Page 30 of His Place in the World
“Not that I was able to find, but I’m sure that if your brother was auctioned by these people, I’ll find his name.Pembroke isn’t common, after all.”
Tyler sucked in a breath, and everyone in the room turned to him.He was standing next to Matt, who’d refused to sit down, and with everyone’s attention on him, he shuffled his feet until he was half hiding behind Matt.
“Tyler?”Ryland asked.
Matt narrowed his eyes at him.He turned slightly, just enough to be able to look at Tyler.“Tyler?Do you recognize that name?”
Tyler hesitated, then nodded.“He’s my friend.”
Ryland made a strangled sound, but Remi was there to keep him where he was.Having him push Tyler would only freak Tyler out, which was the last thing anyone in the room needed.
“Can you tell me about Pembroke?”Matt asked.
Tyler was still clutching the bottom of Matt’s sweater.He’d twisted his fingers into the fabric, holding on to him as if he were a child.It broke Angus’s heart to see it, but he knew Matt would take care of Tyler.
“We were together,” Tyler murmured softly enough that it was a struggle to hear him.“He’s my best friend, and we lived together for a long time.But when our owner died, we were given to the people who sold me last night.Pembroke was sold before me, and I haven’t seen him since.I don’t know where he is now.”
“Do you know who bought him?”
“A man called Colbert.I heard him boast about it.”
This was it.Colbert had bought Pembroke, and Angus had what amounted to Colbert’s phone in his hand.Therehadto be something in there that would lead them to Pembroke.
And once it did, they could rescue Pembroke and bring down the entire operation, just like they’d planned.
* * * *
“We need to go now,” Ryland declared.
Del wasn’t surprised at his words.If they were talking about Doyle, he’d want to go to him right away, too.The problem was that Ryland was too deep into this.Pembroke was his brother, and after two years of looking for him, he’d finally found him.He wanted to get him back, but they needed to be careful.It would be too easy for someone to get hurt, or worse.
Thankfully, Del wasn’t the only one who understood that.He could tell by Cam’s expression that the alpha was about to say no, and he hoped Ryland wouldn’t complicate the situation by doing or saying something stupid.
“We can’t,” Cam said.
“You told me you’d help me get my brother back,” Ryland snapped.He got to his feet and paced the length of the office, which wasn’t easy considering how many people were stuffed inside.
“I will.We all will.”
“Then why are we talking about this?We should already be out there, headed toward this guy’s house.”
Del turned his attention to his father and Tyler.The shifter was still behind Del’s father, looking warily at Ryland.Del understood.There was no way for him to know what Tyler had been through, but unfortunately, he had a good imagination.It wasn’t surprising to find out he was afraid of people shouting and ranting.
What Del didn’t understand was why Tyler had latched onto his father.Was it because he was human?That didn’t make sense, because the people who’d hurt Tyler the most were humans.Besides, Matt hadn’t been the only human present last night.Ryland had been there, too.
It would have made more sense for Tyler to trust shifters, but every time a shifter in the room moved, he pressed closer to Del’s father.Del didn’t mind.His father had made him feel safe his entire life, so he got it.He wanted Tyler to be okay and to feel comfortable, and if what he needed for that to happen was to be with Del’s father, then Del was more than okay with that.
“We can’t just barge in there,” Remi pointed out.His voice was soft and gentle, as if he were afraid to hurt his friend.He probably was.
“Why not?”Ryland asked.
“Because someone could get hurt.”
“I don’t care if I get hurt.I only care about Pembroke.”
“What if the person who gets hurt is him?”
That gave Ryland pause.He stopped in the middle of the room and stared at Remi.
