Inside Threat (Part 2)

Sebastian’s POV

I sat in my office, staring at the documents before me, but couldn’t read a single word. The letters blurred, and I was completely unable to focus on Pack business. My thoughts drifted back to Thea at home. Despite having arranged for elite Pack warriors to protect the entire house, I was still worried sick. What if something happened while I wasn’t there? I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her again. The last time she was shot, I hadn’t been able to protect her, and I never wanted to experience that helplessness again.

My phone rang, and I immediately grabbed it. Seeing Graves’ name flashing, I felt disappointed. I’d bought Thea a new phone a few days ago, hoping it was her calling.

“What is it?” I answered irritably.

“What has the great Alpha Ashworth in such a foul mood?” he mocked.

I still disliked the bastard, and he certainly disliked me, but for Thea and Phoenix’s sake, we would work together to protect them.

“Did you call because you have something important to say, or just to bitch at me?” I pushed the documents aside and leaned back. “If it’s the latter, I’m hanging up because I’m not in the mood to deal with you right now.”

He was silent, and for a moment I thought he’d hung up. It would be just like him. I pinched the bridge of my nose, exhaling deeply. I’d been working for four hours and already had a headache.

“Have you found any leads related to that day?” I asked. It was better than listening to him breathe. If he was calling, there had to be a reason.

His sigh was deep and heavy. I could feel it.

“No,” he answered, “and that’s exactly what’s bothering me. I’m usually able to find people within days; it’s been months, and we still have no idea who attacked her.”

The police and the people I’d sent out had hit one dead end after another. I’d hoped working with Graves would lead to a breakthrough.

“It’s starting to piss me off because as long as this person is alive, Thea might never be safe,” I heard growling from his end, followed by something smashing.

He was right. That’s exactly what terrified me. That’s why I was so reluctant to leave Thea alone.

“Any clues? Anything that points us in a direction?” I was practically begging. We needed leads. I needed leads. Anything. The constant worry was affecting me. I couldn’t risk losing Thea. Especially not now, when I felt I’d been given a second chance.

“Nothing,” he exhaled, “but there’s one thing that doesn’t make sense to me.”

“What’s that?”

“How can this person hide so well?” he answered. “Like I said, it’s not hard for me to find people. I’m the king of the underworld; no one can hide from me.”

I thought about it. He was right. Graves was indeed the king of his domain. His name alone was enough to get people killed. The bastard was unstable, and most people feared him. It was strange that he couldn’t figure out who ordered the attack on Thea or who carried it out.

“Could someone be protecting him or her?” I mused, more to myself.

“That’s not possible.”

“Think about it. Even with both our influences, we still can’t track this person down, which means someone is backing them. Someone is making sure they’re not found.”

He was quiet for a moment. It was a serious issue, but I thought he was starting to understand. It was the only reasonable explanation. No one could be that good at hiding unless someone was covering their tracks.

“Even so, what about the attacker? He or she might have pulled the trigger themselves or hired someone; either way, they weren’t acting alone,” he concluded.

“Exactly.”

“Which means someone is hiding them from me.”

A frustrated groan escaped my lips. “That’s what I’ve been trying to fucking tell you for the past few minutes.”

I stood and walked to the bar in my office, pouring myself a drink. I downed the amber liquid in one go, then poured some more. Dealing with Graves always gave me a headache and ruined my mood. My mood was already bad, but he made it worse.

“Calm down. I’m thinking,” he began. “I think this only means one thing: the person protecting our target is powerful enough to challenge us.”

“Or an insider,” I added, as an ominous thought surfaced.

“Fuck! You know what this means, right?”

“It means,” my voice hardened, “if our target is a member of one of the Packs, then the person covering for them will protect them at all costs, even if it means going against us.”

This made the whole situation more dangerous and complex. We needed to find who hurt Thea as soon as possible because her waking up had made her a target again—and this time, I wasn’t going to let anyone have a chance to hurt her.