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Chapter 144
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A Time for Strength Chapter 145
“Tyree, have you finished the sweep of Randall’s suite?” Milo paces behind his desk.“Just about Beta.” Tyree’s voice comes through the speakerphone. “He took most of his stuff, but there were a few things left on the kitchenette counter. A folder with some paperwork, an envelope, like one of those ones you mail photos in. Ya know? Feels like there’s something inside. And a voice recorder.”“A voice recorder?” Milo asks, confused.“Yeah. I don’t want to open anything or push play in case it’s booby trapped.” Tyree replies. “Fool me once.”“Good call. Bring everything to my office.” Milo pushes his finger into the desk. “I’ll get a forensics team to take it off our hands.”“Yes, Beta.”“Don’t let anyone in that room until they get a deeper sweep.”“Yes, Beta. Marco will stand guard. I’ll be up in ten minutes.” Tyree confirms and hangs up.“Milo, what do you think he was up to?” I bounce Codi gently in my arms. It’s not because she needs it. I have too much nervous energy to hold still.
A Time for Strength Chapter 146
There’s a quiet knock on my office door. Instinctively, I look down at Codi. She’s still fast asleep. I set down the report explaining there were absolutely zero useful bits of information on Randall’s tape recorder other than rambling about a trip to Portland to see a warehouse or something.We still haven’t been able to determine the identities of the girls in the photos other than Evie. There was no rhyme or reason to the codes associated with each one. The unusual names don’t exist anywhere either. The team is still looking into it, but I’m not very hopeful. Randall sneaks under the radar on everything.“Come in.” I say in a hoarse whisper.Milo peeks his head in with a huge smile on his face. I put a finger to my lips and point to the travel bassinet next to my desk. He tiptoes in and silently closes the door behind him.“Hey Sugar.” Milo whispers. “Is this a bad time? Are you busy?”“I always have a minute for you, Milo.” I blush when he hands me a bouquet of wildflowers. “They’
A Time for Strength Chapter 147
“Alright, Big Guy.” I toss the plastic gun on the arcade game. “You win. I’ll never beat you at Duck Hunt. I’m out of cash to feed the machine anyway.”“I mean, you tried. I’ll give you some props, man.” Marco blows into the barrel of the plastic gun and looks at his watch. “It’s been two hours. That’s gotta be a good sign. Right? Musu woulda called me if Lenora chased her out.”“Yeah.” I pout my lip. “No mindlinks either. Down your beer. Let’s check on them.”Marco raises his pint glass and chugs the remaining beer. “Rita! Thanks, darlin’!” I hold up more than enough cash for our tab and toss it on the table. She gives me a thumbs up from across the restaurant. “Don’t be strangers!”“Ah man, that fresh air.” Marco takes a deep breath when we step outside. “Nothing beats summer in Montana except maybe spring in the Coven’s realm.”“Did you hear that?” Ghost gasps, suddenly at attention.“Huh? Hear what?” I shorten my stride and look around.“A warbler.”“Okay… and?”“They leave afte
A Time for Strength Chapter 148
Lenora’s POV“Delilah, if anyone asks, your family is from France. You went to culinary school there. That’s how you met James. Bronx gifted Kas private lessons. James was a security guard for Kas while she attended the school. You’re twenty-three-”“But, no, Carly Ann Miller, I am one hundred and-”“You. Are. Twenty-THREE. Delilah.” Ashley interrupts. “No arguing.”“You expect me to just LIE?!” Delilah holds her hands to her chest and looks mortified at the thought.“Yes.” Ashley, Carly, and I all say in unison.Delilah falls back in her seat, distraught.“It’s not that we want you to be dishonest, Delilah.” Ashley softens her tone. “It’s a matter of self preservation. For all of us. You included. Whatever technique you’ve used in the past to deflect attention won’t cut it anymore. You and Kas are going to be approached by paparazzi all the time now. They need to believe you’re human. We’ve given both of you believable, respectable human profiles. The fewer people trying to dig into
