Page 44 of Breaking the Alpha
Angelina sat back, her fingers tracing along River’s shoulder blades.“I won’t be offended if you prefer I not be here while you and River talk about whatever is going on.”
His brother shook his head but still refused to look at her.“No, you’re good.I think that was established in the most awkward way possible.Let’s just move on.I need to catch you two up on some major shit.”He glanced down at his phone.“River, you know Jocelyn’s accounting firm has been following leads across a bunch of businesses.The number of shops fronting for these dealers is growing every week.Problem is, the cops haven’t been able to pin down the ringleaders or figure out who’s calling the shots.Every lead ends at another lower-level person.”
Taking a deep breath, Birch gave him a tight smile.“The Feds are being brought in.They’re already on Grey’s case, which is a fucking godsend, but they want to talk to me.And you.”
“Yeah, sure,” he replied, attempting to sit up straighter and grunting when the pain hit hard.“I can’t tell them any more than I told you and Fogerty, though.”
“That’s not the discussion they want,” Birch said crossing his arms.“Jocelyn has two friends on the task force assigned to this mess.If—when—we get the call from whoever took Grey, they want us to agree.”
He wasn’t sure if the morphine was amping up, because there was no way he’d heard his brother correctly.“Agree.To do what exactly?”
“To be their middlemen.”
*
Angelina pulled upto the Baker home with her purse filled to the brim with medications, bandages, surgical tape, and inhalers.Turning off the car as she got out to save time, she ran up the path and opened the door without knocking, gasping when she was almost bowled over by Birch.
“Sorry,” he called over his shoulder as he dashed to his truck, his phone held tight to his ear.“River is all set up in the living room.I’ll call you guys once I know more.”
In the forty minutes she’d been at the pharmacy, Grey’s kidnappers had made contact with Jocelyn through the Serpent’s Tongue Ink phone line.River had called her while she was waiting in line to pay to tell her the man had given her just one message:Tell Baker I’ll be calling back in one hour.And let him know it’s reckless to leave his pretty blonde girlfriend with the blue skirt alone in his shop.
It didn’t matter if Jocelyn had undercover security watching her.The fact that the man had eyes on her was terrifying for everyone involved, even if it was to be expected.
Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, she entered the living room to find River already struggling to get to his feet, his wet hair dampening the collar of his shirt.“And where do you think you’re going?”
“Serpent’s Tongue,” he replied, getting his crutches into position and accepting the water from her.“I need to be there.I know Birch thinks I need rest, but that’s not going to happen.”
Checking the instructions on his anti-inflammatory pills, she passed him two and entered the timing into her phone.“We’ll go.But only if you can guarantee me our presence won’t make anything worse.”
Swallowing the first pills, he held out his hand for the painkillers.“If there was a chance it would, Birch would have used it when I told him I would be right behind him.”He winced as he choked down the larger pills and downed half the water bottle before taking the antibiotics and downing the rest.“I’d prefer it if you dropped me off and came back here.They’re watching the shop.I don’t want them watching you.”A shiver ran through him and he exhaled.“Never mind.You’re staying beside me.If they’re watching the shop, they’re probably watching the house.”
Slinging her purse back over her shoulder, she followed behind him as he limped to the door, firing off a quick text to Jocelyn to let her know they were on their way.“Tell me Birch helped you shower.”
He grunted while they made their way to the car.“Let’s just say the next time I’m sitting in a tub in my boxers, I hope it’ll be you helping me out, not my brother.”Sliding his crutches into the back seat, he eased himself into the passenger side and looked at her.“I didn’t just say it.I think I knew I was in love with you the second I opened up that hideous giraffe.So, in case I get distracted and in my own head over the next while, I do love you.And I’m sorry for all this.”
She leaned over for a kiss before she backed them out of the driveway and hit the road.“Absolutely no guilt or apologies are allowed.I don’t often take a black-and-white stand on anything, but this is one of those times.You’re living a nightmare, River.And until it ends, I want nothing more than to be everything you need me to be.You and I can figure out you and I later.”
The rest of their drive to Serpent’s Tongue was silent.While he sat beside her, shifting periodically to adjust the angle of his injured legs, she kept an eye out for any sign they were being followed.Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she pulled up in front of the shop and sent him in ahead of her, taking a moment to call Zoe and let her know that Wholly Yours would be closed for the remainder of the week.
Zoe responded with a simple:“Take care of your boy.The store isn’t going anywhere.”
It was just the anchoring reminder she needed, and her friend’s blunt wisdom was the mantra she needed to remember for the coming hours—or days—ahead.Because right now, River was running on adrenaline, painkillers, and fear.His instinct was to fight and his mind was warring with his battered body’s ability to keep up.Eventually, both were going to crash.And she needed to be ready.
*
River’s heart poundedin his chest as Birch picked up the ringing phone and put the caller on speaker.
“Baker and Baker,” the low voice growled.“I’ll say this once, so listen very fucking close.If you agree to open your shop for us, move our shipments in one door and out another, keep your head down and mouth shut, your brother comes home whole.If you don’t, or you decide you want to dance with the cops, we send your brother home piece by piece.As long as we’re happy, we stay away.Make us unhappy, and there are two more bargaining chips sitting with you.You have forty-eight hours to decide.”
Birch’s eyes were murderous.“We deal only when we hear Grey.”
“You will.When we get our answer in forty-eight hours.”
The call ended with a rustling and a click.
Birch’s temper flared a millisecond before River’s own, with his brother booting at an empty chair in the shop’s waiting room just as his own fist slammed into the wooden desk with a curse.
“I’m going to kill these motherfuckers with my bare hands,” Birch ground out, pacing the floor.
