Page 95 of Their Knotty Pack
"That's actually partlywhyI'm calling."
"What do you mean?" His tone is sharp, and I tell him all about the conversation I just had with my employee.
"What the hell do you mean she wasturned away?" His voice is angrier than I've ever heard, none of that careful control present.
"That's what Kane said," I say carefully. "It normally takes more than this to get you to lose your cool."
"That's because every officer in that building, and every other precinct in Starbrook City is under orders to come tomedirectly with any reports from omegas like this." He seethes. "So there are only two options here. Either she's lying, which I don't want to believe and don't see why she would, or we have a negligent officer at best, and traitor at worst."
I swallow roughly, not really clear on which one would be better.
Hunter continues, not really talking to me at this point. "It would make sense, the reason why ninety percent of our leads never pan out, and how they've gotten away with doing this since before I even took over the case. They've either been leaking false information, or, more likely, know when we get a tip and make sure to change their route….Dammit!" The sound of something hitting the wall on the other side of the phone has me jumping and my brow furrows, pulling my phone away from my ear to look down at the screen.
Did Hunter just…lose his temper? Before I can say anything though, Hunter's voice is back in my ear, his tone more collected. "Thank you for the information, Brody. What did you say the name of the omega was?"
"Oh. Um, Gina Sterling."
"Ask her if you can send me her information, and if she's not comfortable with that, give her my phone number. I have some calls to make." Then he hangs up.
My phone rings in my hand, making me jump, but I answer it when I see it's Hunter calling me back.
"And Brody? This goes without saying, but not a word of this to anyone. Not even your employees. This is…extremely delicate. If the wrong people realize we're onto them…"
"Noted." I choke out, and he hangs up again.
Fuck. A mole? In the police department?
"Surprise!" A familiar, sweet voice calls out from my doorway, and I look up to see Bethany standing in my office, two bags of take-out on her arm. "I brought you dinner," she smiles at me, and nearly all my panic flies out the window.
Nearly.
"Well isn't that the sweetest thing ever," I grin at her, holding open my arms for a hug before trying to stand. Before I make it out of my seat though, she's putting the bags on my desk and crawling up into my lap, nestling her head under my chin.
Well, fuck. All my panic.
Something about her feeling safe enough with me to crawl into my lap makes something settle in my chest. Something distinctly…alpha. My mate is here, and she's safe.
"I missed you today," she murmurs, and I try not to let the guilt niggle at my chest.
"I missed you too, beautiful." I wrap my arms around her, pressing a kiss to her hair. "But I heard you hung out with Hunter today, so hopefully you weren't too lonely."
She leans back, her jaw dropping. "You guys are the worst bunch of gossips I've ever met."
A laugh bursts out of me. "Ha. No, I just got off the phone with him actually. He mentioned he had a wonderful time."
That makes a sweet blush spread to her cheeks. "What else did he say?"
That there's a mole in the police department.
That we could be in danger if they find out we're onto them.
That I can't say anything…does Bethany count in that?
Instead of risking it, I pretend I didn't hear her and change the subject. "What did you bring?"
She gives me a teasing grin. "Ah, onto the real thing you care about."
I roll my eyes. "Beautiful, you could bring me burnt rubber to chew on while you eat your own meal and I'd be grateful for the opportunity to just sit next to you."
