Page 52 of Tossed into the Mob
Again there was a shocked silence, andthe air in the room crackled with tension.
Flint appeared to be considering his words. “I’m glad because that’s not why I wanted to speak to you.”
“Oh.”
“Adrian and Chase,” he pointed to the two non-family members, “came to us with a problem they want us to solve.” He pointed at me and Treyton.
I hated that gesture, but I’d already spoken to him in a way my mate or any pack member never would, so I’d ignore the finger in the face for now. I had to remember Riggs was dead, Dad was alive, and I didn’t have to be on the defensive 24/7.Deep down, I wondered if I needed a therapist and was carrying deep-seated anger at Flint for killing Emilio.
“Their daughter has been kidnapped.” Most of the people in this room, including me, had something in common with Adrian and Chase. I bit back that response because that would have been disrespectful. They must be terrified.
Their daughter, Daphne, was sixteen and had been walking home from school when she was taken. The kidnappers were demanding a huge ransom, so the family must be rich and/or prominent. Adrian’s voice trembled as he spoke. I understood the fear and devastation because of what I’d experienced when Dad had been presumed dead.
“And they told us not to go to the police,” Chase added. “Not that we would have.”
They didn’t scent as shifters. After being around Treyton and also his family, I’d picked up the distinctive aroma that identified people as shifters, not that I could decipher what kind of shifters they were.
Ranger launched into an explanation of how Adrian was to meet the person who’d abducted his daughter in a restaurant to hand over the money. They’d have a team outside the restaurant in case things went sideways, and while the kidnapper was salivating over the money, their security team would perform the extraction.
“How?” There was more than one raised brow in the room, but I didn’t understand why they couldn’t get Daphne now.
Hunter filled in the details. “We don’t have a definite location, but once the kidnapper arrives, we’re hoping to identify where they’ve been based on the scent of soil on their shoes and anything else they’ve brushed up against.” He said they’d take out the people guarding her, get Daphne to safety, and when the kidnapper returned with the money, they’d deal with him and grab the money.
Wow! They’d thought it through. I was impressed.
“But we need someone in the restaurant that doesn’t stand out as La Luna Noir,” Flint explained. “No one will suspect a pair of kids on their honeymoon.”
“Yes,” I yelled. “We’ll do it.” I was intrigued and a tad excited. This was my chance to prove I wasn’t just Emilio’s son.
But everyone was looking, not at me, but at my mate. Shit, I should have spoken with Treyton first. I had a lot to learn about being a couple.
“Can we talk?” He jerked his head toward the door. Damn, was I going to get another dressing down?
“Sorry.” I made a face and scrunched my eyes closed as if to ward against his anger. But I should have known better. He had on his disappointed face which was somehow worse.
“I want to say no way, this isn’t my world. I love babies and new dads. But this will give you a taste of what my extended family does. And I can’t let you do it alone, as it has an element of danger, so I guess I’m in.”
I flung myself into his arms. “Everything we went through to find one another was also dangerous.”
“Mmmm. I was hoping that was in the past. But this should be straightforward.”
We sat with Flint and the others and hammered out the small details, and after everyone filed out and my mate and I dawdled, Rudy sidled up to us.
“Your scent is different, Brock.”
It must be the adrenaline.
He tootled off down the hallway. “Just so you know, I was able to scent my sons-in-laws’ pregnancies, so I’m an expert now.”
“What?” Treyton and I yelled. “Pregnant?”
What if Rudy had made a mistake? His nose might not be reliable.
“Oh my gods, a baby, Brock. We made a baby.”
How could he be so certain? But I brushed a hand over my belly, and I knew. I was carrying our child.
NINETEEN
