Page 34 of Black Moon

She held the phone up, like she was a kidnapper offering me a second to give proof of life to my family. I made an assumption about who she was talking to and went with it. “Hey, Talin. Don’t worry, I’ll get her home safe.”

Somehow, the way Shiloh’s face scrunched managed to convey both grateful thanks and absolute disgust. It was hard to blame her. She was an independent adult, and the people who had trusted her to take care of herself a week ago were now hovering protectively.

“I’m just going to tell him, and then he’ll drive me home,” she insisted. She paused, listening, and even if I couldn’t have heard the other side of the conversation, I’d have known what Talin said from the eye roll and frustrated response. “Yes, I’ll let you know as soon as I get home.”

I winced in sympathy, holding the door open to invite her inside. She shook her head and pointed to the driveway, to my car. Huh. Apparently she wanted to go straight home. Why hadn’t she just texted to let me know whatever this was?

Eh, not important. I grabbed my car keys off the hook and headed out with her.

She pulled the phone away from her ear, stabbing the smooth surface and muttering, “Fuck my entire fucking life.”

“I know I can’t understand how frustrating it is for you, but for whatever it’s worth, I’m sorry we’re in this situation.” It was all I could offer at the moment, and it felt hollow. It was really easy for me, offering lip service to her safety and dignity. It was going to be a lot harder to fix what had been broken—and some of it had been broken since long before either Shiloh or I had been born.

“That makes all of us,” she said, her voice a growl. “But that doesn’t matter right now. I just need a ride home.”

Never mind the fact that she’d be home by now if she’d just walked there from the bar instead of to my house. Clearly she needed to say something to me in person.

Once we were settled in the car, seatbelts on and reversing out of the driveway, she took a deep breath. “Talin says I’m overthinking it. Skip and his jackass patrol didn’t even notice. But I think that guy—theWashington Postguy?—I think he’s gone out looking for the enforcers.”

I almost slammed on the brakes. “What? Why?”

How the hell would he even know where the enforcers were? How did Shiloh know?

No, that was a silly question. It was exactly what Zeke had said. Someone noticed the enforcers slipping away, and told someone who told someone else. Everyone in the whole pack probably knew by now that we were going after Brook tonight.

“I don’t know. He’s a reporter. He seemed really interested when Skip and his asshole friends started in about it. Asked if they were going tonight.” She stopped and bit her lip, so hard I was worried she would draw blood. “They are, right? They’re going after Brook tonight? I thought maybe I’d only find Rowan home, because you’d be gone with them, but if they’re not even—”

“They are,” I interrupted. “Zeke asked me to stay behind. We didn’t announce it because we didn’t want everyone to know what was going on. We were afraid it might get back to the Reids.”

“Or that I might demand to go,” she added bitterly.

I shook my head, turning to meet her eye. “No. I’m not saying I think you should’ve gone, but you’re not a child. You’re smart enough to listen to me when I say you’re not the person who should be going to this.”

She clenched her jaw and turned to the window without answering me. After a long moment of silence, she gave a sharp nod.

I pulled into the driveway of the Morgan House, where the porch light was shining bright, and her mother’s silhouette was visible through the big front bay window. “Thank you for letting me know about Colt.”

She gave a heavy sigh and turned back to look at me. “He seems like a good guy. I don’t want him to get hurt in this bullshit.”

“I agree. I’m going to do my best to make sure he isn’t.” I reached out and squeezed her hand. “And we’ll call you as soon as there’s word about Brook. I promise you.”

She motioned to her mother in the window. “I mean, she’s waiting up for me, sort of. But she isn’t going to bed after I get inside. This is how she spends her nights now. It’s...It’s kind of how we all spend our nights—me and Mom and Harmony.” A tear trickled down one cheek and she wiped it away angrily. “This is fucking ridiculous. We shouldn’t have to live in fear of this too. Harmony’s supposed to be in school. Not here worrying about Brook. Isn’t it bad enough we have to deal with the Condition?”

“I don’t think ‘bad enough’ covers it, to be honest. You’ve been dealt a terrible hand. I wish I could give you mine.”

At that, she laughed. “Seriously, Linden? I don’t want your cards. No offense. It sucks being an omega right now, but I wouldn’t be a pack alpha for all the security in the world.”

Leaning across the center console, she kissed my cheek, then climbed out of the car. “I hope Colt is okay.”

“I’ll make sure of it,” I answered.

I watched as she went in. Her mother met her at the door, hugging her tight, and they both turned to wave at me before going in and closing the door.

Shiloh was right, unsurprisingly. The two of them went back into the living room, crossing in front of the bay window together. I didn’t think there would be a lot of sleep had by anyone in the Morgan household until Brook came home.

I checked my watch again. A quarter after one. The enforcers were headed through the woods toward Reid territory by now. All I had to do was drive by Colt’s motel room and confirm his car was in the lot to set my mind at ease. I needed to hurry too, so I could be back at the clinic waiting when the enforcers got back.

But of course, when I got to the motel, the lot held only one car—the owner’s.

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