Page 166 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

“That little blond tech junkie blocked my attempts,” Zayde said. “They must have been anticipating that we’d try something like that.”

“What exactly did he say?” Cole asked.

I rubbed my forehead and sighed in frustration. “Nothing. Not really. He gloated, talked about building something. Bragged about creating some kingdom.”

“That’s basically what Dallas said, too,” Langston said. “Apparently, North Crest isn’t the only town this has happened to, and Harbor Mills is next.”

“And we’ll be blind from now on,” Zayde said. “That Sydney chick totally locked out the CCTV around North Crest. The only thing they’re broadcasting is old footage.”

“Who the hell is this woman?” Farrah asked. She looked about ready to claw someone’s eyes out.

“I think Kyle knew his guys fucked up,” Zayde said. “The fact that those videos I found hadn’t been completely deleted was a huge mistake. If she’s this good, that never would have happened by accident. Maybe someone else was in charge, and when they fucked up, he brought her in on that side. Not sure, but either way, she’s gonna be a problem.”

“Dallas mentioned her, too,” Cole said. “She’s the one who tipped Kyle off that we’d infiltrated the town.”

“She wasn’t in any of the videos, though,” Trent said. “Where’s he been hiding her?”

“We didn’t see half those shifters out there,” Cole said. “If he’s doing this in multiple towns, then he has more people than we first thought.”

“Don’t worry,” Zayde said, and something in his tone piqued all our interest because every head turned his way.

“You got a plan?” Langston asked him.

“Girl video-called us,” Zayde said with a grim smile. “Bragging about what she’d done, basically being an asshole. I took a screenshot of her face. I’m gonna run it through facial-recognition software. I’ll figure out her story and find out her connection to Kyle. Give me some time.”

“Nice.” Trent smiled appreciatively. “Next question. What do we do with our little friend outside?”

“That’s what I was about to say,” Cole added. “We may not need Zayde to go to all that trouble. Our prisoner may be able to give us all the intel we need.”

“Where are we going to put this guy?” Trent gave a low chuckle. “We can’t really keep him in my truck forever.”

“The basement,” Cole said. “No windows down there, and only one door in and out.”

Trent worked that over in his mind, then nodded. “Best place I can think of.”

“Head out and help Porter get that guy down there,” Cole said.

Trent rose, and Langston joined him. “I’ll go, too. I don’t want this shithead slipping away.”

The two men left, leaving me to dwell on the worries that continued to whirl through my mind. No matter what Cole said, I was still terrified that Kyle would hurt Ashton because of what we’d tried. This wasn’t going the way I’d wanted. In a perfect world, everything went according to plan, and nothing bad happened. Instead, I was sitting here, at the mercy of a madman who might or might not start mailing me pieces of my baby. The thought alone sent a wave of nausea and terror through me.

“Are you all right?” Cole asked, patting my leg gently.

I nodded, swallowing back my fears. “Yeah. I’m sure you know what I’m thinking.”

He looked at me with compassionate understanding. “Don’t do that to yourself. Stay in the moment and try to keep your mind off it.”

I scoffed. “Easier said than done.”

A moment later, the front door opened. Langston and Trent had the prisoner’s arms, and Porter had his feet. The guy was struggling, but I could see it was a half-assed attempt. Langston was an alpha, and Trent and Porter knew how to handle themselves. He knew he had no chance of escape.

As I watched them carry the guy down to the basement, anxiety welled up inside me, like bugs crawling or electricity surging beneath my skin. I’d wanted to look into Dallas’s eyes and ask him why he did it. Ineededthat sort of closure. Now, all I had was this stranger who may or may not know anything. It was maddening, and growing worse with every second my son was gone.

It wasn’t until Cole reached over and wiped a tear off my cheek that I realized I was crying.

“Shit, sorry. Can’t seem to stop doing that,” I muttered, swiping a hand over my face.

“Don’t be sorry,” he said. “It’s normal.” We stood, and he put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. “We aregoing to get Ashton back. Don’t let those dark thoughts in.”

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