Page 14 of The Piece You Stole

This time Kade doesn’t let him open it an inch. His other hand flashes out, too quick to track, and locks tight around Dariel’s wrist. He steps so close to Dariel that the current of tension sparking between them is a shape I can trace from where I stand.

This can only end one way.

I edge closer.

“I hadn’t thought our alpha would turn into a coward and sneak away at the first sign of trouble.” Kade’s words are gasoline, and it’s the exact type that’s always set Dariel on fire.

I abandon my search for a piece of wood I can use as a weapon.

Kade’s grab was lightning quick. I don’t see Dariel move at all.

Kade smashes into a wall. His head hits the large, gilt mirror, leaving behind a long, jagged crack as he slumps to the ground. But he’s smiling as he gazes up at Dariel, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He swipes at it with the back of his hand, removing the blood but leaving the dark grin behind. “That finally woke you up? It’s about time something did.”

“Come after me.” Dariel’s voice is unrecognizable. It’s so blunt and cold I swear I feel a shiver crawl up and down my spine. “You know what will happen.”

Opening the door, he steps out, pulling it closed behind him.

“FuckingCOWARD!” Kade roars.

He explodes to his feet, his eyes flashing, all trace of humor gone in an instant.

If Kade goes after Dariel, they’re going to kill each other.

I don’t think. I grab Kade’s arm and hold on.

He swings.

Air ruffles my hair and cools my cheek. I don’t dodge, brace, or do anything to protect myself because there’s no dodging a punch from a shifter.

At the last second, Kade pulls it, leaving me to stare at his fist a quarter of an inch from my nose. So close, I could count the fine hairs on his knuckles.

I release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding as I shift my focus to his face. “We don’t have time for this. Saige comes first.”

He lowers his fist. “And Dariel?”

He’s swallowed his rage because I don’t hear even a hint of it in his voice.

It’s a trait we all share: the ability to bury everything so deep no one but each other can see it. We’re family. Always have been, and I thought we always would be.

I turn away. “Dariel can look after himself. Saige can’t. We need to figure out where they took her.”

Once we have Saige, we can work on fixing whatever the hell is wrong with Dariel’s wolf. The way we should have years ago.

“East.” His voice turns hard. “Which we already know. So, let's fucking go and get her.”

Swinging back around, I let him see my frustration. “East of the city isn’t a small area, Kade. There are townhouses, restaurants, and shops. And I haven’t even taken into account the high rises no shifter can sniff well enough to know who lives in them. She could be in a million different places, which means we need more than just a direction. It’s a start. That’sallit is.”

“And we’ll get more, how?” Kade doesn’t move when I pull him back toward the apartment and the map I’m not done with. His expression is so stubborn my frustration cuts even deeper into me. “Because the way I see it, we’re just wasting time. A direction is good enough.”

I stare at him. “When was the last time you went into the city, Kade?”

He doesn’t answer. But he doesn’t need to. I know Kade, and I know he’s been content to spend the last three years fucking his way through the women who visit the bars in and around the Cerberus. It hasn’t left him with much of an appetite to wander east, north, or even west.

Kade isn’t stupid. He’s survived on the streets too long to be stupid. But sometimes he doesn’t let himself think, and right now, I need him to think.

“A while,” he says, watching me closely. A line forms between his brows because he knows me just as well as I know him. My question is leading somewhere he can’t see yet, but he suspects he’s just stepped into a trap.

I nod. “Because if you had, you’d know between all those fancy restaurants, wide open streets, million-dollar townhouses, and billionaire-owned skyscrapers, the only thing there is to sniff on the street is the expensive perfume from the socialites who shop around there.”

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