Page 16 of His Place in the World
Toby grimaced.“Not as far as we know, sorry.We might be a step closer to finding him, though.”
Apparently, that was all Ryland needed to hear.He rushed down the hallway, heading toward the office.Remi went after him, but when Del moved to follow, Toby grabbed his arm.
“You realize you don’t have to be involved in this, right?”he asked.
“I don’t especially want to, but I also can’t look away and ignore the situation,” Del told him.“Between Doyle and Angus, I need to know what’s going on.If there’s anything I can do to help, I will.”
Although Del doubted there was much he could do.Ryland and Remi were human, too, but they were older, had great jobs, and a lot of money.Del couldn’t compare to that, and honestly, he didn’t want to.He just wanted to be there in case anything happened.
Toby nodded.Del didn’t wait for Toby to change his mind.He rushed toward the office, walking in as Angus spoke.
“Through this Albert guy, I managed to find several of his clients, including one who organized a party for this weekend,” he explained.
“What kind of party?”Ryland asked.
He and Remi sat in front of Cam’s desk, where Angus was.Cam was on his side of the desk, and while he looked surprised to see Del here, he didn’t tell him to leave.Del closed the door before taking the last empty chair on Angus’s other side.
Angus didn’t even look up from his computer.Del wasn’t offended because he’d already seen his mate while he was working, and he knew this was normal.Angus was fully focused on what he was doing, and Del wouldn’t want him any other way.
He loved watching Angus work.When Angus was focused on his job, he was in his own world, and that allowed Del to watch him without him knowing.Angus was passionate about finding these shifters, and Del didn’t blame him.He wanted to find them, too, although considering he was only human, it made sense that he wasn’t as focused.
“Well, the invitation doesn’t specify it’s an auction, but I believe it is,” Angus said.
“Why?”Remi asked.
“Because of the wording and the people invited.Not only are they the richest people this guy knows, but the invitation is weird.It says they’re invited for a night of drinks, fun, good food, and choices.It also says that the people invited shouldn’t mention it to anyone else.”
“How did you get your hand on an invitation?”
“I hacked into someone’s account.He’s one of the co-owners of the security company working the event.I have the list of the people invited, and if we need to, I can create another invitation.”Angus looked up, his gaze stopping on Del.He blinked as if he wasn’t quite sure what to make of Del’s presence, so Del smiled at him.
He didn’t need Angus to focus on him.He just wanted to be here for his mate, and he was.
“Why would we want to create another invitation?”Cam asked.
“Because having one would mean we could get into the auction,” Angus explained.“Think about it.So far, we don’t have anything concrete.I can think whatever I want, but I can’t make any promises until I have proof that this is an auction.I believe we should get someone in, but we need funds.We could fake it, but I think it would be better if we had someone backing us who has access to a lot of money.”
“Which is where I come in,” Ryland added.
Angus nodded.“I can hack into the system and fabricate this invitation, but if we’re doing this, we need to play it well.Are you a good actor?”
“I can be if it means I might get my brother back.”
“Then I believe you should go to this party, and since the invitation also states that pets are welcome, you should take me with you.”
Del’s stomach turned to lead.What was Angus talking about?
“You’re not a pet,” Ryland pointed out.
“But they’re not talking about animals here.Come on, Ryland.Can’t you see it?If this truly is an auction, and I believe it is, the people invited are used to buying and selling shifters.Why do they do it?I’m sure all of them have their own reason, and one of those reasons is that they enjoy having rare shifters as pets.I could take advantage of the situation to clone cell phones and maybe even sneak around and get more information.”
“What if someone realizes Ryland wasn’t supposed to be invited?”Remi asked.
“Why would they?Even if no one recognizes him, he can say he’s a friend of a friend of the organizer.Anyone looking into him will find what I want them to find, including Ryland’s bank accounts.Besides, since he owns a security company, he could be looking both for pets and fighters.He’s not the only security company involved, after all.Having me with you would help our cause and show everyone that you’re serious about the auction and that you’re actually contemplating buying more shifters.”
Del understood everything Angus was saying, but his brain couldn’t make sense of it.Was Angus actually willing to put himself in danger that way?It sounded like he was, and Del wasn’t sure what he could do about it.
Or even if therewasanything he could do about it.
