Austin leaned forward and let his alpha power saturate his voice. “Shift.”
Like liquid magic, the wolf transformed into human flesh. Ben was on his back naked, and Lexi whirled around and gaped at me. “No matter how many times that happens, I’m sorry, I can’t get used to it. Nudity is no big deal, they say. Well, maybe I just have a tiny problem when I have to see a man’s penis other than my mate’s in my living room!”
I chuckled and patted her shoulder. “Don’t feel bad. I think it’s mostly a wolf thing. Packs grow up in tight quarters, so they get used to all the shifting. I’m indifferent either way.”
“You work in a strip club; of course you don’t care about nudity.”
“Ladies…” Austin gave us a cold stare.
Ben got off the floor and folded his arms. “Can’t a wolf rest in peace?”
“Where’s Wheeler? And don’t dick around with me. He told me you called and he went to bring you home.” Austin stepped forward and looked at him steadily. “Careful what you conceal from me, Ben. I’m your Packmaster.”
Ben had paler skin coloring than Wheeler—almost pasty from staying indoors. Wheeler, on the other hand, had an attractive tan from spending time outside. So I couldn’t help but notice when the skin on Ben’s neck and chest turned blotchy red.
After a moment, Ben lowered his eyes. “Delgado.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. I was playing a game and the next thing I know, a scuffle broke out. When Wheeler showed up, Delgado came out of nowhere and they took him.”
Austin’s brow twitched. “Why him and not you?”
Ben shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Go upstairs and shift. I don’t have time for this bullshit.”
After Ben eagerly left, Lexi sat on the back of the sofa. “I don’t get it. Why would they take Wheeler?”
Austin looked as if he were reading text on the floor. “If you were running a cage fight, which of those two would you think was the toughest dog? He probably sent Ben back to make sure we got the message. Goddammit!” he shouted, his complexion turning ruddy.
Tiny goose pimples rose up on my arms.
Denver shuffled downstairs. “What the train wreck is going on down here?”
Lexi spoke without taking her eyes off Austin. “Delgado has Wheeler.”
Denver rubbed the small scar on his forehead and closed the distance between us. “So what are we going to do about it?”
Austin looked like he was trying to hold in an explosive reaction. “We’re not going to sit around and wait.”
“What about…” I gave him a look regarding Prince.
He turned his eyes toward mine. “The game just changed. We need to find every building, house, and park bench Delgado’s name is attached to. Delgado just fucked with the wrong pack.”
“But Reno’s out of town, and he’s the only one with connections to do that kind of work,” Lexi said. “I can call him, but he didn’t take his laptop.”
“Give him a call,” Austin said. “Tell him put lead on the gas. No one takes one of my packmates.”
Something flashed in my mind and I quickly raced out of the room, running full speed down the hall and toward the heat house. I grabbed my purse off the sink and dumped it upside down.
A small leather book flipped onto the floor, settling against my right foot.
“What are you doing?” Austin asked from the doorway, out of breath.
I bent down and held the book between my fingers. “Delgado’s personal address book.”
Chapter 20
Early that evening, Reno made it home from dropping Skye off in Colorado. Austin summoned the pack to the house. After Wheeler’s capture, he didn’t want to take any chances. He called Prince, who offered support in the form of an alibi if needed, but he couldn’t offer us any men from his pack since the conflict had turned personal. William gave his former Packmaster a call and asked Lorenzo for his support. While he and Austin had never been allies, they shared common ground as Ivy had once been a part of the Weston pack, and Lexi was Lorenzo’s cousin.
There weren’t enough chairs to seat everyone in the dining room, especially with Lorenzo present for the meeting, but Austin had chosen the quaint room to strategize. Izzy’s responsibility was to keep the children together, and Lynn had volunteered to secure all the windows and doors—doing regular checks. Denver went outside and moved the vehicles, turning them all toward the main road and spacing them apart so we could get out fast if needed. Jericho had shifted so his wolf could guard the property and alert the pack of any intruders.
William stood behind my chair and gripped the back.
“I can offer six of my men,” Lorenzo said. “Keep them along the road and property lines. I’ll assign one to sit by the main road and take note of expensive cars passing through.”