Page 64 of Clash of Sin and Secret

“I never said I did, but you care for Scottie and Zane, and I do as well. So, if shit is hitting your fan, it’s musketeer time. All for one and one for all.”

He makes a low, grumbling sound deep in his chest and walks off.

Rude.Doesn’t he recognize an olive branch when he sees one? I should’ve cracked him over the head with it.

We get back to the stealth of surveying the land and stop when we get to the edge of the first brick building. I peer around the corner to check for cameras, line of sight, and mutt sentries. There’s nothing.

I tap my earpiece. “First building, clear. Moving on.”

I gesture toward the next building. From there, we might see the back of the main building. That will give us the angle we need to confirm if this place is a vampire nest or just a place where the local kids come to party and hang out.

“My pack brother called from up north. He may have found a lead to who murdered my mother.”

The words hang in the still silence of the night, and I turn back to meet the man’s stony gaze. “Shit. That’s one heavy phone call.”

“Apparently, there was more going on in the pack than just prejudice about me being a half-blood. Someone was threatening my mom. The last letter came two days before she was killed.”

I study a broken window before moving on. “I’m sorry. I know how that feels.”

He scoffs. “You know how it feels to find your mother bleeding and left to die?”

I stiffen. “I do. My whole family was slaughtered when I was fourteen. That’s when Bran brought me to Toronto and Francesco welcomed me into Clan Vasari.”

That seems to take a bit of the fight out of him and he has the good sense to look abashed. “What happened?”

“From what Bran found out, it was a rival seethe with a territory grudge. It was unprovoked and utterly senseless and everyone I knew was dead.”

He exhales and shakes his head. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too. It taught me life happens and how we roll with it makes all the difference.”

“Well, I’m glad they took you in and gave you a second chance at a family. Is that why you became Zane’s guard?”

“One of the reasons, yeah. I owed them a lot and loved Francesco and Bran for everything they did for me. Plus, Zane and I were always tight.”

“And the other reason?”

He shrugs. “When Bran found me, I was a kid. I didn’t know how to defend myself or the people I loved. Bran promised that if he trained me, I’d never have to feel helpless again.”

And I haven’t.

Sudden movement catches my attention, and I throw my arm out, stopping Tucker. “There, by the loading dock.”

Tucker turns and the two of us watch a man prop himself against the wall. He lights a cigarette and crosses his arms, settling in for a smoke. “Is he a turned vampire?”

I lift one shoulder. “I can’t say from here. We’d need to get closer without him raising the alarm.”

Tucker smiles at me. “I have an idea.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Tucker

“You want to what? Damn, you’re crazier than you look, shifter.”

I take Huntley’s comment as a compliment, confident this will work. “Vampires only ever smell the human in me. That makes me perfect bait.”

Huntley doesn’t look convinced, but it’s my neck on the line, so it’s my call.

---