Page 132 of Nest of Thieves
“Hello?” a gruff voice asks.
“Don’t hang up,” I say quickly.
“You again.” The guy sounds tired and annoyed. “What do you want?”
“A meeting.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“You’re not important enough.”
Fuck. He has me there. Come on, Jo, think of something to use as leverage.
The guy huffs. “I’m too busy to block your number, but do me a favor and lose mine. You’re wasting your time, kid.”
I frown. “Please. I only need ten minutes,” I say to an already-dead line. Growling, I turn toward the house but stop short. Vette, Lark, and Mac are looking at me like I kicked their puppy.
“Who was that?” Mac asks.
“No one important.” Not anymore, at least.
“Are you talking to another alpha?” Vette asks, face lining with rage.
“What? No. I’m not talking to another alpha. Jesus. You think I’d do that?”
Vette shrugs. “I’m thinking we’re all moving a little too fast and we haven’t asked the right questions.”
I put my hands on my hips. “What do you want to know?”
“Are you dating anyone?” Lark asks.
“Only you three assholes.”
Mac smirks. “Is there another alpha who wants you?”
“Fuck if I know. I don’t really care if they do.”
“And who were you talking to?” Vette lifts an eyebrow.
I roll my eyes and toss my phone at him. “Check the call history for all I care. It’s not like I got anywhere.”
“Code?”
“8888.”
Lark balks.
“I know it’s not secure,” I say, rolling my eyes. To be fair, this was only meant to be a temporary phone, and I didn’t need to make the code complicated. Since I ended up leaving my device behind and taking the spare one, I haven’t bothered to change the security settings.
Vette scowls at the screen. “Why are you calling this number?”
“Why do you think?” I step toward them. “I told you I wouldn’t give up the ruby. If I could, I would, but I can’t.” I wait for a chorus of anger.
Mac hums. “Your boss from Philadelphia.”
I nod. “He wasn’t too happy about the ring going missing.”
