Page 205 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

Except in this situation, there was something I could do.

Porter and Zayde strolled around in the yard. They didn’t appear to be planning on coming inside any time soon. Taking my phone out, I unblocked the number Kyle had used to call me, hesitated for an instant, then dialed him. As I waited for the phone to ring, I held my breath, unsure what I’d say or what game I’d play when he answered.

Instead of Kyle’s voice, I was met with an automated message saying the number was out of service.

“Shit,” I hissed in frustration, but before I could begin to be truly disappointed, my phone rang.

It was a private number. The odds of this being anyone else was outlandish. Ithadto be Kyle. With trembling fingers, I answered the call.

“H… hello,” I said, all my previous bravery melting away.

“I’m glad you called, Avery,” Kyle’s oily voice said, and I had to suppress a shiver. “When I didn’t hear from you, I was worried Cole had taken away your phone.”

“Uh, well… it’s, uh, been hard to find a moment alone,” I said, trying to find my footing as quickly as I could. “I finally have a moment, but the number I had said it was disconnected.”

Kyle chuckled. “My little friend Sydney is a wonder. All calls are routed to my new number after the caller gets the out-of-service message. It helps prevent Cole’s little hacker friend from tracking me. Your number still showed on my caller ID, though. I’m sure you understand how serious things are right now.Precarious,you might say.”

Licking my lips, I decided to play into Kyle’s idea that I was being controlled.

“I actually don’t,” I said. “Cole’s been keeping me in the dark on everything. Has something else happened I need to know about?”

“It’s okay, my dear,” he said, and I could taste bile at the back of my throat. “I had a feeling that son of a bitch would try to lock you down. I’ve had some reports that he’s tried to sequester you in your friend’s house, so this isn’t a surprise.”

A bolt of fear shot through me. Cole had been right. Kyle was having me watched somehow. Whether by Dallas or some other minion, he knew I’d been spending time at Stormy’s.

“He didn’t trust me to hang around his house very long. He thinks I might mess things up somehow. He thinks I’m a dumb woman, you know?” I said. Speaking the words made me feel awful, but they seemed to work.

“No fear, Avery. I have a man in town. He’s lying in wait, anticipating my call. When the time is right, I’ll let him know. Soon, you and Ashton will be together. Soon,we’llbe together.”

At the mention of my son’s name, my heart shuddered painfully. I wondered if Kyle could hear it over the phone.

Throwing caution to the wind, I said, “Speaking of Ashton, can I please talk to him?”

He’d say no, of course. He’d want to keep dangling him like bait on a hook.

“I suppose a quick conversation would be appropriate. Hang on a moment,” he said.

My jaw fell open, and my already pounding heart increased its pace. My knees were weak enough that I had to sit down, afraid that I might collapse at any second.

“Mom?”

Tears sprang to my eyes, and I gasped at the sound of my son’s voice.

“Oh my God, Ashton. It’s me. It’s me, are you okay?” I asked, rambling through the tears that streamed down my cheeks.

“Calm down, Mom. I’m okay. They haven’t hurt me or anything. I’m safe. Stop crying,” he said, keeping his voice low.

Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to get my heart under control. I had to play this right. Kyle was there with Ashton, and I couldn’t blow my cover yet.

“Baby, is… uh, are you alone?”

A momentary pause, and I heard the sound of rustling clothes like he was moving.

“He’s across the room,” Ashton whispered. “He’s texting someone, I think.”

“Okay, can you tell me?—”

“Mom, don’t let him get you,” Ashton said, the words hissing out below a whisper. “I figured out what he’s trying to do.”

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