Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 87848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
I do not see Beatrix at lunch. This is likely for the best, though of course I am worried about her. I occupy the detectives with conversation about the train and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I don’t think any of us actually do BJJ, but it is a safe subject for all men to discuss regardless.
“Did you know a gorilla can rip a man’s face off?”
“Did you know sharks are older than the moon?”
We entertain one another with such questions until finally they stumble, drunk, back to their vehicle. I would tell them not to drive, but I want them gone as soon as possible.
Their car drifts along the road, back and forth, barely staying in the proper lane. We should stop them. I think about sending an escort, someone to drive them back. I will do that as soon as I have found Beatrix.
“Where is Beatrix? Has anyone seen her?”
Nobody has. If anybody saw her digging up the graves, they’re not telling me. I suspect she went right there the moment she realized who the detectives were and what they wanted. I have no idea what she did after that, or where she has gone.
I am torn between going hunting for her myself, or bringing the whole pack out to hunt for her. When I take my form out by the cemetery, I do catch a faint scent of her, but most of it is masked by grave dirt and rot. There is no way to follow her.
“Fuck!”
I slide back into my human form and curse the wind. I curse the scent.
Mr. Volkov sees fit to make an appearance at this point. He is fully clothed and I am entirely naked and I am not in the mood for the power dynamic that ensues when this man shows up in all his psychological glory.
“My mate is missing, Volkov. If you have anything useful to tell me about her whereabouts, now would be the time.”
“She knows what she is doing. You can trust her.”
“She’s a teenage girl with two dead bodies and a tag. You often talk about her needing to be in school with a responsible adult. What are you talking about, man!”
“Yes. All of that is true. She’s also the most qualified person I know to be in the wind with two dead bodies and a tracking tag. I would imagine the tag is no longer in existence.”
“So you’re telling me to relax?”
“I’m telling you that whatever comes next, you should be prepared. Ready yourself.”
He’s a therapist, but he’s acting more like an advisor. I am tempted to listen to him. None of the others know what to do. Most of the others don’t actually know the entirety of what has gone on.
“Ready myself for what, exactly?”
He looks at me, deadpan. “The worst.”
CHAPTER 20
Armand
The detectives arrived at about eleven a.m., and left around two p.m. Beatrix doesn’t show up again until around five p.m. Those are the longest three hours of my life, stretching into interminable worry.
I take to pacing around the grounds in an effort to keep myself from going mad with stillness. I am attempting to plan what my response should be when I see her again, but my mind and heart are being pulled in too many directions all at once.
“Hey!”
Beatrix pops up out of a bush, covered in dirt, a broad smile on her face. “How much fun was that! I never thought I’d get to hide bodies from the police before. And you took care of them so well. Took them on a little tour of the train, wined and dined them. I’m so proud of you.”
She gives me that little speech, including the part where she tells me that she is proud of me without so much as a hint of irony. She’s talking full speed, not only not afraid of what has happened, but entirely thrilled by it.
I stare at the woman I love, and I realize in this moment that my young mate is completely out of control. Worse, she has me out of control. Before I met the love of my life, I never lied to homicide detectives. I never worried about the location of bodies. I drove my train around the countryside and I enjoyed the company of my pack mates and I completely failed to appreciate the true joy of being an alpha without this intimate responsibility.
I grab her and I hug her tightly, smacking her ass at the same time hard enough to make her yelp. “I love you so much, but you are in more trouble than you can imagine.”
“Calm down. It’s not that bad.”
Nobody in life has ever been calmed by being told to calm down. I am no exception to the rule. I carry her inside, keeping her held tight as I go. I never want to let her go.