Kane was waiting for us at the gate, wearing a concerned expression. Fiona and Leigh went over to chat with Elodie, who’d just walked up with a small duffel over one shoulder, with her usual wide grin and plain clothes. Her butterfly sword was in a nondescript black case over her shoulder, but it was safe to assume she was still armed to the teeth with more discreet weapons. I turned my attention to Kane.
“Everything okay?” Gael asked, apparently clocking the same thing I did.
“I still haven’t gotten word back from Lucien. The IGC secretary says he hasn’t been in to sit in his council seat for more than a week.”
“That’s not good. Do you have anyone else locally who can track him down? He’s been known to disappear to Fiji with a hot blonde and too many bottles on occasion.”
Kane looked at me derisively. “You know as well as I do that he never lets his extracurricular activities get in the way of duty. No, if he’s gone, something’s happened to him.”
Gael chimed in, “The locals are all tied up dealing with the castle fire and Petró’s goons harassing the pack at every turn. We might have to call someone in from Alaska.”
Kane nodded slowly. “I hate to take Julius. He’s protecting Blackwater while the three of us are gone.”
“Samuel could do it. He speaks the language, and he’s discreet,” I suggested. The pack’s fifth was our only remaining option, and he was capable.
“I’ll call him in,” Kane said, slapping first me, then Gael on the shoulder. “Thank you both. It grates on me not to be able to do this myself, but I can’t expose Brielle, not yet.”
“This is what pack’s for, Alpha.” Gael bowed formally, and I followed suit.
After that, it was time to go.
* * *
The tripto the airport was uneventful, Gael driving so I could ride in the back seat with my arm around Fiona. She was all excitement, gabbing with Elodie, who was practically bouncing with her glee at getting to leave the enclave.
I couldn’t blame her, because the heavy stone walls had been starting to close in on me too, and I didn’t live there full-time.
My jet was waiting on the tarmac, freshly shined and with the staff waiting at attention as we stepped out of the SUV a few feet from the stairs.
“Holy crap, your pack really has a jet.” Fiona stared wide-eyed at the waiting crew, from just inside the door to the SUV, as if clutching the door would keep her upright.
Leigh snorted. “Yeah, the pack has a jet. But not this one—this is Reed’s.”
Fiona blinked over at me, the question plain in her expression.
“This is my European jet. Slightly smaller, best for intercountry trips and smaller regional airports. I have a full-sized jet for crossing the pond. I do a lot of business internationally, so it’s necessary.”
“Crossing the pond.” She mouthed the words as if they were foreign. “We’re not in the same stratosphere, are we?”
I hooked my arm around her waist, leading her away from the SUV. “As my mate, all this is half yours. So actually, we’re in the exact same stratosphere.”
She stopped, a look of panic crossing her features briefly before she got it back under control. “This is fine. This isn’t overwhelming at all.”
“This is fuckingcool,” Elodie said, interrupting the potentially tense moment with her infectious enthusiasm. She was the first one up the stairs, waving at the flight crew on the way by and narrowly missing smacking the copilot with her padded sword case.
“Reed.” My assistant, Quinn, was waiting at the front of the receiving line. One perfectly shaped eyebrow was arched at my pack mates, but she was too professional to comment on the fact that none of them were members of Monstru Fine Dining International, and this was clearly not a business trip.
“Quinn, this is my girlfriend, Fiona.”
“Ma’am.” She nodded respectfully but kept her obvious surprise to herself. I wasn’t a man who claimed women. Fucked? Yes. But gave titles to or saw for more than a few months? Never.
Until Fiona.
Luckily, Fiona was too awed by the jet and staff to pay attention to the moniker, which we hadn’t discussed yet.
“Your onboard closet has been stocked. There are two hanging bags and a rolling suitcase.”
“Excellent, Quinn. Thank you.”