Austin ambled toward me. “I see what you’re saying, Ivy.”
“Then give it serious consideration.” I felt so adamant about this that I wanted to burst. “You know the rules. If they take out the Packmaster, they can claim the land since they will have dismantled the pack. It’s you they want out of the equation. They can’t occupy the house as long as you’re still around to contest it.”
Lexi played with the zipper on her jacket. “But what if they burn it down?”
I struck the floorboard with the end of my cane to gather their attention. “Then we rebuild. That’s what a strong pack does. They can burn the house, but they can’t burn the land beneath it. Perhaps I’m young, but I’m not without experience. I’ve survived three attacks, and I come from a long line of wise leaders on my mother’s side and warriors on my father’s. Fox wouldn’t anticipate us moving into a populated area. He expects us to do exactly this. He was the second under my father, but not the wisest wolf in the pack. He disagreed with my father a number of times on strategy. Let’s be the one to draw him from the safety of the forest. There are rules in Breed establishments. But out here, there is no law.”
Austin’s icy blue eyes drifted down, deep in thought. “We can’t live in town,” he mumbled.
I laughed and couldn’t even bother with covering my mouth. “Lots of people live in town. There are Breed hotels, or we could even arrange something at one of the clubs to rent out their private rooms. I hear they have comfortable sofas. You have more than enough funds for us to survive for a long time, but I suspect Fox will grow impatient.”
He lifted his eyes to Reno. “Impatient men make mistakes.”
Reno peered out the window and scratched his jaw. “I got no problem with that. We have more than enough weapons for everyone. I can meet up with my contacts easier that way to get information on the boy. If the house burns, then fuck it. Ivy’s right—we still got land. We’ve also got the other house if we have to squeeze back in there for a little while.”
Wheeler laughed. “That’s a tight fit. I’d rather pitch a tent out here than share my room with one of you bastards.”
Austin rubbed his jaw and strolled to the center of the room. “Boys, let’s get our things together. Pack lightly; we can buy what we need. Wheeler, get the backup copies of some of my files and hide my personal laptop behind the wall. Let’s take Reno’s so he can use that for business.”
April rushed upstairs with Lynn.
I touched Reno’s arm. “Are you good with computers? Is there a way you can watch surveillance from an outside location? I know you have those small cameras hooked up around the property, but can you somehow feed it to—”
“I’m already on it,” Reno said with a chuckle. “If they stick around here, we can keep an eye on them. You come from a family of warriors, huh?”
I smiled proudly and threw my shoulders back. It was the respect in his eyes that sent goose bumps up my arms. “I do.” I touched his arm and squeezed it, quietly confirming that my family of warriors was all around me.
***
While we packed up the cars, Reno stood on top of the blue pickup truck with his rifle loaded and ready to shoot. He had on a bulletproof vest beneath his coat in case one of Fox’s men was armed. They probably weren’t, since most rogue Shifters believed their animal was more deadly than a weapon.
April got inside the driver’s seat of the blue truck and started up the engine. Lynn scooted to the middle, and Reno sat by the door so he could jump into action if needed. We needed a wolf to pick up scents in case someone was getting too close to the vehicles, so Austin made Ben shift and ride in the back of their truck.
My small bag contained a toothbrush, a dress, extra changes of underwear, and a few bands to tie up my hair.
Maizy was another story. Denver slung her pink princess backpack over his shoulders. Inside were several changes of clothes, and the one she carried was stuffed with all her favorite toys. That girl packed like she might never be coming home.
“That looks real sweet on you,” Wheeler said to Denver as we piled in his Camaro.
“Shut it.” Denver climbed into the back of the gunmetal-grey car with Maizy, and I sat next to Wheeler. Maizy had been quiet the entire time.