Chapter 521 Chapter 521
They’d been driving for almost an hour now, and for the most part, were silent. She wasn’t sure if the tension was from digesting information or the fact that they still hadn’t heard from Kenzo. Was everything going okay for the teams? She hated not being in the loop of information. She looked over to see Tripp ultra-focused on the road, his grip on the steering wheel wasn’t as relaxed as he was attempting to make it look, and his knuckles were white. “Was tonight a big op?”
He glanced at her for a millisecond and then back to the road, “I don’t have details, just that they’d stepped it up.”
“Maybe they split the teams to hit more at once.” She hoped it was something like that and everything had gone okay.
“It’s possible. Things are going to get messy now that we have Tomas’ brother.”
She nodded, “wonder how that’s going.”
“Guess we’ll find out when we’re back with them to help.”
She debated for a moment on calling Zain, but if things were happening, he’d be busy helping coordinate people around, and then Tripp’s phone lit up.
He motioned to it, “it’s all you.” He grinned, “you can tell him you’re trying to get me killed.”
Amari smiled and leaned down and answered the call, then tapped speaker.
“Tripp?”
Tripp looked down at the phone, a serious expression on his face, “boss, what’s wrong?”
Eyebrows raised she looked from him to the phone. How did he know by just his name that something was wrong?
“A few injuries, nothing serious.” There were voices in the background, “injuries that shouldn’t have happened with these trained individuals.”
Amari looked to see the expression on his face that said someone was in shit. “Everyone’s all right?”
There was a pause, “they will be.” He mumbled something she couldn’t make out, “if it weren’t for that Noah fellow, it would be a hell of a lot worse.” There were car doors closing in the background, “I just told Calum if there’s ever an opening on our team, I want Noah.”
Tripp grinned, “the man has skills?”
Kenzo snorted, “I can’t even describe what the man has.”
“The breaches went well?” Amari stared at the phone.
“They were successful, although Kaid just told me if we were going to continue at this pace, he needs more people on his crew.” Kenzo chuckled.
Amari grinned, more members for clean-up was a good thing, it meant they were getting somewhere with stopping Tomas and the others involved.
“I take you got the message from your father, Amari.”
She rolled her eyes, “I did. We’re heading that way now.”
“We tried, but there wasn’t even anything we could do, even our king tried, sorry.”
She shrugged, “it’s fine.” She turned to look at Tripp and grinned, “Tripp has been invited by my mother.”
“What?”
Tripp blew out a breath, “what she means to say is her mother invited the man that rescued her, but she has no idea who that man is.”
“Did you explain?” Kenzo sounded like he was out of breath.
“Oh, I did. She called her mother after I did.”
“Fuck. What are you trying to do, Amari?”
She smirked, “it took me being abducted for my father to allow me back on the land, so fuck him. Tripp is coming with me, and it can be a twofer—the two people he dislikes the most,” she shrugged, “maybe that vein in his forehead with rupture, and he’ll bleed out.” She held the surprised look Tripp gave her, then slowly turned her head and looked back at the phone.
“Shit.” Kenzo growled low and then blew out a loud breath into the phone, “what about the situation between the two of you—is that resolved?”
Amari smirked at the roundabout way he worded it. “We haven’t really discussed it, Kenzo.”
She looked over to see Tripp run his hand over his head, brushing the hair back.
“No disrespect, Amari, but you’re taking a man forbidden to go there onto your father’s land with his mark on you, but none on him.”
She shrugged, “it was consensual, I told him to use his teeth and he did.”
Tripp looked over at her, his expression was stuck somewhere between shock and amusement.
“You guys are going to give me grey hair.” He muttered something else, but she couldn’t make it out.
Amari put her hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t laugh out loud. Kenzo Dean was from the snow leopard clan, so his hair was already a mix of white and dark grey shades.
“Sorry, boss,” Tripp said with a big smile on his face.
“No, you’re not. Asshole. Hang on.” She could hear him walking on pavement or cement and had to wonder if they were still at one of the sites. “When will you get there?”
“Tomorrow, after lunch.”
The phone was muffled, so she couldn’t make out anyone that was talking. “I don’t know who, but someone will be there with you two.” Kenzo sounded annoyed, “we have a few smash hits to do in this area, so try not to get yourself killed before someone representing the Alliance is there.”
“I’ll do my best.” Tripp’s tone was quiet, she looked over to see him smiling though. “Good luck with the smash hits, and hey, look at it this way if I do end up dead, you have room for Noah.”
“Asshole.” The line went silent.
“Kenzo seems edgy tonight.” She turned and smiled at him.
“Yeah,” Tripp smirked, “wonder what that’s about.”
“He’s really sending someone to save your ass?”
Tripp shrugged and looked back at the road, “sounds like it.”
“Lucky you, to be that special.” She shifted so she was more comfortable in the seat.
“I won’t be so lucky when he’s right in my face when I see him again.”
Amari nodded, “probably not.”
He motioned to the dash, “another hour and I thought we could stop and go for a run and grab a bite to eat.”
A run sounded good right now, the idea of seeing her father again after all these years wasn’t something she was looking forward to. He was in for a surprise though; she was no longer the hesitant young girl she had been when he’d sent her packing.
She looked out the window, packing, that was a joke, she’d had time to grab some clothes and a few of her things before she was escorted off the land. She hadn’t even gotten to say goodbye to her mother or sister. She sneered at the glass, her own brother had been with those that escorted her, so she’d seen him and was pretty sure her last words to him were something like ‘see you around, asshole.’
Her brother, Bauer, was a typical next-in-line Alpha, with all the attitude that a position of privilege brought with it. She wondered if he’d changed at all or gotten worse. She’d met others that came from Alpha families, and they weren’t complete jackasses, like Gia and the prince, Devin, he was as down to earth as they got. Why was it her family had to be the type where it went to their head? She remembered a few things Gia had said about her father and siblings, that made her feel a little better, maybe it wasn’t only hers.
In her own opinion, those worthy of leading should, not because of a birthright, but then that would put the entire Alliance and king in question. Shepard Addison, she had no issues with at all, he’d saved her. From what she knew about working with his son, he would be a fair ruler as well.