Chapter 49 Chapter 49
Chapter 49 Chapter 49
Beck
An hour later Adelaide called back. Misty had argued over the money with me but conceded to put it aside just in case and stashed it in her nightstand. She didn’t ask how much Adelaide had given me. She just wanted to ensure what I had given her would be available for whatever case.
Misty's phone rang. But instead of addressing her best friend she addressed Carter.
“What do you have for me, Sheriff Carter?” Misty asked, enunciating ‘sheriff’ in a way that stabbed at the knowledge of her earlier findings.
Carter had little to report; nothing inside was disturbed, the local florist had delivered the flowers and there was no sign of any other person being there. Misty let them know she was overnighting the cameras. It was my turn to dig into this man the only way I knew how. One thing I learned about men in the last several years of saving women… was learning how to spot a bullshitter.
“Adelaide?” I asked. Misty’s brows raised in a ‘what the fuck are you doing’ look.
“I’m here, Beck, it’s Briar now, remember.”
“Yeah, well, I'm old, forgive me, little lady, are you safe where you are?”
“Yes, I’m at Carter’s, Mazzie, his deputy, and Lana are here too right now.”
“You still have the blade?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Yeah, and she knows how to use it,” a female piped in from the background. Carter, I assumed, chuckled on the other end.
“Oh, I know she does.”
“Good, you keep it close to you, you need to get a gun though,” I insisted.
“Covered,” Adelaide let me know. I grunted in approval. ‘Briar’ cleared the chamber, a gun near the phone, and the sound of the engaged bullet popping out proved a point. She had taken the safety off.
“I need to talk to Sheriff Carter in private,” I requested.
There was some commotion on the other end but I stepped out onto the fire escape, but left the window open so Misty could overhear. I wanted Carter to think I was alone.
“We're alone,” he let me know.
“Drop the shit. We are both shifters. That girl has been through the ringer; you're not a true sheriff. Divide in unincorporated, what’s your rank, wolf?” He paused, caught off guard.
“Who are you to demand that of me?”
“Consider me her guardian, for all intents and purposes.”
“I am Beta of the Divide pack,” he replied.
I was quiet for a moment as I let that sink in.
“What are your intentions here, Sheriff, because that girl has struck a protective nerve in me, and I’ll drop my current activities if she isn’t safe with you.”
“I know what he was to her, and what he did to her; she’s special to me. I’m not going to let anyone harm her as long as I have breath,” Carter insisted
“Those are big words for a woman you’ve only known for a few months. Will your Alpha protect her?”
“I’m doing everything in my power to keep him off our backs, to keep her here; he doesn't like outsiders.”
“So, why not let her run to a place where there are no connections?”
“A lot of reasons.”
“Enlighten me, Beta.”
“She has family here, and she has secrets here to uncover.”
“She's just a human woman, what ties could she have to the Divide pack?”
“That's where you are wrong,”
“About what?”
“She's only half human, and her wolf is rising, she needs this place, she needs answers, a pack, ” he insisted, what it sounded like from his tone was…she needs me.
“You're sure?”
“It’s not just me that’s seen it with my own eyes, she dominated a future Delta today. The rest of the pack is unsure of her; they don’t suspect, but after today, I know her wolf is coming around, and the locals will talk. She's been dormant without a pack. I’ve been training her, and only a wolf could be excelling so quickly.”
“Why are you so determined to build her within a pack against your Alpha’s wishes?”
“Her uncle was my mentor.”
“That's it, some ode to a dead man?”
Carter sighed on the other end, as if debating how to explain. “I’m her second chance. If he won’t complete the rejection, I’m her only way out; if I don’t kill him first.”
I stood stunned. I had thought we would be lucky if she chose someone, but a second chance mate… that was rare. This could be the game changer.
“Well, shit. Does she know?
“No, not about us, the bond, or the wolves.”
“You best be sure you do right by her, or I will come calling,” I threatened.
“I have, I am, and I will.” He kept his response short.
“I’ll try to convince Misty to lay off encouraging her to run, for now, but we need something in the meantime to irritate this bastard and keep him busy. I need to talk to Adelaide to see if there is anything we can use against him we aren’t already employing.”
I stepped back inside and switched the phone to speaker.
Carter seemed to be going back inside as well.
“What's that you got there, sweetheart?” he asked, and I marked the shift in his tone as it gentled. He must be talking to Adelaide.
“I had forgotten about it. I found it in his pants pocket after I stole his clothes and ran. It’s a zip drive. I don’t know what's on it,” Adelaide answered.
That sounded an awful lot like our golden ticket.
The zip drive held a vast majority of Creedon’s filthy dealings with his company. Misty and Adelaide came up with a plan while I listened. Not being versed in the world of high stakes business or social media, it was all I could do. This wasn’t a war I could manage, but I sure could be a footsoldier in support. By the sounds of it these two women would destroy him from the inside. I smiled sitting back listening. Watching the scene unfold before me I couldn’t help but admire Misty in her element as she and Adelaide schemed.