Page 67 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

“Do you think Kyle had something to do with this?” I asked as I climbed into the passenger seat.

Cole just shot me a knowing look, his mind going in the same direction as mine. The tires of his truck squealed as he gunned itto Farrah’s house. On the way, he called Trent to have him meet us there. The whole way, I remained silent. All I could think about was the blood.

Farrah was pacing her front porch when we pulled into her driveway. Cole leaped from his seat, leaving his door open. I got out and rushed after him.

“Do you know what happened?” he asked.

Farrah, who looked beyond freaked out, shook her head. “No clue. I was walking around, watering the plants. I went around to the back porch, and then I saw it.” She shook her head, running her hands through her hair. “Cole, it’s alotof blood. I don’t know what could have caused it. Something bad happened.”

He pointed at the front door. “Avery, get her inside. I’m going around back to check.”

Farrah allowed me to guide her into a chair in the kitchen. She looked dazed and confused. I would be, too. Your home was supposed to be a sanctuary from danger. You shouldn’t have to worry about someone or something invading that space. I could imagine how I’d feel if I’d discovered a puddle of blood on my back porch.

“Farrah, would you like a cup of tea or something?” I asked, trying to be helpful.

She nodded absently. “Sure. Yeah. Thanks.”

I crossed the kitchen and pulled a mug down from the cabinet, then put the kettle on the stove to boil. While I worked, I glanced out the back window. Crimson stains spattered the floorboards of the porch, the walkway down the steps, and across the grass toward the forest. Cole was kneeling, inspecting the trail. Icouldn’t even see the worst of the blood, but my stomach roiled at what little I saw.

If this was some kind of message from Kyle, then things had escalated even more. I couldn’t figure out why, though. He’d onlyjusttold Cole about the change to the payment timeline the day before. Why do this now?

The bigger question that screamed through my mind was who—orwhat—did that blood belong to?

16

COLE

As I rounded the corner, I came upon the scene that had freaked Farrah out and skidded to a stop. My jaw dropped. There was blood everywhere. A huge pool of it lay right behind her front door, enough to look like a full-grown rabbit or a large bird had been exsanguinated. Spatters of crimson fanned across her door and were scattered along the steps leading down to the backyard.

“What the fuck,” I whispered to myself.

Walking slowly, I followed the trail of blood until I was about fifteen feet from the porch steps. I knelt, touching a blade of grass, smearing the blood that stained it. The liquid was tacky and had nearly dried, but not completely. If I had to guess, it had been here less than an hour.

I pulled my phone out and dialed Trent again.

“Where the hell are you?” I demanded.

“I’ll be at Farrah’s in five minutes. I’m hauling ass, I promise.”

I growled as I continued to scan the surrounding woods for movement or threats. “All right. Get your ass here.”

“Are Avery and Ashton still with you?” Trent asked. “Do you need me to pick them up or anything?”

Shit. Ashton. He was playing basketball with a bunch of kids. He wasprobablysafe. Most likely, we all were, and I didn’t want to cut his time with friends short now that he was making friends, but there was no way of knowing for sure. Better to have everyone together so I would know for sure they were safe.

“Avery is here with me, but Ashton is with some friends. I’m gonna have him get over here, too. Just to be safe.”

“See you soon.”

I immediately dialed Ashton. I had to call twice before he picked up.

“Hey, what’s up?” he answered.

“Are you still with the guys playing basketball?” I asked, doing my best to keep my voice calm. I could imagine Kyle or one of his goons on the way to the playground as we spoke.

“Yeah. We finished the last game a few minutes ago. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, but I need you to get Braylen to give you a ride. Have him bring you to my sister’s Farrah’s house. I’ll text you the address. Okay?”

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