Page 76 of Pursued By the Orc
Savla muttered from the corner, “Yeah, tell that to your face while she yelled at you.”
I glared over her shoulder. “Not helping.”
She laughed then—finally, properly—and the sound filled the whole room, chasing away the heavy silence. And for the first time that day, I felt safe in the knowledge that I would be truly helping my mate.
I looked up at the house that my mate had grown up in, impressed by the sheer size of it. Her father had truly done well for himself and I could see why his slimy brother would want to get his hands on the wealth.
It didn’t mean I was going to let any of that happen, but I could still see the draw. I looked over at where my Emma sat in the passenger seat, glaring at the front door.
“I still have a key,” she told me, lifting it from her lap, where she’d been holding it. It dangled from a keychain that had a picture on it. It was one I’d seen before. One that she’d been so proud to show me.
It was a picture of her father with his arms wrapped around his wife, who was holding a baby Emma in her arms. It was beautiful. And from the smiles on their faces, I knew that they’d been happy when they’d been together.
My chest hurt thinking about the fact that this family had been lost to her. “I want to tell you something else,” I admitted to her, and her eyes moved from where they’d been looking past me to her house, to meet my gaze. “Grandma thinks that your uncle might have been involved with your father’s death,” I said in a rush, wanting to yank the bandage off as fast as I could.
The stillness in her reminded me of that moment in the apartment when she’d completely lost her cool. “What?” she demanded, reaching out to grip my shirt in her fist and yank me forward. I didn’t budge, but she gave it a good try.
I saw Savla lean forward from the backseat, his chin resting on his fist. I was tempted to throw him a rude gesture, but I didn’t want to make Emma feel like I was detracting from the serious message I had for her.
I nodded, but instead of getting angry at me, she turnedblazing eyes toward the house. “Let’s go,” she said, opening the door and scuttling out. It was much less graceful because of how high up she was from the ground.
CHAPTER 50
Krusk
Itried to rush to help Emma, but she was already down and pounding her way along the walkway to the front door before I could get to her. Then it was just a matter of following her.
I glanced back at where Savla had exited the SUV as well, making his way forward at a much slower pace. I had a feeling that he was interested in the show more than anything else. I knew he had my back no matter what, so I didn’t mind.
We got to the front door, and Emma didn’t bother to knock or wait. And she shouldn’t. This was her home, no matter what her uncle had told her.
When we stepped inside, I was blown away by how grand it was. The shocking shift from this house, to what I knew her current apartment looked like, must have been jarring.
Just another thing that I wanted to kill her fucking uncle for. No matter how many times Rudgar insisted that we weren’tactually allowed to kill anyone until we had his approval. It was absolute bullshit. Her uncle deserved to suffer for what he’d done.
The house smelled of polished wood and stale cigar smoke—the kind of lingering arrogance only someone who thought they could steal a life and intimidate anyone he faced could leave behind. I stepped inside the doorway. My mate was beside me, head high, eyes on fire. Savla brought up the rear, calm and calculating, hands full of the original will and the other evidence he’d gathered.
Inside, Emma’s uncle Adrian lounged in a leather armchair, a cigar clutched in one hand. Four human males flanked him, silent as statues, their suits stiff and dangerous. My lip curled as I surveyed the scene. This wasn’t going to be a polite conversation.
“Uncle Adrian,” Emma called, her voice serious, carrying across the polished floors. “We need to talk about the will.”
Adrian smirked, blowing a curl of smoke into the air. “Ah… the orc and his little entourage,” he said, completely ignoring my mate as if she were meaningless. “My sources told me that you’ve been sniffing around my business. You really think you can just waltz in here?”
I let my fangs show in a small, controlled snarl. “I don’t think, Iknow. You tried to steal from what’s mine to protect. And anyone who threatens her…” My eyes locked on him. “…answers to me.”
Adrian’s smile faltered as the four males shifted, sensing the tension radiating from me. “Steal, huh? You’ve got some nerve to come in here and accuse me.”
I growled, stepping closer, the floorboards creaking under my weight. “You don’t know the half of it. I’m an orc. And orcs don’t negotiate with thieves.” I wished he could see how we dealt with them on Hellplane. That hand of his would look like afinesouvenir on our mantle.
My mate’s glare along with my growl was enough to make the males flinch. “My dad trusted you,” she said. “Yourbrothertrusted you. And instead of respecting his wishes, you cheated him. You tried to take my home, my inheritance, and my future,” she continued, voice sharp as a blade. “You’re a criminal.”
Adrian coughed on his cigar, trying to regain composure. “You don’t know the last thing aboutcriminals.If you think—”
I let the rumble in my chest deepen, making the windows vibrate slightly. “I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I was you,” I said. “Anything you say to disrespect her is a mark againstme and my clan.”
Savla moved subtly, keeping an eye on the men, a hand near the folds of his coat, ready if things went sideways. “We’re not here to fight,” he said evenly. “But we’re not leaving without justice.”
Adrian’s males shifted again, uneasy. My tusks glinted as I leaned slightly forward, close enough that my mate could feel the heat of me. When I saw the male on the far right reach for something in his pocket, I released a low growl. “Try me,” I rumbled, itching for a fight.
