Chapter 189

[ 1,412 words ]

Theo

The starlight diner has the quiet of the pre dinner rush. A few people are scattered in the booths. Mostly the elderly and a few patrons that probably got off early from work.

Aria and Quinnie walk ahead of me, grabbing a table by one of the front windows which can be easily viewed by the enforcers we have discreetly waiting outside the dinner.

It took a while to convince Sebastian that It would be better if he stayed outside.

If he had come inside with Quinn and Aria, I doubt Oliver would speak as freely as he would without him present.

At first he vehemently refused.

I understood.

There is no way I would want to not be present around a male who clearly has a thing for my mate.

It was nearly the same reaction that we had when Aria informed us that she planned to accompany Quinnie for this discussion.

In the end she got her way because yes, he would fail to see her as a threat in her condition which would make him more comfortable speaking openly.

The only reason I was chosen to accompany them is because Oliver had always been fond of me.

It is an emotion I will use to my full advantage.

“Stop looking so… enforcery,” Aria whispers as we slip into our booth.

“It’s what I am. I can’t help it.”

“Just pretend that you’re a regular person out to meet a friend,” Quinnie suggests as if it’s that simple.

“Yeah, because I doubt those ‘you’re lying’ eyes are going to help how he’s feeling.”

I give them a bland look which they studiously ignore while picking up the menus.

The waitress comes over and quickly takes our order.

Five minutes later, the chime of the door rings and I catch Oliver’s scent.

He walks in, spots us and comes to the table.

“Hi,” he greets, his nerves present.

I just d at him. Aria and Quinnie give him small hi’s.

“I hope it’s okay I ordered for you,” Quinnie says in a gentle, even tone.

He looks surprised. “Not at all. What did you get?”

“Shepard pie. I remember it used to be your favorite. As soon as fall hits, it’s all you would want.”

His eyes let down some of their guard and I get the feeling he is pleased she remembers.

It’s a good thing her mate did not come, my wolf says.

Yeah. Ronan called it.

It is also cunning, he adds.

I have to agree. Like most submissives Quinnie has had a lifetime of honing her skills at setting people at ease and luring them into a sense of security, false though it may be.

“So, you said you have something you wanted to show us?” Aria says bringing our reason for this little meeting up to the forefront.

“Luna,” he inclines his head. “Good to see you,”

“I wish the circumstances were better so I could say the same,” she responds.

He visibly swallows. His fingers stipple against the table.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

“Right.” He pulls out some rolled up papers and passes them across the table. “It’s the first and second letter. The other papers are from my uncle’s journals. Look at the hand writing. They are the same.”

I open the papers, scanning the neat writing.

They do look identical. And the wording, style and cadence of the prose was obviously the same person.

“I can see why you would suspect Kane. But this isn’t solid enough proof. How do we know he wrote the original journal letters? And if he did we would still need to get it verified for forgery. I’m not an expert, are you?”

“But he called me by my nickname,” Oliver says. “One only he used.”

“Yes but it’s not top secret information. Someone could have overheard or he could have mentioned it during one of his many years on the council.”

Oliver frowns. “That’s true. But that doesn’t explain these.” He digs into his pocket and pulls out candid polaroids.

Sensing the waitress returning, I swipe them from the table. We all take our food and start eating.

As I chew on my BLT, I flip through the images.

Woods behind a house I’m assuming is Oliver’s.

A picture of his sister from a bird’s eye view.

The corner of a window at night.

Kane, visibly younger, standing next to a male I’m assuming is Oliver’s father.

Quinnie and Oliver when they were children playing at a lake.

Then the images start to take a dark turn.

A crow with a broken neck somewhere in the forest.

The entrails of an animal left on the front steps of a home.

Shards of ice splattered with blood.

I turn to the last image and my body still, moving between shock and fire of fierce protectiveness.

Aria standing there with her hand on Oliver’s shoulder. Her face and stomach scratched out.

“What is it?” Aria asks, sensing my emotions.

I stand, signalling the enforcers stationed around. “We’re leaving now.” I pin Oliver with my stare, unsure of who I’m looking at. Enemy or ally. Either way I grab his arm, “You’re coming with us.”

I push him out of the booth waving to both of the females who rush to follow.

My instincts are screaming at me. Wanting that danger is close.

Put bond floods with the emotions for my band but I block them out.

“Theo—” Aria tries as we rush out of the front door and across the street.

“Not now sweetheart. Get to the car.”

Tires screech behind us.

“Aria!” Quinnie shouts, her voice laced with fear.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The shots ring out like the crack of thunder.

Oliver yanks free from my grip, throwing himself forward.

His body jerks twice.

Him and Aria toppling to the ground.

A black car drives by, a gun retreating inside as the black out windows roll up.

“Animals!” One of the men shouts.

My wolf fights for dominance and I fight back. Reigning in my instincts to be with my mate.

I drop to my knees. “Aria, fuck baby, tell me your okay.”

My hands roam her body frantically.

“I’m alright,” she says, shifting to her knees, pressing her hands to one of the wounds on Oliver’s side. “We need to help him, Theo.”

Quinnie has her hands over the second wound on his throat.

Sebastian stands by Quinnie’s side and takes her place holding Oliver’s wound. “Goe bring the car around.”

Quinnie nods her head and runs.

“Marcus and Dex are chasing the bastards down. They meet us back at home.”

“Baby you have to let go,” I say to Aria.

“I can’t,” she sobs. “It should have been me.

My wolf revolted at that statement not wanting to imagine her laying on the ground with bullets in him.

“Aria, look at me.”

She takes a moment but she does.

Quinnie pulls up with the truck.

“I need to move him if he has any hope of surviving. I got him. You need to let go and get in the truck.”

She nods. “Okay,”

Quinnie comes out of the car and guides Aria in while Sebastian and I lift Oliver up and place his body in the trunk.

“I’ve got him, you focus on taking us home,” Sebastian says.

I hop into the driver’s seat and break multiple laws as I rush home.

Aira speaks to Ronan on the phone, telling him what happened and asking him to have Thomas and the healers ready.

There is a blur of movement when we arrive. Thomas and the healers put Oliver on a stretcher and rush him into the medical building.

Once in the enforcer building Ronan asks, “What happened?”

“Oliver gave us his proof of Kane’s existence, which included these,” I toss the polaroids on the table.

Curses fill the room as they look through the photos.

“This doesn’t prove that Kane is alive,” Barric says.

“No it doesn’t. But it does let us know there is someone who wants Oliver, the same person who wants our mate dead.”

“Why would they think he’s so valuable?”

“That’s what I was wondering.” Kade says, his wolf in his eyes as he looks at the pictures. “Either Kane really is alive and wants his nephew for something, or Oliver is holding something back.”

“He took a bullet for me,” Aria says.

“Yes, but he doesn’t trust us to believe him. That’s why he asked to meet Quinnie. Who knows what information he is still keeping back,” Ronan says.

“So what do we do now?” Barric asks.

“We wait. Once Oliver is feeling better, we see if he can connect the pieces.”

“What about the shooter?” Kade points out.” Do you think it was a set up?”

“I’m not sure. It could be. Or they could have followed him.”

“Let’s hope for Oliver’s sake it’s the ladder,” Ronan’s claws shift out, digging into the table.

“And if it isn’t?” I ask, still as unsure of the male as my wolf is.

“Then I’ll kill him myself,” Aria says.

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.