Chapter 73 - Wheels in motion

**Cassie** -

Daisy, Tara and I talked for another hour, Daisy told us everything she knew, which was pretty much everything Dave knew. Apparently though busy, the two of them sit together in private for a couple of hours each day trying to solve this conundrum.

We then went to meet the guys and as we got to Jack's office, Brian and Mark were just leaving, they both bowed their heads to me even though I have told them it isn't necessary when others aren't around, then they scarpered off talking about whether they had a tent, which was odd.

Knocking on the door I waited to be granted entry, I may be his mate and Luna but I believe everybody should be allowed the right to deny access to another should they deem it necessary.

After being scolded by Jack for knocking and promising I would try to resist in the future, Daisy and I went over what we had thought up. Tara had disappeared somewhere while we made our way to Jack's office. I was planning to catch up with her later to find out what was going on.

Jack and Dave both listened intently while we took turns to speak and lay out our ideas. By the time we were finished both of them were grinning like cheshire cats. Turns out our plan was incredibly similar to the one they had concocted, the only difference between them was who was going to take a trip to the mountains.

Daisy, Tara and I had thought that with everything that is going on it would make sense for Jack and I to take a trip, just a long weekend away from everything so we could spend some time together. Jack and Dave had the same idea but with Brian and Mark using the same story, new mates, bonding together away from crowds.

I took comfort in the fact that the plan we came up with was a good one, otherwise Jack wouldn't have thought of the same thing. I was a little disappointed we wouldn't get away with just the two of us but I also understood this would not be a leisurely weekend but one with lots of side projects.

“I'll take you somewhere beautiful once all this shit with Ace is handled, we'll get away and have nothing to distract our minds then,” Jack whispers as he wraps his arms around me from behind. He must have sensed my disappointment and longing through our newly formed bond.

**Jack** -

I was impressed that Cassie and the girls had come up with the same plan as us, it showed she was taking this seriously, that she was interested in keeping herself and our pack safe, the only issue I had with the plan was that she wanted to be out there. I would be with her but that couldn't guarantee her safety, what if someone attacked us while we slept? No, Brian and Mark were much less likely to be set upon, they are the better option. I doubt Ace could hear we were close and not attack, he is much less likely to be interested in my Delta and his mate.

Once Dave and I have gone over the finer details of the plan with Cassie and Daisy we all head to the kitchen for food, sitting together and chatting as we always have.

After we finish eating Dave tells Daisy to go pack up as they need to get home quickly and leak the story. Cassie and I say our goodbyes before they head off to collect their things, thankfully there is no need for lengthy goodbyes or grand gestures of farewell as we already plan on seeing them in a few days and will be in constant contact. This is ideal as although I am sad to see them go again it is all I can do to keep my hands off of Cassie.

Dave sent word that they were back on their lands shortly after they left us and then he also mentioned that he and Daisy had managed to tell the tale we had concocted about Brian and Mark with Frank nearby, hopefully he heard them and will vanish again to tell Ace that they need to lay low, that should clear the way for Brian and Mark to get some good shots of the area where Dave’s pack keep losing Frank and we may be able to narrow down Ace’s location. However we do not know for sure that he got the message so Dave has one of his guys keeping a close eye on Frank.

Dave also intends to send trackers after him this time as well. That way he will not be suspicious and it would be an added bonus if they manage to track him successfully through the caves as it will mean Ace is caught all that much quicker.

I spend the rest of the afternoon ravishing my mate, I can’t get enough of her, it is like she is my oxygen. I knew the bond could be strong but this goes beyond what I ever imagined. Just being in the same room as her is amazing.

That evening Dave calls me on the phone to talk, he says it is because the further apart we are the more difficult it is to hear me, which I have to say I agree with, I mean this mind link is great, if I was desperate to reach him in an emergency then I could and he would hear me, but for normal conversations it is easier to chat on the phone.

Anyway, so Dave called me and we talked about what had happened since he left us here in Rival River, he confirmed that Frank had left and headed into the mountains and that the tracker Dave sent this time managed to track him further than the last guy, but they still lost him about 1 mile into the cave system with no hint as to where he went. According to Dave’s tracker Frank’s scent simply vanishes, this gives me pause for a moment. I know there are some herbs that can cover our scents and are fast acting, but those are very hard to find in these parts, they tend to be found much further south. I updated him on Brian and Mark, letting him know they would be leaving at dawn the next day and that to save them time they were planning to cross the lake between our lands, Dave assured me he would notify his patrols which are limited by that lake anyway since it leads straight to us.

Knowing everything was in motion and that nothing more could be done until we heard from Brian and Mark tomorrow afternoon we decided to call it a night and ended our call.

**Cassie** -

After spending a few luxurious hours with Jack, where we shared a bath, took a small nap and made love 3 more times, he went to take a call from Dave and I decided that it was time that I got some answers. Leaving our room I headed straight down the hall to Jason’s suite hoping he will be more open with me than Tara currently is. Tara is quickly becoming a close friend and a trusted advisor but I know she is still holding something back. I don’t begrudge her her secrets, everyone is entitled to their privacy but her silence is potentially causing a very close friend of mine discomfort and I want to support Jason, almost as much as I want to know what is happening. My nosiness knows no bounds…

I knocked on Jason’s door and waited for him to answer. I tried not to feel hurt by the look of disappointment that flashed across his face at seeing me. I shook off my feelings and decided in that instant that he needed me more than I needed him to be happy to see me. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed, after a pause his arms came around me too and he squeezed back, though not in the way he usually would.

“Jase, what’s going on? No offence but you don’t look so great,” I pull out of our hug and stand there hoping he will invite me in but not wanting to push my luck, his hair was dishevelled, his clothes creased as though he had slept in them, his eyes bloodshot, I had never seen him this way before. I know he didn’t attend training this morning as Jack had mentioned it in passing, assuming, like I had been, that he was with his mate.