” she whispered.

“Tell me now,” I ordered, my tone hard. I tapped her forehead. “Don’t think. Tell me. What did you see here? Now, in the room for those who think you might not be able to handle this. Why did you make the calls you did?”

She swallowed loudly and the anger was back. “One was already dead…” She glanced between us. “He never twitched.”

“Potion,” I answered for her so she could focus.

“Thought he was dead, and that would make them jittery and not want to spend as much time here. We didn’t have until morning and all of us are single. Live alone. No one would notice if we didn’t come home because of the hours we keep or a partner who would miss us.”

“Good. What else?”

She swallowed loudly and glanced at Corbin before meeting my gaze again. “One of the group was losing the battle to stay calm. It would get him killed. Clearly, that was an act and—”

“No, I genuinely lost my cool knowing it was all an act,” Corbin whispered. “You made your point that I’m not ready to be a SAiC, Chief.”

I grabbed his arm when he turned away. “That wasnotmy point, Corbin. You are ready. You are.” I waited until he met my gaze. “I’ve seen it destroy people when they become SAiC and they sent someone into danger. I’ve seen it tear up Brian. But then they’re in the fucking job and have to do it again without the support they deserve.

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