Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Urgency came through the Ivy House link: Mr. Tom. Jessie must’ve been ready to go, and he was stressed out that everyone else wasn’t there and waiting.
Niamh pushed herself to her feet. “Don’t worry about them for now,” she said, and waited for Fred to close her laptop and stand. “We know where their intel is. That’s enough. Now we need more in-depth information concerning their enemies. I want to know who’s pulling the strings. They don’t seem directly connected to Momar. Working for him, sure, but way down in the trenches. Something doesn’t seem right about that. Momar has a greater interest in Elliot Graves than that. We’re missing a connection there. And then…we need to peel back each layer of Momar’s setup. We haven’t even scratched the surface, girl. It’s time to get to work.”
She could hear the excitement in her own voice, matched by Fred’s sparkling eyes.
“Oh!” Niamh snapped as they made their way to Ivy House, she carrying her “new” cooler. “We’ll be needing a list of possible allies. I’ll assemble that. It’s time we stopped standing solo with a bunch of animals.”
Tristan tensed, and Niamh stifled a laugh.
“Is that fresh dirt on this cooler?” She looked down at it, bumping it off Tristan’s leg as she did so.
He veered a little farther away. “Yeah. Fresh dings, too. It looked too nice when I acquired it. I figured I’d rough it up a little for you.”
Now Niamh did laugh. She knew how to push Tristan’s one button (she was still looking for more), and Tristan knew how to get at Mr. Tom. What a circus.
A damn fine time to get alive.
“What in the holy terror is that?” Mr. Tom yelled when he saw Niamh step onto the grass. He straightened indignantly. “That’s going too far! You’ll disgrace the whole convocation. Have you no respect—”
His words were drowned out by Phil bending over, guffawing.
FIFTEEN
Jessie
I ran my palm across Austin’s shoulder and then down to his hand before threading my fingers through his. His hand tightened around mine as he stood on a curb surrounding a swatch of grass in a large parking lot. The resort we were staying at spread out all around us, a collection of buildings separated by walkways and paths and patches of grass. A ways behind us, jets of water arced through the air in the late afternoon sun and landed in a fountain basin.
The rear doors on the rental vans were open, and people were grabbing their things and all of our supplies. I could feel Austin’s nerves through our bonds. He stood stoically, though, not letting any of it show.
We’d have dinner with his brother later this evening, and tomorrow would be the first meeting to push forward the idea of our convocation. Tomorrow, we’d all have to show well. I knew he would, but I wasn’t sure about the Ivy House crew.
“Now, miss.” Mr. Tom held out a basket when he reached me. “How about some refreshments? I noticed you partook of the lovely assortment of snacks and drinks I had on the plane, but as soon as it landed, the alpha whisked you away without a to-go bag. It’s as if he has no fear of your being hangry. Not to worry, I’ve packed some snacks here, and I’ll outfit your room with all the best options. What would you like? Chocolate truffle? Roasted peanuts?”
He paused with raised eyebrows.
“Do you want anything?” I asked Austin, leaning into him. He was the one who needed to be pampered, not me.
He squeezed my hand. “No, I’m fine.”
“Sir, I do happen to have scotch. It’s right over there in my emergency pack, which is being rifled through by that miserable old woman who has tired of the alcoholic provisions within that eyesore of a cooler. I can run over there and wrestle her for it. It’s never wise to take alcohol from a puca, but if the situation calls for it, I will brave her wrath. You just say the word.”
“I’m good,” Austin said with a clenched jaw.
“Word to the wise, sir, I’d take that cooler off her as quickly as possible. You don’t want her banging that thing around when we meet the other alphas. We’ll be laughingstocks!”
Austin ignored him, but I could feel his annoyance rising.
“It’s okay, Mr. Tom.” I smiled at him. “We’re good for now. Maybe just put the snack basket and a bottle of wine in our room when it’s ready.”
“Very good, miss. I’ll just run and get that room sorted now. Broken Sue said he was handling it, but you know him. He’d probably answer a question by flaring an obscure muscle in his left thigh and giving that hard stare, and nothing will ever get done. I’ll go use my words.”
He turned and bustled away, handing off the basket to Edgar as he strode by. Edgar looked down at it in confusion, then hugged it to his chest. He walked over to the closest shifter, stood much too closely, and whispered, “I have the snacks. You let me know if you’re hungry, and I’ll break the rules for you.”