Page 95 of Marked

“Of course.”

“When he heard that, he was excited. It was fucking crazy. The guy didn’t give a shit that she’d been attacked. All he cares about is that she can bear him an heir easier now that she’s gonna be a shifter.”

Ollie groaned. “Holy hell.”

“Yeah. I don’t think Rick is gonna let this rest. Do you think this can get JC on board with giving her more security?”

“Nate.” Ollie sounded pained. “This is still just the word of a lone wolf and a human against one of the most powerful families in the pack.”

“She’s not a human anymore, Ollie,” I growled into the phone.

“I understand what you are saying, but until she shifts, sheisstill a human. Even then, she’s not sworn allegiance to or been accepted by JC as a member of the pack. She’s a nonentity as far as the pack hierarchy is concerned. It’s unlikely anyone in the pack will side with you over the Masters family. I’m just being honest here.”

“Ollie, Cameron now has two deranged shifters after her. A feral and her psycho ex-boyfriend. At least one of them is gonna get to her without help. Are you really going to hang her out to dry like this?” I ran a hand through my hair, frustration building within me.

“No,” Ollie said. “I’m a member of the pack, yes, but I’m also a cop. I can’t do that. I’ll pull some strings and make something happen. I may have to go through back channels, though. Could take a few days.”

“Not good enough, Ollie,” I said. “I need to get her someplace safe. Now. Rick knows where she lives and all the other places she would go. The feral is out there hunting her, too. We’ve gotta get her out of here today.”

Ollie sighed heavily. “Nate, this is not that easy. We aren’t in an action movie, and I’m not Sylvester Stallone. The captain hasalready started sending me emails, asking about the men I’ve had watching Cameron. If I try too much too fast, I’ll get my ass in a sling. At best, I get chewed out and watched even closer, and at worst, I might get suspended. Then I won’t be able to do anything. Is that what you want, Nate?” His voice was taut with stress and worry.

“No.” I rubbed a hand over my jaw. “But there has to be something we can do. Off the books, maybe? Come on. I know you law enforcement types have lots of cards up your sleeve you can play.”

Ollie was silent for several minutes. I didn’t know if he was thinking of something to say in response or if he had tossed his phone away in frustration.

Finally, he said, “I might have an idea.”

“Spill it,” I urged.

“We have a few safe houses we use to keep witnesses safe before testifying. The one I’m thinking of is not what I’d call a typical safe house. It’s away from the city, and not really in use by the department anymore, but probably a safe spot that no one will be looking at for a while. I can redirect anything away from it for a while.”

I let out a breath. “That’s amazing, Ollie.”

“I can get you a key today,” Ollie said, then lowered his voice. “If we do this, then the police detail is gone. Got it? I’ve gone to bat multiple times, and I can’t push this any further. The spot is outside the city, so if I try and get guys out there, word’s gonna get out I’m doing some shady shit, and my captain will have my ass. Not only that, but JC will find out I got in trouble and drew attention to this whole thing. At that point, the pack will have my ass, too.”

No security detail. That meant there was only one person who would be able to watch over and protect Cameron.

Me.

Just an hour or two before, I’d been stomping around, telling myself I was done with her and was leaving everything up to Ollie and his men. If this was the only way, though, I’d do it. Besides, the main reason I’d been angry and hurt was that I thought Cameron was choosing Rick over me. Now, it appeared that was no longer a problem.

“I’ll look after her,” I said. “Don’t worry about your men. She’ll be fine with me.” I stepped back into the apartment to check on Cameron.

“You’re sure about this?” Ollie asked.

“Yeah. Positive,” I said, stepping into the living room, my voice low. “I’ll watch her as long as you find a place for her to hide.”

“Why am I hiding?” Cameron asked from the kitchen.

I spun, eyes going wide. How the fuck did she hear me?

Cameron stood in the kitchen, looking across the counter into the living room at me. “I’m not gonna go running off somewhere to hide.”

Her senses were getting better faster than I’d ever imagined. Her hearing shouldn’t have been this strong until she shifted. Although, I had to admit, I had very little experience with humans becoming shifters, so I could be wrong.

“Hang on, Ollie,” I muttered into the phone, then lowered it. “Rick knows where you live, Cameron. We need to get you somewhere where he can’t find you.”

“Rick?” Sophia gasped. “That prick did this to you all? Iknewhe was a piece of shit.”

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