"No, sir."
"According to her grandmother, you already broke my Mercy's heart."
Riley's stomach pitched, not at the words, but at the memory of how he'd hurt her. "She's not that fragile." He felt a sudden kinship with Judd. Riley and Drew had made his life hell after he first started seeing Brenna.
"No, she's fucking not." Bastien grinned as Sage and Grey entered the suspiciously otherwise-empty garage. Riley was now surrounded by Smith men. He didn't make any aggressive moves toward the two youngest, though they were pushing into his space. Pups, they were just pups. Bastien could be dangerous, but in this, Michael Smith was the one who truly mattered.
Now the older man stepped closer. "She ever beaten you in a fight?"
"Almost." And he knew full well that if she ever came after him with lethal intent, he might not end up the victor - predatory changeling females were inexorable hunters once they decided on blood.
"How'd that go down?"
Riley understood that was the most crucial question of all. He could've lied. He didn't. "Like sandpaper."
Michael blinked, as if surprised. "Then why are you with her?"
He held the other man's gaze, let his own fill with the raw fury of the wolf. "You know why. And you know I won't walk away."
Chapter 41
Two hours after Riley left, Mercy tracked down and talked to Teijan. The Rat alpha was visibly frustrated, his normally GQ-tidy hair wind-tousled, his black shirt wrinkled. "I know something's happening, but damn if they aren't good at hiding their tracks."
Mercy thought about that. "Humans have learned to be invisible. These guys take it to the extreme." And if the Human Alliance wanted to show muscle, display what it was capable of, it would send its best. Her cat suddenly sat up, seeing an answer to a riddle.
Leaving Teijan to reorganize and disperse his troops, she found a private spot and made a call to Lucas. "Have you considered the fact that maybe we should be using Bowen and his team?" They'd know all the tricks their ex-compatriots might use.
Lucas blew out a breath. "Yeah."
"Just 'yeah'?"
"I'm your alpha, Mercy," Lucas said, voice quiet. "I picked up the mating dance this morning."
She sucked in a breath. "You telling me you're already using Bowen and his team, but don't want Riley to know?"
"He's not rational on this. Neither, for that matter, is Dorian."
"But it's Riley you're worried about with me." Turning, she fought the urge to kick at a nearby wall. "I'm a sentinel, Lucas. My loyalty is to DarkRiver." Again, an alarm flared in her head. Again she didn't listen, too angry to understand what it was attempting to tell her.
"I'm not questioning that." Lucas's tone changed, became openly alpha. "But the mating dance screws with your emotions - I didn't want to put you in a tough spot."
"I don't spill things during pillow talk," she said, frustrated and hurt that he'd think so little of her. "I can keep Pack secrets."
"I know you can." This time, the panther was in his voice. "Shit. I'm sorry, Merce. It was never meant as a comment on your loyalty to Pack."
The cat was still bewildered by the blow that had come from nowhere, but she couldn't doubt her alpha. Lucas didn't lie to his sentinels, no matter if the truth was a bitter pill to swallow. "So?" she asked, releasing her fisted hand.
"We checked out Bowen and his team - everything we found backs their story. Right now, I've got them working on tracking down the new Alliance squad, but their major strength is in information. If we manage to unearth the name of the target . . ."
Mercy nodded. "Much easier to work backward. Who's running Bowen and his people?"
"I am. I'll let you know the instant they come up with anything - that was never a question."
Feelings soothed, if not totally mended, she nodded. "Alright. I'd better get back to work."
But she didn't immediately return to her patrol area after hanging up, feeling a strong urge to speak to her mother. Comfort, she thought. She was like a cub seeking comfort. She didn't care. Coding in the number for her childhood home, she waited until Lia answered. "Hey, Mom."
"What's the matter, darling?"