“Now that we know what Cal’s Diner is all about, let’s get back to Benjamin.” I prodded the conversation back in the right direction—otherwise, West would spend all night trying to figure out if Violet was in danger talking to them.
“Yes, uh, well, I called Cal’s Diner.” Violet jumped back in, giving me a grateful glance. “I asked them to help me find BenjiO’Connor, and they did. Apparently, he’s currently staying in room 217 at the Jubilee Harbourfront Hotel.”
Adrenaline coursed through me.
We had a location—we knew where he was.
And he wouldn’t be expecting us to have such a well-connected contact, so we might even be getting ahead of him, finally.
“Damn, they’re good.” More awe from Emilia. “I checked all O’Connor properties, but didn’t spot him on camera there.”
“It’s possible this is a trap,” Mercer said. “We don’t know if Cal’s Diner is affiliated with the O’Connors.”
“There’s no way,” Emilia said. “They don’t take sides on mafia issues. I’m surprised they even helped. They must like you, Violet.”
Violet flushed. “I’ve talked to them… a lot.”
“Emmy, you’re letting your fangirling get in the way of thinking it through. Whether they’re vocal about it or not, most organizations favour one mafia family over the others,” Lavinia said. “We have to be careful with information from them.”
“They said he’d been there a while, and seemed to be staying for the foreseeable future,” Violet said. “So we don’t have to rush. You can double check all the information yourselves.”
“We will be,” Lavinia said firmly.
“And when we’ve double-checked, what then?” I asked.
Conrad tightened his hold on my shoulder, reminding me he was there for me. West and Mercer floated a little closer, their scents wrapping around me in a blanket of comfort.
“We’ll get him,” Lav stated.
“There’s got to be more to the plan than that.”
“Yes, but you don’t need to know it. You’ll be staying on the property. Your pack and I can handle the part where Benjamin is captured.”
I chewed my bottom lip. He was my problem—my unwanted bondmate. I was weaker against him than anyone else was, but I didn’t like leaving his capture completely in other people’s hands.
How could I help, though?
I wasn’t built for sneaking around or kidnapping. The only thing I could do was be the distraction.
“Won’t it be easier to catch him if you draw him out?” I blurted. “And hey, if Benji O’Connor is supposed to be dead, wouldn’t Brooks O’Connor want to know that? I could go meet with him at the Jubilee. I don’t think Benjamin would be able to resist the opportunity to go after me if I’m right under his nose.”
“Absolutely not.”
“No way.”
“Not a good idea.”
West, Lavinia, and Mercer all spoke at the same time, completely shutting it down. I gave Emilia a pleading look. “It makes sense, doesn’t it? If he’s all holed up, it might be impossible to get to him.”
Emilia sighed. “I can look into where he is and see what the options are for extraction. Talia might be right, though. If he’s settled there, he’s bound to be well-equipped to ward off anyone coming for him.”
“We can catch him off guard a different way,” Mercer argued. “She shouldn’t be involved.”
“I was forced to be involved when he bit me,” I said. That shut up all complaints, an awkward hush dropping over the room. I continued. “There’s no escaping it until he’s dead. If Emilia finds a better way, fine. Until then, assume the plan is to use me to tempt him out of hiding.”
I knew I’d be fielding all their worries later, but I’d made up my mind.
This time, I was going to meet him again on my terms, with my family and alphas standing behind me.
