Page 77 of Unbonded
“I know.” Corbus swipes his thumb over my cheek again, and then he’s gone, striding down the hallway and sending his staff scuttling back to their desks. Because the world goes on, even while my entire reason for living has stopped dead.
Notdead, I berate myself, hurrying back to Bram’s office.Taken, and if I have any say in it, she’ll be back in our pack nest before midnight.
The alternative is unacceptable.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - BRAM
Pure, primal anger sparks in my hindbrain. It’s like the static that hums in the air, seemingly without a source, but invading every corner of your mind. I have to keep reminding myself not to follow it, like pulling on the thread will unravel the fabric of the cage I keep myself in. As Lachlan said, I can’t afford to freak out. They need me sharp. Fierce, but focused. Because this is clearly an abduction, and I have to get a step ahead of their plan.
Money. It always comes down to cash, whether in a bank account or a duffel bag. I know this better than most. My life is ledgers, quotes, invoices, and receipts. I read financial forecasts like other people read their horoscopes, and I feel the mood of markets through the newspaper ink under my fingertips. But this money trail… I can’tseeit yet, and that makes my hindbrain pulse with frustrated fury.
Because there’s another voice whispering at me from the small print.
If I’d shown myself, if her enemies knew I was a beast in a bad suit, would they have dared take her from me?
“If I'd claimed her, we might know where she is right now.”
Lachlan clicks his tongue at me, and I taste a new energy inhis scent as he returns to my side. Determined. Sharp. Just like he told me to be. “We can do the hindsight thing later. Tell me, what’s the plan?”
The plan.
To find her and kill them. The first quickly, the second as slow and as painfully as possible.
“Curtis will get the coffee shop’s CCTV footage, any license plate numbers in the vicinity, and then hack whatever databases we need for an address. I’ve put a call in to Perry, my FBI contact, who confirmed that King’s club is still shut down and a patrol has been sent around to check the premises. He’s also talking to some of his contacts on the street, checking to see if King has set up somewhere new. His legitimate business is close to bankruptcy, so he is probably trying to scratch up some funds elsewhere.”
My fists open and close in an angry spasm and Lachlan’s panic spikes. “What is it, Bram?”
“I… had a hand in fucking him up. Financially, I mean. If I caused this, by making him reckless enough to snatch her in broad daylight…”
“Kingcaused this,” he counters, squeezing my arm. “He’s the one who crossed the line, and long before you met him. Hell, lay the blame on Lee’s doorstep, if you need to, because I sure as hell do.” He grinds his teeth and stares at his bruised knuckles, like he’s relishing the sight. “I plan on punching that motherfucker every time I see him, so a little financial ruin is tame by comparison.”
Tame. I know he’s trying to assuage my guilt, but he’s hit a raw nerve.
Should I have done more? Should I have staked out King’s business, followed him home, tied him to a chair, and given him a warning he’d never forget?
Would we be in this position if I had put down the pen and picked up the sword?
Violence has its place, or we’d never go to war. Bullies would rule the planet, and the rest of us would be grease powering the machine. I know this, theoretically. But other than a couple of run-ins over the years, I’ve never had to resort to violence. Guys like me just don’t get picked on, especially in the boardroom of a billion-dollar empire.
“Dash wants to talk to you.” I’ve been so lost in my head, I didn’t hear Lachlan’s phone ring. But I can definitely hear my omega’s voice chirping angrily from the device. “Ah, he wants me to put him on speaker.”
I nod, and the next moment Dash’s panicked voice is bursting into the room. “Listen to me, Bram Webber. You are my alpha, and I’m telling you what you need to hear. Kate is yours to protect, and that trumps everything else you care about.”
“I know that, sweetheart.”
“No, listen to me!” He’s shouting, but the panic is clear in his voice, not to mention the bolts of terror lighting up our bond. “I don’t give a flying fuck if you spend your time shifting money around in your fancy office and writing reports about the market in China. You are anuber alpha. That means youhunt downthese fuckfaces, and you make thempay!Do you hear me?”
I’m purring so loudly they can probably hear me in China. “That’s the plan, sweetheart.”
He takes a breath, caught between a growl and a sob. “Good. You’ll get it done?”
“I won’t let you down, Dash.”
“I know. I just… feel so fucking helpless.” He sniffs, and I can feel his anger softening through the bond. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”
“No, it’s good. I needed to hear your voice.” Not only because it soothes my beast to know he’s safe, but because it’s a goodreminder that I need to bring Kate home, or he’ll never forgive me.
“Okay, because you get that I’m giving you permission.” At this stage, it’s written in neon all over our bond, but he still sounds like he thinks I need convincing. “For whatever it takes, Bram. I won’t ever judge you.”
