MIKE POV "It's been two days. Shouldn't we have heard something," I ask and Mariah shakes her head. She kisses Trevor's cheek and hands him to Lewis before walking toward me. She grabs my arm and drags me to a corner. Irritation is rolling off of her in waves, but I don't care. This is about Carmen's safety. "I've told you. The first day or two you learn about your target. You trace their whereabouts. Garrett likes to plan things out completely before making a move. That's why his kills are clean. He stays off the map and he doesn't associate with anyone he deems unworthy. He will get the job done. If Nick has hired someone I am assuming it will be someone cheap. Someone that will have to search for a few weeks using the back channels. Carmen only having cash was a good thing. She had a prepaid phone and no social media accounts. I have searched for her using my ways just to check and I couldn't find a photo of her anywhere near Wyoming," Mariah says and I nod. "Fine, bu

STANLEY POV I smile as I watch Mike and Carmen send each other glances while Mike drives. The romance between them is blossoming and I think Mike is going about it the right way. He isn't rushing her and he is letting her control all contact. Anytime she gets excited or laughs she touches him and I can see how happy that makes him. She is completely comfort around us now. She is a part of our family. Mike pulls into the parking lot and I unclip my seatbelt. "It won't take long. I just need to speak with him and see his resume," I say, and Tabitha folds her arms. "And why can't I know what he is being hired for again," She says with one of her elegant eyebrows raised. I grin and kiss her cheek. "Sometimes a man needs to hire a random guy to do something nice for a special lady," I reply, and Carmen giggles as Tabitha gives me a fake pout. "Fine. And this guy isn't a shifter? Nothing fishy about him," Tabitha asks and I shake my head as I open my door. "Tiny human

TABITHA POV My shock is the only thing keeping me from crumbling at this point. I still can't believe that my mate is dead. Gone from this world before we even celebrated an anniversary.I keep waiting for our alarm to go off signaling all of this was just a horrible nightmare, but my child's heartbeat is drumming away, and everyone around me is going through different stages of grief. "Drink this," Sam whispers as she presses a glass into my hands. She wraps my fingers around it and guides the cup to my lips as she realizes I can't even focus on the simple task. Benji and Lewis eye me cautiously before doing a lap around the room again. "We will survive this," Mariah whispers as she watches Sam and me with a sad look. I want to scream at her, but instead, I work the water down my throat as if it is made of fiberglass. The tears I shed at the firm have long since dried on my face and my skin feels almost sticky. "I pray the guys find her before Nick can kill her," Sam

CARMEN POV Nick's heavy breathes are the only sounds in the room as he finishes whatever it is he is doing to the dead man. I still haven't opened my eyes, but I know my time is coming. Nick loses focus quickly when his target goes limp. "You think you are the first whore to hate me? You think I was born this way? I wanted love once. I was just like everyone else when I was born," Nick suddenly growls and my eyes snap open to find him staring down at his dead brother. I didn't even hear him cross the room. I don't reply to his questions or his statement. He doesn't really want me to. He just wants to talk. He likes prolonging things with speeches, but he seems different this time. Almost as if losing Nate truly hurt him. "Nathanial loved me... or maybe he always pitied me. It doesn't matter. He always tried to love me. Even when I hurt him... He defended me once... and fed me when I needed nourishment to be able to heal on several occasions...," he whispers before paus

CARMEN The car is silent as we drive down a windy back road. I'm not sure where shifter funerals are held, but it doesn't look like they are close to civilization. We have been driving North for hours now and I haven't seen a house in a very long time. Every few seconds Mike has glanced back at me and each time I force a small grin onto my sore face. I don't want him to know how much I hate myself right now. I want him to focus on his family and the loss they are experiencing. I force myself to focus on the pain in my face as punishment for being the reason why Stanley is no longer with us. The stitches are itchy and tight, but I know Hurst did his best. There is very little puckering along the stitches which is good. But I will still have a three-inch-long scar on my face no matter what. A good reminder of what happened the day we lost Stanley. "Boyd, make sure we park on the end," Mike says lowly and the shifter nods in the seat in front of me. Boyd hasn't said much, bu