Page 98 of Into the Woods

I nodded, trying to keep track. I was going to need a flow chart. Or one of those murder mystery boards with the red string connecting people and places together.

“How the hell did you meet him?” Trick asked.

“Blind date,” I replied with a sigh. “His brother, Alex, is my cousin’s boyfriend. Cami, my cousin, set us up.”

“Well that’s some shit luck,” he muttered with a shake of his head.

“You have no idea,” Court added, his tone dark.

Bishop grimaced. “Yeah, Eric’s recently turned into a full-blown Bex stalker.”

“And why exactly did he volunteer the auction info?” Trick looked at me.

I shifted in my seat, my stomach doing little flips from anxiety. “I, uh, might’ve let him think I know more than I actually do.”

“She mentioned knowing Dad,” Rook clarified. “She also name-dropped Westford and let it slip that her dad also loops her in on this shit.”

Trick studied me for a beat, then snapped his fingers. “You’re Malcolm Whittier’s kid. Rebecca.”

I nodded, my heart sinking. “You know my dad?”

Trick started to give me a look like duh but then seemed to catch sight of Court behind me and schooled his expression into something unreadable before nodding. “Yeah.” He glanced at Rook, almost like he was silently asking a question.

Rook gave the smallest shake of his head, and the lines around Trick’s mouth tightened for a beat. I wanted to ask what I was missing, but Trick swallowed his reaction and started asking me more questions. “You’re still in contact with Eric?”

I nodded, unable to brush aside the uneasy feeling. As if sensing my distress, Court sat on the plush arm of the chair, his hand coming around to cup the back of my neck. I leaned into his touch, soaking it up.

“Eric has made it abundantly clear that he’s interested in Bex,” Rook added, concern in his eyes. “Unfortunately, Bex is tied to this shit until we can neutralize it.”

“Knowing when the auction is going to be helps a fuckton,” Trick said. “Any idea of a location?”

I shook my head. “No. But I’m seeing Eric again tomorrow.”

Court’s hand tightened on my neck.

Trick looked at Court in surprise. “You’re cool with that?”

“Not even a little,” Court bit off. He relaxed his hold. “But Becca can make her own choices, and I’m going to support her.”

“I can try to press Eric for more details,” I offered, wanting to be useful.

Court swore under his breath. “Becca—”

“Only if it comes up naturally,” Trick cut him off. “We have a couple ideas of the location, but nothing solid. Worst-case scenario, we’ll split our resources.”

“That sounds dangerous,” I said softly.

“It’s not ideal,” he replied, inclining his head. “But we’ll do what we have to. Is it just the three of you?”

Rook straightened. “Knight’s out of commission for a bit, but Royal can be here if we need extra manpower.”

“Ryan, Linc, and Ash said the same thing,” Court added.

I turned to him. “They’re coming to Paris?”

His gaze dropped to me, softening. “If we need them. Yeah.”

“Honestly, it might help to have them close.” Trick rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re being careful, but our team isn’t big.”

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