Page 30 of Forsaken Fate

Vince’s voice went into overdrive. I put him on speaker, set my phone on the dresser and went into the other room to put my suitcase in the closet. I was gone for probably two full minutes and when I walked back in, he was still going. I picked up the phone.

“Vince,” I said. “Vince! I’ve got it, okay? Everything’s under control. Thank you. I’ll smooth things over with Bas. Goodbye.”

I hung up on Vince in mid-sputter, but he was used to it by now.

The next call I made was to Doyle back in Albany. He answered on the first ring the same way he did since he was a kid.

“Yello!”

“You at work?” I asked.

“Yes,” he answered. “Unlike some people, I have to put in at least sixty hours a week. I can’t just fire up my laptop for two minutes, make a million dollars and go to the bar.”

“You’re breaking my heart,” I answered. “And you’ve been listening to too many rumors about how I make my money.”

“You up for another hunt tomorrow? My father’s been up my ass about it.”

“Not this time. I’m already back in Michigan. I have business meetings and everything today.”

He whistled low. “Impressive. Why didn’t you tell me you were heading out? We could have gotten together last night. Plus my mother is going to be pissed. You never came over for her venison stew.”

Shit. I’d completely forgotten my promise to Adam to stop by. “Next time,” I covered. “It looks like I’m going to be back in town next week for the Gathering. I couldn’t get out of it.”

There was a momentary pause on the other end of the phone. “He’s really going through with it?”

I sat on the edge of the bed and tapped my fist against the mattress. “Looks like. I can’t wrap my head around why everything’s so rushed. Hey, have you had a chance to work anything on that other matter we discussed?”

“Ah,” Doyle said. “So you’re not just calling me ’cuz you miss me so much already.”

“Fuck off,” I joked.

“Well, yes and no,” he answered. “We’ve just started doing some digging on Grayson’s hot little piece of ass.”

I clenched my teeth when he said it. “And?”

“Not a lot yet,” Doyle said. “Can’t figure out where she worked before she started at Diana’s office last year. We’re not coming up with very much based off her name. Things like that have been more of a challenge since the war. Plenty of people bought fake papers to fly under the radar of the fae and the government. I’ve set up a tail though.”

“When?” I asked, realizing I’d been careless. If Doyle had started tailing Brynna yesterday, she would have led them right to my hotel room. I doubted Doyle himself gave a flying fuck about what I did with her, but I felt weirdly protective of Brynna at the same time I was okay with invading her privacy. And I fully realized the irony and hypocrisy of both.

“Theo? You still there?”

I shook my head. “What? No. I mean, yeah. I’m just still listening. So you haven’t started following her yet?”

“Starting tomorrow morning,” Doyle answered. “Unless you want me to rearrange some shit and get on it today. Is there that kind of urgency?”

“What? Ah ... no. Not especially. I mean, I want it done ... at least for a few days until I get back, but it’s not an emergency, no.”

“Uh huh,” Doyle said. I knew that tone. No one has the ability to call you on your current bullshit better than the people who’ve known you since you started slinging it. “You got something going with this girl, Theo?”

“No,” I answered. “Not really. Just something doesn’t seem right.”

Doyle laughed. “You aren’t kidding. Like how the hell does Grayson get a hold of something like that? I don’t give a single solitary shit how much money he’s just inherited. He’s still Grayson. It’s a damn shame. That girl is damaged goods forever.”

My wolf rumbled. My vision flashed white. “Right,” I made myself answer. “Just call it a little step-brotherly concern on my part. Somebody in that relationship isn’t in their right mind. Grayson owns the Dorran pack lands. At least on paper. I need to know if she’s working some angle.”

“Jesus,” Doyle said. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. My father kind of filled me in. Are you going to fight it? Shit. I’m sorry again. This thing that you’re doing with Brynna makes sense now. That helps, actually ... I mean, if I have at least an inkling of what you’re looking for. Is she just your run-of-the-mill gold digger or something else? I get it.”

“Yeah,” I answered. “Something like that. Hey, thanks. And I know I don’t have to say this ... but maybe don’t say anything to your father about what you find out. At least, not until you talk to me about it first. He knows I asked you to look into it, of course, but ...”

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