“How many of those guys are in Lincoln’s pocket, though?” I asked, scowling up at him in disgust. “JC said Lincoln has been building a group of people who are on his side.”
Nate nodded, running a hand down my back. “Yeah, but it’s like JC said.He’sthe alpha of the pack. All beneath him swear allegiance. If any of those guys openly turned against him, the blowback would be fierce. They’d probably be forced out of the pack. Whatever alliances Lincoln has made, my guess is those folks have no idea of the extent of Lincoln and Rick’s madness. If we present the evidence we have, it’ll open their eyes, and they’ll leave him high and dry. That’s my hope, anyway, and if I had to guess, it’s JC’s, Alec’s, and Ollie’s hope as well.”
I nodded. “That makes sense.”
“Have you planned what you’re going to say yet?”
I’d been planning a professional, journalistic approach. All that research my colleagues had done and everything I’d discovered for myself would be presented as if I was some high-priced lawyer arguing for my client’s interest. After the day we’d had—andwith the new evidence we had, Rick being in custody, and my recordings—that approach seemed more robotic, less personal. I needed to appeal to their hearts.
“I’ve got some ideas,” I finally said.
“Do you want to practice? I could pretend to be the council, if you want,” Nate offered.
“No, it’s fine,” I said through a yawn. “I’d rather take a nap.”
“That sounds like the best idea ever.” Nate pulled the blankets up to cover us.
As I slowly drifted off to sleep, I told myself everything would be okay, one way or another. If the hearing went in our favor, we could put all this behind us and move on with our lives. If it went against us, I’d leave with Nate. He was the man I loved, and nothing would keep us apart.
Nothing.
57
Cameron
Nate’s phone rang, dragging us both out of our slumber. Reaching over with a groggy moan, Nate grabbed the phone and answered.
“Hello?”
Whatever was said on the other end was enough to get Nate’s attention. He scooted out from under me and sat up.
“You’re sure?” he asked, nudging me gently. “That’s the time?”
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I lifted myself up on my elbows.
“All right. We’ll be ready,” Nate said, then tossed his phone on the bed.
“Was that JC?” I asked.
Nate shook his head. “It was Alec. JC’s still busy greeting all the elders who’ve arrived for the hearing. The hearing’s at six o’clock tonight. Downtown at the Headrick’s building. Do you know where that is?” he asked. “If not, I can search the address online.”
“I do,” I said. “It’s a random office building on the outskirts of the business district. I can get us there, if you want.”
“No, JC’s sending a car for us,” Nate said, then glanced at his phone again, blinking in surprise. “Crap, we need to get ready. The pickup is scheduled in one hour.”
As I dressed and dragged a brush through my hair, my thoughts became chaotic. All I could think about was messing up when my time came. What if I stuttered, or mixed up my words? Christ, what if I froze up under the glare of all those alphas?
Nate must have noticed my unease because he put his hand on my lower back. “It’s going to be all right. You know that, right? No matter what happens.”
“I know,” I said, dropping my brush onto the table beside the bed. “My nerves are getting to me. That’s all.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, eyeing me, that penetrating gaze of his peeling back the layers of my soul.
I nodded and tried to fill my voice with as much confidence as I could muster. “Yeah. I’m good.”
Our moment alone ended when the front door banged open. “Cameron?”
“Shit,” I hissed. “Gael’s home.”
