Belong?
I don’t belong anywhere,she said finally.
Everyone belongs somewhere,Larissa approached.Sometimes it just takes time to find the right place.
Before Nadine could decide how to answer the coalphas, they had moved on, talking to other pack members.
The next hour passed in unfamiliar sensations.Sharing meals with people who didn’t expect her to prove her worth with every interaction.Watching Conall interact with pack members who’d known him since childhood.
It made her chest tighten.
You’re thinking too hard,Conall observed eventually.They’re not what Gregory told you to expect, are they?
She glanced around again, noting details that didn’t fit Gregory’s narrative.Children playing freely.Adults in friendly debate.Genuine laughter.
Maybe Gregory didn’t know them as well as he thought he did,Conall added quietly.
And I definitely didn’t know him…Her voice trailed off, and she cocked her head to one side.
Oh, now you’re definitely thinking too hard.Conall leaned in closer.What is it?
We should go,she said suddenly.I need to check something.
Now?Before the mate ceremony?What could be that important?
Gregory’s financial records.I never checked them.But there could be information about where to find more details.Records of… I don’t know.Safe deposit boxes.Storage units.Something like that.
Conall gave a short nod.
Okay.Let’s go.
Back in front of her computer in the converted newspaper office, Nadine pulled up the files of Gregory’s financial records, studying them intently.
Dammit, I was right,she said, pointing to a series of monthly charges.Self-storage facility in Roswell.Started eight months before Gregory’s death.
Unit 127.You never checked it?
I didn’t know it existed.
Well, now that we do know,Conall said,we should go check it out.
CHAPTER 18
TONIGHT?NADINE ASKED.
Conall considered the possibility, but it was far too late.We can wait until tomorrow.
We should go now,Nadine said, her voice tight with urgency.Before whoever was at the site today realizes we found it.
Conall caught her wrist gently as she reached for her jacket.It’s too late.
The contact sent heat jolting through him, and she inhaled sharply, but Conall fought to ignore it.
The storage facility closed at six,he continued.We’d have to break in, and that means potential witnesses, security cameras, complications we don’t need.
Every hour we wait gives them more time to clean it out,she argued, but he knew she was wavering, weighing the same risks he was.
Every hour we wait also gives us more time to plan.He kept his voice calm, professional.We go in tomorrow morning, first thing.Legal access, no questions, no complications.
