“Rafe Denali’s a billionaire. Real estate mogul.”
“So?” Her brother was usually much better at getting to the point.
“The good doctor told me he’s close to finding a cure for our longevity issues.”
“Okay. What has this got to do with me? Or you, for that matter?”
“I need you to find out where he’s living. Where he does his research.”
“What?” She narrowed her eyes. “Why?” She was getting really bad vibes about this.
“His brother is ruthless. Hell, he’s the reason our grandparents lost their manufacturing business.”
She closed her gaping mouth. She had never known anything about her grandparents. Since her brother had taken over the pack when their parents died, he’d been the one interested in all things family. She’d been rather a wild card growing up. She’d always known she would never run the pack, so she’d done her own thing. After her son was born, she’d thrown herself into her work and raising him. No room for getting into any further trouble. She was faced with enough already.
“Okay, so I don’t get the connection between what happened with our grandparents and what you want me to do. Or why you want to know where the doctor lives.”
“Rafe is well-known—”
She opened her mouth again to tell Kenneth she had never heard of Rafe, so he couldn’t be that well-known.
“—in financial circles. The kind that you don’t belong to. I know where he lives. He and his brother are close, but Aidan lives somewhere else. I want you to befriend Rafe and learn where Aidan lives.”
“Why would you want to know that? Besides, I don’t run in billionaires’ circles. You already said so yourself.”
“He’s a bachelor wolf. He’s not dating any she-wolves. I’ve checked. If he sees you, and you intrigue him, you can cozy up to him and learn where his brother lives.”
“I’m not interested. Besides, didn’t the doctor give you his business card and tell you to contact him if you have any concerns?”
“It has his phone number. That’s it.”
“Why do you want to know this anyway?”
“I told you. Rafe is ruthless. When he gets hold of a cure for our condition, he’ll sell it to only those who can afford it. What if lupus garous begin to age even more rapidly than we are now? What if we don’t just end up with a human’s life span, but our bodies begin to age rapidly to match all the years we’ve already lived? Hell, your boy would lose you, and he’d have no one to raise him. Think about it.”
She had thought about it. But she wasn’t one to live with a fatalist viewpoint on life. She hadn’t thought her brother was either. Until now.
“If you really want this information, ask Rafe yourself. Or call his brother. You have his phone number.”
“As if either would tell me.”
“Send Lizzie.” Jade turned to leave, and her brother seized her arm. She rounded on him, yanking her arm away from him, and said, “We’re family, Kenneth, but that doesn’t give you the right to make me do things that go against what I believe in. If the worst-case scenario ever comes to pass, I’m sure wolves can unite and make the brothers see the right in this.”
Kenneth folded his arms. “Lizzie isn’t right for the part. She’s not as classy as you.”
“Oh, wow, give me a break. I hope you didn’t tell her that.” Jade started heading back to her office, but she hadn’t taken more than a few steps when her brother cleared his throat.
“I need you to do this. Whatever it takes. After that, you and your son can be on your way. You really don’t have a choice.”
“Nothing would make lying to the Denalis worthwhile, no matter why you want this information. Toby and I will be leaving tonight.” Sooner—once she could get her car packed and Toby ready for the journey. She’d have to plot a course too. Had her brother known about the wolf geneticist before he’d asked her to return to the pack? She whipped around. “How long have you known about Aidan? Is this why you asked me to return to the pack? So I could be your spy?”
When Kenneth didn’t deny it, she swore under her breath. “I thought you were concerned about me and my son. Or at least me. Thanks for letting me in on the truth.” Furious with her brother, she stalked off toward the office and had nearly reached the doorway when Kenneth let his breath out in a huff.
“You will do this for me, and then you can have your son back.”
His words made her stomach fall and her head spin as she rushed into the room.
Toby and his soft leopard blanket were gone. All that was left on the daybed was his blue rainbow-colored teddy bear.
Lizzie! She must have taken him when Jade heard the front door open. Lizzie was the only one who was close enough to Toby that if she woke him while taking him from his bed, he wouldn’t cry out. He’d settle in her arms and go back to sleep. Kenneth had stalled Jade long enough for Lizzie to gather up Toby and leave.
Shocked at what he had done and angrier than she ever thought she could be, Jade hurried out of the room, ready to kill her brother—but only after he told her where her son was. “Where is he, Kenneth? I swear I’ll—”
“You’ll do this one thing for me, and he’s yours. And then you can damn well leave the pack. But if you ever cause any trouble for our kind, I’ll kill both of you.”
So furious she couldn’t think straight, she beat on her brother’s chest with her fists, cursing at him until he grabbed her wrists and slammed her against the wall. “I’m serious about this, Jade. Do what I say, and your son won’t meet his father’s fate.”
“What?” Tears filled her eyes, but she tried to get a grip on her emotions so he wouldn’t see her as weak. Kenneth had promised he would leave Stewart alone if she left the area before he even knew she was pregnant, and she never had anything more to do with him.
She felt sucker punched. “Why? You said…” It didn’t matter now. All that mattered was Toby’s safety. “Damn you, Kenneth.”
She kneed her brother in the crotch with one good shove as a final comment on how she felt about him taking her son hostage. Kenneth collapsed to his knees, swearing that he’d make her pay if she didn’t do what he said.
Maynard Myer—one of the men who worked in Kenneth’s body shop—interrupted them, red-faced. He was a redheaded bulldog of a man who had brazenly shown his contempt for her and Toby when he dropped by the house. She suspected Maynard didn’t want to intrude on this scene, but the news had to be serious enough for him to do so.
“What?” Kenneth growled at him, still on his knees on the floor and holding his crotch.
“Grayton wants his money now. You’ve got two weeks to pay up or…” Maynard glanced in Jade’s direction.
She didn’t know who Grayton was, although the name sounded like he might be a wolf. If he had loaned Kenneth money, and now her brother was in arrears…
“What are you involved in, Kenneth?” she asked. “Gambling? The horse races? I’ve got money—”
“Get out of here, Jade. You want to see your son in one piece, leave and do what I told you to do.”