Page 214 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

“See you in a little while,” I said, slumping in my seat.

“What kind of business does he have in Bellview?” Trent asked. “That’s not even a shifter town. Do you think Kyle is expanding even faster?”

“I’m not sure,” I muttered. “Might be meeting someone there. At this point, they have to know we’re looking for them. Our scents will be all over the place. He might think it’s a good place to do business without any prying eyes. I guess we’ll find out.”

I leaned back, doing my best to stay calm for the ride.

Trent broke every known driving law in the state of Georgia. Thankfully, we saw no police on the way. We made it in under two hours, pulling into a small downtown hotel in Bellview.

I called Langston again after getting out of the truck, certain Dallas would have moved on.

“He’s still here,” Langston said.

“It’s been over two hours,” I said. “What the hell is he doing?”

“No idea. The guy’s been sitting there. He ordered some food, ate it, sat around, went to the bathroom a couple times, and drank like nine cups of coffee. No one has talked to him except the server. It’s like he’s sitting there, waiting for someone to find him, which is weird, because he and Kyle have to know we’re hunting for him. Get over here and take a look for yourself.”

We did exactly that, shifting and sprinting through town until we got to Langston. He sat half-hidden by a few trees and a concrete fountain in a small park overlooking a downtown plaza. Before I could even greet Langston, I spotted Dallas fifty yards away, sitting right by the big bay window of the café.

“You weren’t lying,” Trent said. “He’s hanging out there like a sitting duck.” He turned to me. “You want all of us to jump him? Might cause a ruckus in there, but we can pay for damages and whatnot. What do you think?”

“No,” I whispered through gritted teeth. “I go in alone. We do this quiet. I need to look into Dallas’s eyes and ask him what the fuck is going through his mind.”

“Is that wise?” Langston asked. “He may see you and bolt. Or worse, he may have a team in there with him. They could have gotten there before we did. I have no way of knowing who’s in there.”

“No,” I repeated. “This is for me.”

Before either of them could argue, I strode out into the plaza. Trent and Langston called out to me in low, whispered voices, but I ignored them, my eyes boring straight into the glass window as my brother grew clearer.

If he saw me coming out of the corner of his eye, he didn’t react. Opening the door and stepping inside, I could see the back of Dallas’s head. Even when the bell rang over the door, he didn’t turn to see who’d arrived. When I slipped into the other side of the booth and he finally saw me, he didn’t act surprised. No flinch, no widened eyes, not even a frown. In fact, all he did was grin at me.

My hands, resting on the table, bunched into fists. “Is there something funny, Dallas?” I asked, biting each word off as I spoke it.

“Not at all,” Dallas said, and sat his mug down. “I knew your dogs had been on my trail for days. Decided to throw them a bone. That’s all.”

“You’re a piece of shit,” I hissed. “Just looking at you makes me want to puke. I’ve seen the shit you’ve done.”

Dallas didn’t blink. Instead, he leaned forward, mimicking my movement, and narrowed his eyes. “Cole, have you looked at this from all sides? Have you stopped to think aboutwhyI was doing all these things for Kyle?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” I said, taking on a tone of faux introspection. “Maybe it’s that you’re a bastard, hungry for money and power? Could it be that you have no honor or morals? Or, perhaps, you’re a cold-hearted son of a bitch who doesn’t care about anyone but himself? Am I getting close with any of those? Shit, maybe it’s all three?”

“Cole,” Dallas said with a sigh, and that sigh almost sent me over the edge. It almost cut through my barely contained rage and made me leap across the table and kill him.

“Yes,”I grunted, baring my teeth as I said it.

“There are things going on here that are bigger than you know.”

“Oh, forfuck’ssake,” I barked, and the few people paused to glance around. Ignoring their looks of disdain, I went on. “What are you going on about? Something bigger? What? Kyle’s little kingdom is gonna get bigger? Has he decided to crown you his fucking prince-in-waiting?”

“That’s not what I mean.” Finally, he showed some emotion—irritation and maybe a little fear. “This is bigger than you. It’s bigger than Kyle’s obsession with Avery. There are other people involved. I’ve done some awful shit, but I’ve done it to keep my head on my shoulders and to help those people.”

“Stop this cryptic bullshit. Just tell me what the fuck you’re talking about?”

Dallas shook his head. “Can’t do that.”

Fast as a snake striking, I reached across the table and grabbed Dallas’s shirt, lifting him out of his seat until we were nose-to-nose. Dallas didn’t even flinch. In fact, he looked bored. That unconcerned look on his face had my rage surging, a mountain of flame roaring in my heart, forcing steaming-hot magma through my veins.

Shaking him slightly, I hissed, “Don’t you shake your head at me. I should killyou for what you did.”

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