I felt nervous as the gates opened. I was allowing the Keepers into our property but we still had no way to know if Harrison had fixed the situation. I had to trust that he had.
Crystal watched anxiously beside me. Her life hung in the balance and, because of that, so did mine. I had meant every word when I told her that I would follow her in life and death.
The two black SUVs drove up the driveway and pulled in front of Crystal and me. One I recognized as the one that Bay had driven and left at the Keepers property. The sound of movement behind made me glance over my shoulder to see Cade, Blake, Keri and Scarlett join us. I didn't like the idea of having Scarlett anywhere near the Keepers but I knew it was a waste of time to try and dissuade her.
The door to Bay's SUV opened and Harrison got out. He smiled at Crystal.
"It's good to see you again," he said, and his features softened when she returned his smile.
"You too."
Flynn got out of the driver's side of the other car and walked around to stand beside Harrison. I had to fight the urge to reach out for Crystal and pull her to me to protect her.
Flynn met my gaze. He refused to look away. Trying to read him felt like trying to see images on a blank canvas; there was nothing. While I felt I could trust Harrison, Flynn was another story. Perhaps it was because the memory of him beating my best friend was still fresh in my mind. And there was that nagging feeling that if Bay hadn't shown up when she had, he would have slaughtered us all.
"Is there somewhere we can talk?" Harrison asked as he handed me the keys to Bay's car.
I nodded as I pocketed the keys. "Follow me."
I showed Harrison to my study. Cade and Blake kept a close eye on Flynn as he followed behind us.
We walked into the room and I offered Harrison a seat. Crystal sat down beside him. The alpha in me didn't want to sit down when Flynn refused a seat and remained standing beside Harrison. I stood beside Crystal as the others filed into the room. Cade and Blake also stood protectively by their mates.
"We have managed to cover up what happened," Harrison said.
"How?" Cade asked, looking dubious. The expression on Scarlett's face mirrored his.
"We set up a believable scenario to explain the deaths of Travis and the Keepers," he explained, not going into enough depth for me to understand.
"How?" I asked.
Harrison glanced at Flynn and they shared a look.
"You need to trust us," Harrison said.
"Why?" Scarlett asked. "Trust is earned, not just demanded."
She had a point. But he had helped Crystal escape and he did help us take out the Keepers who'd been ready to kill us.
"If it wasn't for him, the Keepers would have killed me and Dean," Crystal explained.
"But only this morning this guy was a prisoner," Cade reminded us as he pinned Flynn with a distrustful look.
"I understand your concerns," Harrison said, rubbing his chin, "but in order to move forward we need to form an alliance."
Cade crossed his arms and frowned. His body language spoke volumes. Blake seemed undecided, and it was difficult to read Keri. Scarlett looked at them with distrust.
"I understand that you don't know me but I'm Crystal's father." He looked at her like a parent would look at a child, with the type of love that was unconditional. "I've done everything I could to keep my daughter safe and that will continue to be my main goal."
"And what about him?" Cade looked at Flynn.
Again, he was right. If Bay hadn't shown up, would we still be here? My gut told me no. He believed the Order and, to him, killing us had been justified.
"He is on our side." Flynn remained silent.
"How do we know that he won't betray us?" I asked, looking at him with the distrust I felt.
"He killed one of our kind. In the eyes of the Order it makes him no better than a rogue who has murdered a human."
