that also meant telling him that Joel was her predestined mate. He hadn’t taken that too well, growling, “We’ll discuss this after I’ve paid Dean’s Alpha a visit.”
It was later on, while she was gathered in Trey’s office with Dominic, his Alphas and Betas, Tao, and the other enforcers, that Vinnie called her. She placed him on speakerphone as he relayed the conversation he’d had with Dean’s Alpha, Jonah, who claimed he hadn’t seen Dean in days. Apparently, Dean also wasn’t answering anyone’s calls.
“Do you think Jonah bullshitted you to protect his pride mate?” Trey asked, his arms folded, his back against his desk.
“I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had, but no,” replied Vinnie. “I think Jonah was telling the truth. He agreed to call me if Dean returned, but very few Alphas would put an outsider before their own pride mate, no matter that person’s crime.”
“I wonder what made Dean cut contact with his pride.” Roni poked her inner cheek with her tongue. “I mean, that’s not something that anyone would do lightly. Especially if they had family there.”
“According to Jonah,” began Vinnie, “Dean hasn’t had trouble with any of his pride mates, so we can rule that possibility out.”
His arm draped over his mate’s shoulder, Dominic twisted his mouth. “Maybe Dean did it to protect them.”
Mila’s brow puckered. “From what?”
Dominic shrugged. “He could be worried we were close to discovering the truth. Maybe he thought that if he made it clear he was acting alone by cutting contact with his pride, they wouldn’t suffer any blowback. Especially if he heard from Adele that there were people working on cracking the website.”
“It’s possible,” allowed Taryn, sitting in the leather office chair. “Do you think Adele knows that Dean’s responsible for the hit, Mila?”
“My gut says no,” Mila replied.
“She told Dean that she suspects you’re Joel’s mate and that she finds it hard to see how attached he is to you,” Taryn reminded her. “If you were dead, she wouldn’t have to be hurt by it anymore.”
“I know,” said Mila, “but she’s just not the type of person who would wish anyone dead.”
“I agree,” Vinnie declared. “In fact, Adele’s more likely to be feeling guilty that she’s claimed her cousin’s predestined mate.”
“But not so guilty that she’s told Joel the truth or given him up,” Trey pointed out.
Mila shrugged. “She loves him.” Something that no longer pained her or her cat. “If I met someone who I suspected was Dominic’s true mate, I’m not sure I’d be selfless enough to share that suspicion with him. I certainly wouldn’t be willing to give him up.” If that made Mila a shitty person, so be it.
Dominic kissed her temple. “Just as I wouldn’t give you up, no matter what.”
“You should have told me about Joel, Mila,” Vinnie chastised. “I’m not just your Alpha, I’m your uncle.”
Mila sighed. “I didn’t tell anyone other than my parents and Alex. My mother constantly pushed me to tell Joel the truth so that he could decide for himself who he wanted. You would have done the same, because you love me and would have hated that I was hurting. Tell me I’m wrong.”
Vinnie gave a low, frustrated growl—no doubt annoyed that he couldn’t deny it. “It’s unfair of you to make that decision for Joel.”
“I didn’t. He made the choice when he claimed Adele, which he knew meant forsaking his predestined mate. And I’m okay with that now. Even my cat is no longer bitter about it. So if we can get back to the point at hand—which is that Dean Preston is Adele’s true mate and needs to be found—that would be great.”
Tao propped his hip against the wall. “My guess is that Dean’s either staying with a friend or at a motel. He’d stay close to Adele, right? He’d want to be close enough to watch over her.”
Jaime pursed her lips. “We could check out the motels local to her address. Does she live in your apartment building, Mila?”
“No. She and Joel live in a house that’s about a ten-minute drive away from the building.”
“You know,” began Dominic, doodling little circles on her shoulder with his fingertip, “it strikes me that we don’t actually need to search for Dean. Vinnie could talk to Adele, convince her to lure Dean to meet with her, and then we could make a grab for him.”
Jaime grimaced. “But if Charlene’s warned him that we know his identity, he’ll suspect it’s a trap. I know she promised she