Page 55 of Tossed into the Mob
Minutes later, Hunter's voice told us Daphne was free.
"Treyton, that was incredible." We were outside and headed to the car. Brock couldn’t contain his excitement, and he did high kicks along the pavement. The word manic popped into my head to describe his behavior. “Maybe Flint has other jobs for us.”
I was glad it was over and never wanted to participate in another La Luna Noir mission. And I pointed out that Brock was pregnant. He responded by putting both hands on his hips and narrowing his eyes.
Oops. My wolf hid deep inside me, leaving me to face my mate’s wrath.
“Correct me if I'm wrong but you’re the midwife, and you’re always saying being pregnant shouldn’t be treated as an illness.”
“Mmmm, but that’s for other people, not my mate.” I wished I could take the words back, but I was in too deep. "What about graduate school?"
He shrugged. “I can always go back to my studies in a year or ten.”
Hunter messaged that we were expected at a debrief at La Luna Noir headquarters.
The drive was tense. This morning Brock had been excited about helping with the mission. Now he was talking about making it his life's work, and I was worried about him and the baby.
My cousins congratulated us, and I made a point of saying Brock was the more professional.
“When can we do it again?” my mate blurted out, and Flint raised a brow and glanced at me, but I kept my expression neutral. I wasn’t Brock’s boss, we were equals.
“What you did today was low-risk.” Flint got up and stared out at the city below. “Not all our operations are like that.”
“I understand.”
I needed caffeine and headed to the expensive coffee machine Grandpa had bought for the office.
“You’re worried about him.” Rudy appeared at my shoulder. I offered him the first cup and made a second for myself.
"A little. He’s human and pregnant, and I think he’s confusing excitement for a change of career and a new life.”
"Hmmm.” Rudy settled into a chair and studied his drink. "You know who he reminds me of?"
"Who?"
"His father. Emilio had that same hunger even when we were at school.” There was a warning in his voice.
"You think Brock is like Emilio?" My belly clenched. If the family thought he shared his alpha father’s tendencies, they would never trust my mate.
“I’m not saying that. Brock might be trying very hard to be like the man who was devoted to the pack.ThatEmilio, not… you know, the other one. Question is whether that's because he's called to this work, or because he's trying to overcome his father's reputation."
Voices from pack members drifted out from the main room.
“I’m not saying he can't be trusted, just that we need to be careful."
"Blood is like blood. Look at what his father did."
"That's not fair. He's not responsible for Emilio's choices."
"Isn't he? He's got the same hunger, the same need to prove himself. What happens when proving himself isn't enough anymore?"
I exchanged glances with Rudy who suggested we get back in there. But he put a hand on my arm, saying I couldn’t stop people having opinions. But his face betrayed him. From all the stories I’d heard, when there was a huge disagreement in the pack, it was the precursor to trouble, and in La Luna Noir, trouble meant the spilling of blood.
I didn’t recognize any of the people huddled together. Not surprising as I didn’t work here.
"They don't trust him," I told Rudy.
"They don't know him yet, but they remember Emilio. And some wounds take a long time to heal."
