Page 52 of Pack Deception: Part Two

“There’s someone at the gate,” Houston says, coming over to us and interrupting Mason’s meltdown.

“Who?” we say together, both praying it’s Summer, and she wasn’t actually ever taken. That it was all a sick mistake.

“Says her name is Amanda.”

My lip pulls back into a snarl. She’s choosingnowto try to move in on Hudson? I’ll kill her with my bare hands. “Tell her tofuck. Off.”

Houston looks at me in an appraising sort of way, eyebrow raised, completely unperturbed by my temper, and says, “She says she’s got information that you’ll want to hear. That will help.”

“She’s lying. She’s fucking crazy.”

“I think you should hear her out,” James, Bailee’s mate, says. Overhearing our conversation, he comes over. “This early on, any little thing helps. It’s worth speaking to her, even if it doesn’t get us any closer to finding your mate.”

I’m about to beg to fucking differ, but the other OPS agent and Houston are all nodding their heads in agreement.

“Fine. But we go to her. She’s not allowed in our house when Summer isn’t here.” Mason squeezes my hand in agreement.

That’s how we find ourselves standing at the end of our drive near the gate with Amanda fidgeting in front of us, clearly intimidated by all the alpha males in front of her, daring her to be wasting their time.

Her eyes scan the crowd for Hudson, and the briefest flash of disappointment enters her eyes before she addresses me. “I tried to tell her. Summer. At her work. Actually, I called Hudson a dozen times to tell him, but he never called me back. Too caught up–”

“Get to the fucking point,” I bark when she starts to head in a direction Iknowwill piss me off.

She tries not to bare her throat at my command but does anyway. After a steadying breath, she says, “I was trying to tell Hudson that Summer was in danger. He wouldn’t answer my calls. So I went directly to Summer.”

“You mean you accosted her at her job,” Mason interjects, eyebrow raised. Indignation flashes in Amanda’s eyes.

“I didn’taccost her.I was just trying to talk to her, and that brute of an alpha ripped me away before I could.”

“And?” James asks, completely level-headed and calm.

“I was having lunch with Tatem one day.”Brooklyn’s ex?I frown to myself. “And she was talking crazy. About how this pack reached out to her. How she was going to get Brooklyn back, and Summer wouldn’t be a problem anymore.”

“What pack?” Houston this time.

“Summer’s pack! Apparently, she’s already got mates.” She looks at us to see if this information shocks us. It doesn’t. She frowns but goes on. “Tatem said she was going to help her true pack get her back. That she was already mated and just wanted to steal Brooklyn from her. That she was a greedy omega.”

“Did she tell you what they were going to do with her? Where they’d take her? Anything else that could help?” James asks in an unbothered voice that makes me want to beat the shit out of him.

But she’s already shaking her head. “That’s all she said.”

“Why now?” Mason asks from beside me. “Why come forward now?” There’s still a healthy level of suspicion in his eyes.

“I saw the omega alert. I know you hate me. Maybe I haven’t always done right by Hudson, but I’dneverwant him to lose his mate. No matter what you think of me, that’s the truth.” Then with one final glare at Mason, she turns around and walks away. Everyone lets her go.

A phone rings, sounding violently loud in the now quiet darkness. It’s James’. “Yeah,” he answers when he sees who is calling. His brow furrows as he listens. “You’re sure this guy is legit? Okay, thanks. Good work.” When he hangs up, he looks over at Houston. “Your friend said something about a private detective. Did he get a name?”

“I think he said it was Joe…something. Why?”

“A Joseph Thornton just phoned into the OPS hotline with a tip. Said he was a private investigator hired by the Monroe pack to trail Summer. They said he was only supposed to find her and make sure she was safe after running away from her pack after miscarrying.”

Fucking assholes. As if she was just a depressed omega running from a caring pack.

“But he said they called him about a week ago and asked him to rent an SUV, a small car, and a house for them for the next few weeks. Under his name.”

Holy shit. We’ve got them.

A legit lead.

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