“It’s not the time for fun. I need to find Trina. I’m supposed to protect her. I’m supposed to protect all of them.” Xeon ran his hands through his short hair. “I failed the pack.”
“How could you have failed them when you weren’t there?” Kyro sat up and rested his hands on his knees. “You can’t keep blaming yourself for her disappearance. We’ll get her back, along with the rest of them.”
“You’re right. It’s getting late. Get some rest. I want to get started early tomorrow.”
“You’re the boss.” Kyro stood and made his way around the table to the door.
As Kyro walked out, Xeon’s phone rang. It was too late for this to be a courtesy call. He looked at the number on his screen but didn’t recognize it. Kyro had stopped and stepped back inside when he answered the phone.
“Xeon here.” He expected it to be one of the Officers on the case.
“Is this Mr. Pearse, Alpha of the Lumberton Pack?” a quiet voice said on the other end.
“I am, and you are?” He looked up at Kyro headed back to the table.
“I’m Dr. Mara Maxwell.” Her voice hushed, just barely over a whisper. “I have information on your missing pack members. Can you meet me at seven in the morning at Mel’s Diner on Burlington Street?”
He jumped up, ready to bolt out the door the second she told him a location. “Of course I can meet you. Why can’t you talk now?”
“Because my battery...” Before she finished her sentence, the line went dead.
Xeon tried to call the number back. It went straight to voicemail. There were no hushed voices on the voicemail message. She had a strong and confident tone he could listen to all day.
“What was that about?” Kyro asked.
“A woman claimed to have information on our pack mates. She wants to meet in the morning.” He looked at the time on his phone. “Well, she wants to meet in a few hours.”
“That’s all she said? She wanted to meet. Not where they were or how she knew about them?” Kyro arched a brow.
“That’s all she said. The battery on her phone might have died.”
“I don’t know, Xeon. It could be a trap. I’ll ride with you,” Kyro told him.
“You should go with the crew in the morning. I think I can handle one female.”
“I’m sure you can, but you need to follow your own damn rules. I’m going with you.” Kyro sat back in his chair at the table. “In fact, it’s only a few hours away. I think I’ll stay up, so you don’t go sneaking off without me.”
“Fine, do what you want.” He opened his laptop and logged in. “I’m going to kill some time by doing a little research. Let’s see who Dr. Mara Maxwell really is.”
He went to his Google search and typed in her name. Kyro scooted his chair closer and leaned in to see the screen. Xeon clicked on a link, and a picture of a beautiful woman popped up on the screen.
“Daaamn!” Kyro whistled.
She was beautiful. “For once, you’re correct.” She was absolutely stunning. And his. “Wow.”
“Can I call dibs?” Kyro asked and nudged him on the arm.
“No. She’s mine.” He stared at Mara’s picture on the screen. “Mine.”
“That’s the perks of being an alpha.” Kyro sounded disheartened.
Xeon knew through their bond that a spark flicked for Kyro when Mara’s picture came up. The same spark had hit him. He saw an extraordinarily beautiful woman. Her ink-black hair hung down past her breasts and out of the view of the camera. He wondered if her hair would caress her ass when she walked. Her eyes were the color of emeralds and shined brightly in the camera’s light. She had full lips he would love to catch between his teeth. She looked to have pale ivory skin. Since she was a doctor, she probably didn’t get out in the sun much due to her long hours.
“I swear, she’s the most ravishing creature I have ever seen,” Kyro commented, staring at the screen.
“That she is,” Xeon agreed.
“I’m definitely coming with you now. No way am I letting you hog her all to yourself.” Kyro sat back in his chair.
“Like you have a chance, beefcake,” he picked at Kyro, researching more about Mara.
The information on the screen showed her to be thirty-eight years old. She’d worked at Gavin Memorial for seven years before transferring to their smaller facility, Garnett Medical Center, six months ago. From what he could tell, there didn’t appear to be a Mr. Maxwell in her life.
“I’m going for a shower to get this sweat off me. I’ll meet you back here at 6:30. Got it?” Xeon closed his laptop.
“You already need a cold shower. Got it.” Kyro said with a grin.
“Asshole. For your information, I don’t want just any beautiful woman. I want her.” Xeon scooped his laptop off the table and headed to his place. He was drawn to Mara, unlike any woman, ever, and that was just from looking at her picture. What would it be like when he saw her? Yes, a cold shower was needed.
They met according to plan. It wasn’t a long drive to the diner, but Xeon wanted to get there early to scope the place out. He doubted the doctor would double-cross him and set him up, but he still needed to be on the edge of caution.
It wasn’t even 7:00 a.m. yet, they had some time to observe the cars coming and going. He backed into the parking lot for a fast getaway if needed. Xeon got out of the SUV and looked at the rooftops of the nearby buildings for any possible threats.
“The lot’s clear,” Kyro said when he came around the SUV. “I only see one customer inside.”
“Is it her?”
“Only if you add a 100 pounds and change genders.” Kyro laughed, walking to the diner entrance.
“It’s still early. I don’t expect her for another five minutes or so.” Xeon glanced at the time on his phone then pushed it into his pocket.
Kyro opened the diner’s door. The waitress, who was busy behind the counter putting a pie into the display case, nodded to them.
“Have a seat anywhere, guys,” the older woman said, placing a glass lid over the dessert. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”
With a nod, they took a seat in the back, away from any unwanted company. When the waitress came around, they both ordered a coffee and waited. And waited. No one had shown up. At least not the person they wanted to show up. No black-haired beauty walked through the door.
“What a waste of time,” Kyro complained, finishing off another coffee.
“I think this may have been a rouse to get us away from the compound. We need to check in with everyone and make sure they’re all accounted for.” Xeon tossed money onto the table and got up.
His gut told him that something was wrong. He’d thought for sure Mara planned to meet him. What if someone heard her talking to him and stopped her? The phone call had ended abruptly, after all.
Chapter Three
Mara left work a few minutes early. She made the last round with her patients and hurried back to her office to get her things. The diner wasn’t too far from the hospital, and she could be there in fifteen minutes. The parking garage had a few lights out, but the sun was already rising so she wasn’t in total darkness.