Page 20 of Seduced Wolf

"Not out here," Holly hisses, opening the door a little more so she can see if there’s anyone else in the corridor. "We can't discuss this here."

"You know more than I thought," I say, unsure how I feel that my instincts have been proven right

She rolls her eyes. "Obviously."

"Is that why you helped Aria?"

Holly grabs my hand and yanks me into the room, quietly shutting the door behind me. She then walks straight past the large bed and into the adjacent bathroom. There, beside a spa that could easily fit six people, she turns and crosses her arms. “What do you mean?”

“That night the thugs that attacked you two, you’re the one who gave Aria the money, didn't you?”

“Of course I did,” she huffs. “I wanted to help my friend. I still want to, even now. That’s the only reason you’re in this room with me.”

I don’t glance around the opulent bathroom. Even in the club, it’s clear Holly’s worried about being overheard.

She huffs again, brushing an invisible strand of hair from her face. “I’ve heard you’re hunting down a certain…red-eyed man.”

“That’s exactly right.”

“How much do you know about him?” she asks, her voice dropping again.

“That he’s a very notorious killer.” My chest tightens. “A cold-hearted, violent one.”

Holly’s lips twist. “Let me fill in the blanks, his name is Bane. And yes, I’m pretty familiar with his tastes.”

“How?” I ask, watching her closely.

“Word travels fast between clubs and bordellos. Apparently faster than the police.” She slides me an unimpressed glance. “I’ve got a friend who knows the woman found the room. It wasn’t a pretty sight to walk into.”

I keep silent, conscious I’m getting more information in the space of a few minutes than I have in days. And it’s Aria’s friend who’s giving it to me.

Holly unwinds her arms as she looks me square in the eye. “Chase, do you really think all of the murders, the sabotage, and Peter’s kidnapping are really just the work of a couple of thugs?”

“No,” I state flatly.

It’s pretty obvious this is more than just a criminal syndicate, this is an organization. Bane just happens to have some sort of agenda that aligns with Night Fang goals.

But from the moment Aria repeated her story to Zayn the other night, a question has gnawed at me.

What did Night Fang have to gain from kidnapping Peter?

Money? They make Aria’s debt easily from the amount of money they generate at this club alone. Who knows how many fronts they have? Why would Peter matter that much to them?

There’s another thing that disturbs me even more. Zayn mentioned Night Fang weren’t always this twisted. They used to be an alternative shifters could go to when the police weren’t willing to help.

What exactly happened for Night Fang to change this drastically?

Maybe it was around the time Bane joined…

“Whatever you’re thinking,” Holly says, watching me just as closely. “This is much bigger than that.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Bigger than Bane?”

“If Bane really was the one to kidnap Peter of his own volition, do you really think he would still be alive?” Holly arches her own eyebrow. “I suspect the man behind Night Fang’s corruption also has to be the same man who is funding them.”

Holly falls silent and I wonder if she’s either choosing her words because she has more to say…or because the knowledge that people who share this kind of information become targets. I decide to ask the question that she hasn’t even alluded to, in case I’m about to run out of good will. “Holly, why did you run away?”

“I—”

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