“Where is she?” Roger growled, pacing our living room while Ella sat on the couch, feeding Rafe and watching him anxiously. “I’ve been everywhere—the clinic, her apartment—”
“You must have just missed her, Roger,” Ella said, as worried as he was, but trying to calm him. “She calls me every morning and night. She’s just super busy at the clinic; it got overwhelmed when she disappeared with us for a few days.”
“He’s keeping her there,” Roger murmured suspiciously, his anxiety mounting. “She broke up with him, and he pretended to accept it, but he’s keeping her trapped at the clinic to make her give him another chance.”
“You know she’s not doing that, Roger,” I said, leaning against the fireplace mantel and taking a deep breath. I honestly didn’t want to handle my brother’s paranoia, but Ella had contacted me through our bond, needing help. He’d been agitated for days, but now he seemed to be losing it. Not that I wouldn’t be, either, if I’d just mated with Ella and then she’d disappeared for five days.
“How do you know?” Roger snapped, his eyes flashing.
“Because,” I replied, my wolf’s hackles rising in response to the challenge in his voice. “I know Cora. She wouldn’t do that. You have to trust her.” I stood tall, my body language conveying that I could handle him, and would subdue him if necessary. My mate and child were in the room; their safety was my priority, not his.
“He’s right, Roger,” Ella said, keeping her voice steady. “Honestly, she sounds fine; she’s just really busy. She told me to tell you she loves you.”
“But why won’t she answer my calls?” Roger snapped, turning to her. “Why isn’t she at the clinic when I go to see her? Why is she never in her apartment when she says she is?”
Instinctively, I stepped forward, placing myself between my mate and my brother.
“Back off, Dominic,” Roger growled, turning to stalk to the window, searching for Cora. “I’m not going to hurt anyone.”
“You’d better not,” I murmured, leaning back against the mantel.
“I’m going to take Rafe upstairs,” Ella sighed, nodding towards the baby, who had finished eating. “See if I can get him to nap.”
I nodded, watching her carry our son from the room, my heart overflowing with love for them. Once they were gone, I turned back to my brother.
“I need you to calm down, Roger,” I said softly. “We need you here.”
“How?” he growled, digging his fingers into the windowsill, refusing to turn. “How can I concentrate when she hasn’t spoken to me for days? I don’t even know what I did wrong.”
“Well,” I said after a pause, “did you do anything wrong?”
“What?” Roger spat, whirling on me.
“It’s a question, Roger,” I said, shrugging and meeting his furious gaze. “Did you do anything to make her question your mating?”
“NO, Dominic!” he shouted. “I didn’t do anything!”
“Then there’s your answer,” I replied, shrugging. “If you didn’t do anything, it’s on her. Your only choice is to keep reaching out and wait for her to come to you when she’s ready. There’s nothing else you can do but be patient.”
“You’re ridiculous,” he snarled, turning away, desperate.
“You just don’t like the truth,” I replied, sighing. “My answer wasn’t ‘go find her and carry her home over your shoulder.’”
“Well, yeah,” Roger replied, arrogant and angry. “Obviously, that’s what I’d do, if I knew where she was.”
I laughed and moved to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump. I didn’t move away; I was bigger and could handle him.
“Trust her, Roger,” I said quietly. “She’ll thank you for it if you approach this with faith instead of suspicion. And in the meantime, let me distract you.”
“You just want me to work harder on this cult problem,” he sighed, closing his eyes and hanging his head, finally yielding a little.
“Think of it as a puzzle,” I said, slipping my arm around his shoulder and giving him a reassuring squeeze. “And when you solve it, your reward is that my son doesn’t get kidnapped! Isn’t that a great prize?”
“Fine,” he sighed, shaking his head and covering his eyes. “But you get maybe three hours before I’m looking for her again.”
“Okay,” I replied, lying. I wouldn’t let him prowl the streets like this. He’d terrify Cora, and she sounded already spooked. I turned him toward the door, my arm still around his shoulders, and we headed to the office to examine the evidence—again.
We spent hours doing this, searching for overlooked loopholes, calling our interrogation team to better speculate, when suddenly, the front door slammed open.
Roger instantly sprang to his feet, heading for the door, Cora clearly on his mind. But I was more cautious, more aware of the possibilities, and my muscles tensed as I sprinted ahead of him, pushing him behind me as we reached the office door, ensuring I reached the hallway first, in case it was a threat.
My eyes went dark as I saw my reconnaissance team forcing their way in, a black-robed figure trapped in their arms, a sack over his head. I thought several things at once: first, they wouldn't have entered through the front door unless necessary; second, they barely had a hold of him.
“Roger!” I shouted, my voice deep with Alpha command. “The door! NOW!”
He instantly understood it wasn’t Cora and responded capably, recognizing the urgency. Roger sprinted past the struggling team to slam the door shut as I pushed aside one of my men, slipping behind the priest, wrapping an arm around his throat to cut off his air.
The priest, unable to see, struggled fiercely, his resistance surprisingly strong—possibly due to magic. Still, he was no match for me. I twisted one of his hands behind his back, yanking it until he screamed.
“Enough,” I growled in his ear, yanking again until he whimpered. “I can break every bone in your body before I tear your limbs apart. Am I understood?”
The priest hesitated, then, thankfully, realized he was beaten. He nodded. I nodded to my team, signaling I had him. “Ropes, cuffs, tasers,” I commanded. They scattered to gather the supplies as I pushed the man toward the office. The basement would be more convenient, but until he was contained…
“Dominic,” Roger said, joining me as we entered the office, pulling up a chair. “Let me handle this.”
“Can you?” I demanded harshly. “Is your head clear?”
My brother looked at me steadily and nodded. “I need this,” he said, and I nodded in agreement. It was probably best; I was too close, my emotions might get the better of me. I might snap the priest’s neck in rage. Roger was the right choice.
Before I could act, the team arrived with the supplies. Together, we secured the priest in the chair. He struggled, but I punched him hard across the face, warning him to stop. He cried out, but we had him, his limbs securely strapped.
Dominic? Ella's voice quavered through our bond. I heard something—what’s going on? Is everything okay?
Stay upstairs, Ella, I commanded, sending reassurance. We have a priest. We’re going to ask him a few questions. I’ll tell you everything—just stay upstairs. Where it’s safe.
Ella sent a pulse of compliance, tinged with fear. I focused back on the priest as Roger whipped the hood from his head, revealing the face of my enemy.