Despite her calm while with Athena, Garnet’s heart was racing, her skin tight and her wolf’s body at quivering attention. She forced herself to keep her silence until she and Kenji had left the apartment. “Did you hear?”
“Eloise.”
“Exactly.” She stopped in the corridor, hands on her hips. “Before we talk to her, I want to find out if she was connected to Russ in any way.” The idea of the girl as a criminal mastermind didn’t fit with what Garnet knew about her, but everyone had secrets.
“Want me to do the same for this Mitchell guy?” asked the green-eyed man in front of her, a man who was very good at keeping secrets of his own.
“No,” she said after a moment’s thought. “Rev will have better luck since he’s based in this den.” Mentally reviewing the schedule for senior members of the den, she found a gap. “Can you do a security shift, cover for me?”
It was raining outside, the environment no picnic, but Kenji didn’t even hesitate. “Consider it done. Who do I get the route from?”
Garnet told him, then asked, “You have business at your own den you have to look in on?” His responsibilities were as heavy as her own and as critical to the health of the pack.
“Emi and I have messaged.” He held up his phone. “She’s got everything at the den under control and I made sure the international stuff would keep for a couple of days at least.” Sliding away his phone, he said, “I’d better go grab the route.” A pause, his expression intent and his focus so absolute that she felt as if she was the center of his universe. “You’ll figure this out, don’t ever doubt that.”
Breath tight in her lungs, Garnet watched him walk away, his stride long and his body gorgeously powerful under the simulated late-afternoon sunlight of the corridor. He was being her Kenji again, no dominance games, no making things hard for her, and definitely no chasing after women.
And the fact that those jeans hugged his butt oh-so-nicely . . . Well, she had a pulse. She noticed. Especially when it was Kenji. She’d tried damn hard not to notice for a lot of years, but trying not to notice Kenji Tanaka was like trying not to notice a golden-maned lion sitting smack bang in the middle of your bed.
It was impossible.
Connecting with Revel on the phone once Kenji was out of sight, she went to meet the man she should’ve been thinking about. As Revel walked toward her, tall, dark, and sensually beautiful, Kenji’s words rang in her mind.
Yeah, but there are times for the hierarchy, and there are times to haul your lover close and kiss the life out of her.
Garnet knew that despite his more sophisticated exterior, Revel was no more civilized than Kenji. If he’d decided on her, he’d have acted all growly and possessive, regardless of her anger or the rules of the hierarchy. Wolf males couldn’t always help themselves with their courtship behavior. Neither could wolf females.
If Revel hadn’t been acting as he should, then neither had she.
Garnet blew out a breath; in truth, she’d known hours ago that she had to break things off with Revel. It was the only right course of action until she’d got to the heart of this thing between her and Kenji; an attraction that she’d finally accepted had simply gone into hibernation seven years ago. It was awake now, and awake with a vengeance.
She thought of how he’d shuddered when she’d scraped her claws over his throat, how he hadn’t slapped away her hand or done anything else aggressive—both perfectly acceptable responses from a dominant touched unexpectedly in a highly vulnerable spot—and felt her blood heat. Kenji had no more gotten over her than she’d gotten over him.
So they’d figure this out. One way or another.
“Lorenzo?” she asked once Revel was close enough.
A shake of his head. “He hasn’t got to Russ yet—had a couple of small injuries come in. Juveniles getting a little too enthusiastic with indoor soccer.”
Garnet made a mental note to look in on the kids later. “Let’s hope the weather clears soon.” Wolves, young or old, didn’t do well cooped up. “I need you to follow up on something Athena told me.” She recapped the information on Mitchell’s possible access to the knives. “Connections, motives, anything relevant.”
Nodding, he glanced at the heavy black watch he wore, similar to the one Kenji favored. “I’m meant to be taking