Page 38 of Broken Wolf Heart
“Yeah, I’d look for a bill in the mail,” Dutch snorts. “No way he’ll cover it.”
“Small price to pay,” I murmur, glancing toward the open door and the night beyond. “Anything else?”
“No. Well, sort of, but it’s probably nothing.”
I tense. “I want to know everything.”
“He stopped at the offices across from Altobello’s for a second.”
“Franco’s restaurant? He doesn’t have any businesses over there. What office did he go into?”
“Not sure. You said not to get too close.”
I nod, torn between frustration and relief. I can’t afford for my father to know we’re watching him. “Then what?”
Dutch shrugs. “He drove back to his office and stayed there until Crow texted us to meet up here.”
“And Ramsey?” I ask.
“Couldn’t find a trace of that asshole,” he says darkly. “But we will. Give it time.”
I exhale. “Okay, thanks.”
“Want some backup?” he asks as Razor and Crow appear from somewhere in the house.
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “If we go out together, it’ll look like a confrontation.”
“Then it looks like what it is,” Dutch says pointedly. “Maybe this is it. The moment we take him out.”
I shake my head. “Believe me, I want that, but we can’t move until Lexi’s place is secure. Otherwise, we risk her safety, and I won’t do that now when we’ve worked so hard for this.”
Dutch scowls but backs off.
“So, then what? We keep letting him dictate how this goes?” Razor asks, always pushing for the fight.
“He asked for Lexi, and he’s getting me instead. He came here to issue some kind of order, and instead, I’m going to tell him to fuck right off. So, no, he’s not dictating anything,” I say. Razor looks ready to argue. “But if you go out there with me, the minute he sees us together, he’ll know we’re not with hispack anymore. That puts us at five against…well, all of them. Even Lexi’s pack might try to come at us if that happens. Have you seen how many guards are on this compound?”
“Shit,” Razor grumbles. “We could take ‘em.”
Crow snorts loud enough that a few others glance our way. Razor notices and sighs. After another beat, they nod reluctantly and let me pass.
“We’ll be here if you need us,” Dutch says.
I hope I don’t. Because once my father knows I’ve formed my own pack, it’ll take more than just my four pack members to stop the chaos that will follow.
Outside, the sky is lit with stars and a sliver of a moon. The darkness isn’t enough to hide a dozen of Franco’s guards standing in a loose formation down by the gate. They watch the black car with tight expressions and weapons at the ready.
Good.
My boots scuff the concrete as I make my way over to where my former alpha is parked. Through the windshield, I see Rocco, Dutch’s dad, in the driver’s seat, grim as ever. His hands grip the wheel like he’s trying not to snap it in half. Alvaro, Razor’s and Crow’s old man, sits shotgun, looking even more deranged.
Seeing them here is a stark reminder that it’s not just my father we’ll fight. Every one of my friends will have to face down their old man when we announce what we’ve become.
I hate that they’ll have to live with something like that, but I’m done trying to keep the peace. This is the last remotely civil conversation I plan to have with this asshole. Next time, it’ll end in bloodshed.
When I get close, the back passenger side window opens. My father sits in the backseat, eyes already locked on me like he knew I’d come instead of her.
I approach slowly, the scent of cut grass and asphalt mixing with the cologne he’s always worn—sharp, synthetic, aggressive.I catch a whiff of blood too. Not fresh, but lingering. Maybe it’s in my memory. Maybe it’s always there when he is.