A Time for Strength Chapter 1
“Mi galleta [My cookie], I should get you home.” His deep voice is soft and smooth in my ear. It makes me smile every time. “If I’m gonna die, it’s gonna be on the frontline, not the front door to the packhouse.”There goes my smile.“Not funny, Marco. You’re not allowed to die on the frontline. None of you are. And I won’t let my dad kill you. You’ll have to find another stupid way to die.” I sigh, looking up at the stars from the bed of the truck.The flecks of light dance and sparkle defiantly in the sky, with no cares in the world. Don’t they know there’s a war going on? Little bastards. Maybe I could convince a couple of them to trade places with me and my boyfriend. Could they at least make room for us in the dark spaces between them?There’s a cool breeze tonight even though it’s June. I’m glad he had an extra blanket in the truck to wrap around us. I lean my back heavier against his chest and try to take a deep breath, but it comes out ragged.The hard lump in my throat tries
A Time for Strength Chapter 2
I don’t have time to react. One second he’s there, the next he's gone. I hear growling and snarling a few feet away. I have to do something, but I’m frozen with fear.What can I do? I don’t have a wolf to protect me. I need to run.Before I can roll over, someone else yanks me out of the truck bed by my arm. I hit the ground hard with a startled yelp.I’ve had enough junior warrior training to know if I can’t run, I need to defend myself until help arrives. I jump up as quickly as I can. As soon as my feet touch the ground, I throw a combo of punches, combined with a knee kick, into a monster’s bloody ribs.The thing expertly blocks every shot. It’s as if it already knew I’d come out swinging, but it doesn’t hit back. Why isn’t it hitting me back?“Leni, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Familiar eyes shine through the dripping blood with a snarl.The monster grabs my wrist before I can pull back from a hard strike to its neck, and twists my hand painfully, bringing me down to
A Time for Strength Chapter 3
“Dad!”“Don’t ‘Dad’ me. You reek of sex, Leni. I don’t smell blood, so I’m going to assume it isn’t your first time. Is there any chance you’re pregnant? Be honest.”“No.” I say with a defiant growl.“Sass me again and it may be the last thing you do, Lenora Jane Mason.”No one calls me by my real name. Everyone calls me Leni. Dad has only used my FULL name twice in my life before. Once when I was ten and I told Bronx I hated him and once when I skipped school to go to the mall with Ashley after she got her driver’s license. I shrink back and soften my tone. “Dad, I’m not pregnant. W-we’re careful.”“I need you to be one hundred percent certain, Lenora.” He says with anger and disappointment mixed in his voice.I’m not sure what kind of answer he’s looking for more than a simple ‘no’. How detailed am I supposed to get? The more I say, the more likely he’s going to shift and go murder Marco before Bronx gets him to the packhouse. “A hundred percent certain? We use protection every ti
A Time for Strength Chapter 4
“Leni? It’s Ashley. Can I come in?” The soft knock on my bedroom door is unwelcome. Ashley isn’t the one I’m angry at, though. I roll over, staring at the door. Should I answer her? I guess I should. She knows I’m in here. “Come on, nerd. I brought you luu-unnnch… it’s a ham sandwich with diii-jjjoooon… on a crois-aaannnt.” Her voice gets higher pitched with a sing-song tone. “Carly snagged some jalapeno kettle chips, tooooo!” I can’t help but smile. Ashley loves making people happy. Of course, she would bring my favorite food. The fact that she got our friend Carly involved makes it that much more her style. “Come in, Ash.” I sit up and rub my eyes. They still feel puffy. My nose is completely stuffed and my throat is raw. Mom didn’t say a word to me when Dad dragged me into the apartment. She just stood by my bedroom with her arms crossed, glaring at me until I closed the door. She and Dad had a hushed conversation about what happened, and he left again. I didn’t really sleep a
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