I catch Harrison’s eye and shake my head, trying to keep him from disclosing what I think he’s about to share. Why would they tell Declan about Meggie? It doesn’t make sense.
“What if I told you I could help you take down an entire operation, but you’d need to look the other way on one omega?”
A sick feeling swirls in my gut. I don’t know where he’s going with this, but I sense it’s going to be dangerous for more than one person I care about.
Declan scratches the short stubble on his chin and looks around the room, zeroing in on Meggie. Ellis steps into his line of sight, blocking my best friend. There’s no way Declan hasn’t figured it out yet. This is bad.
I touch his arm and silently beg him not to arrest my best friend.
He squeezes my hip. “If I don’t know anything for certain, I don’t have to act on it.”
“Good.” Harrison and Declan stare each other down. Harrison’s probably the strongest alpha I’ve ever met. His bark puts other alphas to shame, though he doesn’t use it often. He never backs down. But now, looking at the two of them, it feels like they might be equally matched.
“After our game,” Harrison says, “a man named Knox will be making a hand off of illegal suppressants.”
No.
“He’s not a bad guy,” I squeak out.
Everyone looks at me with quizzical expressions. I can’t handle the intensity of their attention and drop my eyes. To most of them, Knox and I are basically strangers who only know about each other because he supplies Meggie with her suppressants and scent blockers. But that’s not exactly the truth.
Not the whole truth.
“He works for a man named Glenn Planksy who is the real target,” McQuinn, one of my brother’s other pack mates, jumps in for the first time. He’s squeezing his rabbit’s foot so tight his knuckles are white.
Declan sits up straighter, his whole body stiffening. “Glenn Planksy?”
“You know him?” Nils asks. He’s always been the most observant of the pack.
“We’ve been trying to nail him for years.” Declan’s answer is straightforward, but something in his tone tells me there’s more to the story.
“Knox works for him,” Harrison says. “But it’s important that you let the deal go down before making a move. Can you do that?”
I hold my breath, waiting for Declan’s answer. “I need to see the deal go down before I can move in, anyway.”
“And the buyer?” Ellis asks. “You’ll give them time to get away?”
My breath catches, stomach swirling with nerves. I don’t know how I feel about this. Knox is involved in something he shouldn’t be, and maybe this is his way out. If Declan takes down his boss, maybe it’ll be an opportunity to do something different. Not that it matters to me. Knox and I haven’t had contact in years, and that’s not going to change, whether he’s selling drugs or not.
Declan lets out a loud breath and his shoulders drop ever so slightly. “I can give them a head start. But it would be wise for them to keep their identity hidden and move quickly.”
Harrison nods, standing as he extends a hand to Declan.
I don’t let out a full breath until the guys have exchanged numbers, we’ve said our goodbyes, and we’re back in the elevator on our way up to my room.
“You really have been keeping secrets from me, baby.” Declan crowds into my space. His warmth and scent are soothing after the tense exchange with my brother’s pack.
Neither of us confirms with words what he’s clearly figured out about my best friend.
Lifting up on my toes and wrapping my arms around him, I pull him down to my level and kiss him.
“Please don’t hurt either of them,” I whisper right against his lips.
He makes no promises. He just kisses me until I forget about Knox, Meggie, the Olympics, anything and everything else in the world but him.
6
KNOX
