Page 53 of The Alpha's Mates

Rapier chuckled. “I bet that’s going to go over well after Kalkin handed him his ass.”

“He did?” Bell’s eyes widened. “Daddy, does this have to do with Tate and Victor?”

He grunted. “Yep.”

Bell flattened her skirt with her hands and cleared her throat. “Well, everyone is inside. We thought we’d have a little party tonight to celebrate.”

“Hold on there, princess.” Her father held up his hand. “What do you mean, a forgery and how illegal are we talking about?”

“Let’s just say a little birdy went digging. She found out some letterhead had been stolen—and how—and what kind of printer had been used and from where.”

“Where?” Christoph narrowed his eyes.

“Laney.”

“Son of a bitch! I told Hill to keep his women in line.” He curled his lip and growled.

“Well, I have a plan for her, don’t worry.” She smiled. “Everything will work out.”

“What else did you find?” Jackson hedged.

“Seems she also likes to get down with the football team in the locker room,” she answered. “You know, there’s a video. It’s kind of hypocritical to be proud of that, but use the same crap on someone else to ruin them.”

“Wait. Are you serious?” Christoph couldn’t believe what she’d said.

“Deadly. She posted a Snapchat. We found the conversation and saved it. Then Raquel found the longer version online. From what I can tell, same for Raquel, it was taken from the same location the photos of Victor were snapped.”

“Jesus. Bell, you can’t use that. Morally, it’s not right. We’re all allowed to explore our sexuality.” Leave it to her father to be the voice of reason.

“I know, Daddy. I’m not going to.” She held out her hand to Christoph. “Come on, we have planning to do for our celebration, plus we need to eat.”

“I’m all for breakfast.” Christoph came up beside her. “Then, I want to tell you what we have planned for Aislinn.”

Christoph hadn’t realized how anxious he’d been until Jackson slapped him on the shoulder after he kissed Bell goodbye the next day. While she was off getting ready to submit her evidence to Dean Ames and request a hearing, he’d be with her father, dealing with his parents. Aislinn would be picked up in about ten minutes from the park across from the hotel where she and her parents stayed. Isaac was already in the van with Wy and Rashid at the designated pick-up point. As he stood there trying to brace himself for what was to come next, he sent Aislinn a quick text to tell her where to go to meet him.

He made it clear she couldn’t take anything with her. This had to look like she disappeared. Keeley and Danielle promised Aislinn and Isaac would have everything they needed. Jackson also wanted to help. Though the girl would never be Christoph’s mate, he had a duty and responsibility to her. In a few years, they would return to Window Rock permanently, and that knowledge helped ease some of the guilt he experienced. Even though he had nothing to do with her parents’ antiquated ways, it bothered him to leave Aislinn alone.

“You ready to go?”

“Yes. It’s time to put this shit behind us.” Christoph turned from the bathroom mirror he’d been staring into while his mind churned out all the possibilities of how their mission could go horribly bad.

“I just got a message from Aislinn. She’s nervous.” Jackson followed Christoph to the door of the room they shared with Bell.

“She’s not alone in this. Neither are you.”

“In an hour, it won’t matter. She’ll be on the road, and we’ll be meeting Bell for her hearing with the dean.” Since Victor explained his solution of turning her sorority into a co-op, the tension building within him had mellowed out marginally. One less thing he had to worry about. Victor’s idea held merit. Giving up his fraternity for it didn’t even cross Christoph’s mind. He’d signed the pledge application the second Victor put it in front of him, same for Jackson.

“You’re right,” Jackson agreed. “We’ll be waiting for you when you return.”

The ride to the park was quiet. Christoph had to concentrate on the plan. The anxious questions swirling through his mind ceased. They had at least three contingency plans in case something went wrong. He just hoped, for once, they’d go right. With everyone in position, they only had to finish it. He parked his truck in the city park’s lot instead of the hotel. Christoph spotted Wy’s van at the end of the block when he exited his vehicle, waiting for the signal. They’d tossed around the idea of nabbing Aislinn in the hotel, but too many variables existed. The park, at least, had multiple exits and lax security.

Aislinn stepped out from behind a tree. She looked horrible. Her normally glossy hair hung in dirty tangles. Her eyes were rimmed in purple from lack of sleep, and her clothes appeared rumpled like she hadn’t changed them in days. What in the hell happened? Christoph discreetly gave the signal as he jogged to Aislinn’s side.

Christoph jogged to her. “What happened?”

Her bottom lip trembled. “What always happens. I’ve been in the box.” She wiped her eyes. “When I didn’t come home the other day with a mark, I went into the box. They let me out once a day to eat and use the facilities.”

Which explained why she’d answered his text until that morning. No one saw the phone, no one tried to stop her. Anger spiked within him. “The van is coming. I need you to act normal. We don’t want to attract unwanted attention.”

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