feel bad that I thought about running, so thanks for that.”
“That wasn’t what I—”
“I’m kidding. You were right. I doubt I would have been able to leave.” Zach peered intently, his gaze boring into Deke. “So what’s your story? I know you weren’t with us when they brought us in.”
Lying wasn’t in Deke’s nature. He hated when it was done to him, and he never wanted to do it to someone else. Still, Quinn’s safety overrode everything else.
“They thought I was someone else. A… I guess you could call him a friend. He’s trying to stop Klein and the rest of them. They took me, thinking I was his brother-in-law, and they’re using me as a bargaining chip to keep him from looking for them.”
“And is your friend a cop?”
Well, Gareth was a law unto himself. “I think it’s safe to call him that.”
Zach tilted his head. “Y’know, I like to think I’m good at what I do. I listen without judging, but in the end I can usually tell when someone is being less than honest with me. Care to guess what I noticed about you?”
That steely gaze had Deke wanting to confess to having stolen that stick of gum when he was six. “I’m not being completely honest with you, I admit. I’m leaving things out, but I’m doing it to protect someone very close to me. I know that’s probably not good enough, but it’s the best I can give you. There’s too much at stake for me to say more.”
For a moment, Deke thought Zach wouldn’t be swayed, but in the end he gave a terse nod. “Good enough, for now anyway.” He winced. “So what are we supposed to be doing here?”
“Cooking. I hope you know how.”
Zach waggled his brows. “If I hadn’t become a cop, I would have opened a restaurant. Yes, I have mad kitchen skills and—do we have anything we could use to poison them?”
“I thought about it, but that went off the table, because I can’t guarantee they’re not going to feed it to the others first.”
“Oh, that makes sense. They really have us over a barrel, don’t they?”
“For now,” Deke replied. “The winds of fortune can change at any moment.”
Though Deke had to wonder, could he save not only himself but Zach and the others and still make it home to Quinn? And now he needed to figure out a way he could he do it without exposing what he was.
A SLOW, deep breath. It had been too long since Quinn had seen Deke, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was fraying at the edges. He snapped at every little thing, refused to eat, and when Lyram tried to talk to him, Quinn turned and stormed from the room.
“What’s wrong with me?” he whispered into the darkness.
It wasn’t as simple as missing Deke. Deep down, Quinn knew there was more than that. In truth, he felt like a limb had been taken from him, and he could feel the phantom pain. How important was a mate? His parents had never cared if one or the other was gone for an extended period, but for Quinn it was a burning in his gut that he didn’t understand.
He sighed and got up. No way would he be sleeping tonight. He padded into the living room, not surprised to find someone else awake. Of course it would be Lyram. Without saying anything, Quinn went to pour a cup of coffee, then took it over to the couch.
“Couldn’t sleep either?”
Quinn shook his head.
“Same. I just got off Skype with Dani. I needed to see Caleb, to ensure he was okay. I hate being away from him, you know?”
Oh Goddess. How dense could Quinn be? “Caleb’s your mate, isn’t he?”
Lyram sighed. “Yes. Don’t tell anyone, though. I realize Sean and Gareth know, but they’re the only ones.” He got up and went to get his own cup. “So believe me when I say I know how you feel about Deke not being here. I’m probably the only one who understands.”
And once again, Quinn felt like crap.
“No, don’t do that,” Lyram admonished as he retook his seat. “I’m not upset that you’re worried. I get it. My temper has been shredded more than once, but I’m an Alpha, so I don’t have the luxury of going off. Plus, who would I yell at? Sure as hell not Gareth, and if I so much as said boo to Sean, Gareth would have my