Jaded Hearts
Chapter 70

Tyson

“Why didn’t you two call us sooner, like before we were on the f*****g plane?” Matt screamed through the speaker.

“Chill out, man! You guys are set to come home Sunday afternoon. The full moon isn’t until Sunday night. What difference does it make when we told you?”

“What difference? Someone left a note for my fiancé, and it was written in b***d. Would you be okay with some s**t like that being left for Morgan?”

“Ugh, I swear he wasn’t always so f*****g sensitive,” Kade whispered to me.

“I heard that, you d**k!”

“Kade, what can you tell from the letter? Anything?” Xander asked.

“Not much at all. I searched the address, and it is in Oregon, just like Witt said. I’ve sent a link to the map to all your phones,” Kade replied.

“Tyson, still run the trace. It’s possible that the letter is some sort of joke left behind to f**k with us. If you come up with the same location, or even something close to it, then we’ll know that we’re on the right track.”

“I can do that,” I responded.

“We’ve got a friend in the inside, Xan. I don’t know who this ‘concerned citizen’ is, but he’s handing us Drew on a f*****g platter,” Kade said.

“Maybe, but I still don’t trust him. We don’t know what his intentions are, so until we do, he’s on the hit list as well and no friend of ours.”

“Understood. Matt, I know you’re pacing the floor right now. Sit down and chill; Tyson and I have got this. You have my word that nothing will happen to your family,” Kade said in a much gentler tone than I was used to from him.

I heard Matt grumble about whipping Kade’s a*s when he got back, which made me chuckle. I’d never met anyone calmer and more level-headed than him, but when his family was involved, he became a totally different man.

“You know what, Kade? I know this was your idea, so you can k**s my a*s. Tyson, keep my girls safe until I get back. I know you won’t let me down.”

“I’ve got you, man. Don’t worry.”

Kade rolled his eyes and leaned his seat back. Clearly, these two went at it like this all the time. It was obvious there wasn’t any animosity, though. They were just like brothers.

“We’re about to land, so we’ve got to hang up the call. Let us know the second anything happens. I’m dead serious, Kade. We need the entire team in on this one,” Xander said.

“Yes, Alpha,” he sarcastically replied.

“I’m kicking your a*s for that when I get home. Bye.”

I switched off the call and pulled up the satellite images of the address from the letter. We would need to have plenty of cover when we went out there, and I never did a job without knowing as much as I could about the location.

“This is in the middle of nowhere: no tree coverage, no high ground, nothing. We could be walking right into an ambush, and we’d have no way to protect ourselves,” I thought out loud.

“We could scout it out from the treeline here,” Kade said, pointing to the image.

“It’s the best we’ve got, so that’s what we’ll have to do. But it’s so f*****g far from the house. It’ll be tough to get a clear line of sight and an accurate count on who’s inside.”

We spent the next twenty or so minutes looking for other options before I called it quits.

“I’m gonna head to the house to run the trace. We could be looking at some old retiree’s country house for all we know. I’ll pull the property info and run a background check on the owner. Hopefully, something will point us in the right direction.”

“Damn. You really were the best in the business, weren’t you? I thought that was just some bullshit hype to justify your insane prices,” Kade said with a smirk.

“Hades cost what he did because he didn’t make mistakes. He went into every situation with a plan A, B, C, and D, without fail. You can’t succeed unless you have all the facts; my work was worth every single dime.”

“I’m glad you’re on our side now. You go do your thing, and I’ll try to smooth things out with the ladies,” he replied.

I looked at him and laughed. “Unless you’re about to tell them everything, you’re just going to get your a*s handed to you. Better you than me, though. I’ll see you later.”

I was focused on my phone as I walked into my back door, so I didn’t even notice the tingles and chills until I heard her voice. Taylor was sitting on the couch, waiting for me with a determined look in her eye.

“Hey, Tyson. We’re at a point in our relationship where we can tell each other anything, right? How about you come and take a seat beside me? Let’s chat.”

She smiled up at me through her lashes and patted the couch cushion.

I didn’t know who she thought she was dealing with, but I was far from an amateur. I’d play along. For now.

* * *

Taylor

“If the Luna card doesn’t work, then we’re going to have to use our other ‘assets’ to get them to talk,” Morgan said with a smirk.

“I don’t even want to know what you’re talking about, do I?”

“Sure, you do. I’m sure I can get Kade to crack and tell me what’s up, but I don’t think I should. He’s in a tough spot, and I don’t want to push him right now. It’s not fair to him for me to use s*x to try and make him tell me something like this. But Tyson’s a different story.”

“So, you’re suggesting I go sleep with your cousin for information? Matt hasn’t even been gone a full two hours, Morgan.”

“No, I didn’t say to sleep with him. He tells you everything; he can’t help it. So, go be sweet and replace out what’s going on. If he tells you, it’s not like he’s betraying the pack or anything. He’s our only hope if we want answers.”

I could see where she was coming from. Kade was acting Alpha, and Alphas have to make tough choices. He was doing what he felt was right, so we had to respect it. He outranked us all anyway. So, Tyson was up.

“Fine. I’ll go talk to him, but I doubt we’ll get anywhere.”

“It’s either that or call the guys. I don’t want to bother them when they just left, but I know they know what’s going on too. f*****g assholes!”

I had to laugh. Alaia was fired up, and it was something to see. She was like a wolverine, small but deadly.

“Let them have a little time without us harassing them. They deserve it. I’ll go see Tyson, and I’ll let you guys know what I replace out.”

I looked over and saw Genesis sleeping on her usual cozy spot on the floor, but what surprised me was seeing both Xayden and Alex asleep with her, one on each side.

“That’s adorable. I might not feel the same way in sixteen years, but today? That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Hopefully, when it’s their time to run the pack, they won’t have to deal with all the nonsense we do. This is too much sometimes,” Alaia said.

“They’ll have their own problems, and they’ll handle them just like we will handle ours. I’ve got to go. I want to beat him home if I can,” I said as I rushed out the door.

Fifteen minutes later, Tyson was walking in the house, and it was showtime.

* * *

“How long have you been waiting, sunshine? I’ve got a bit of work to do, so I can’t chat for long.”

“Not too long. What kind of work are you doing? Bodyguard stuff?”

“No.”

That was it. He didn’t elaborate at all. Let’s try again. “Can I help you? I’m a pretty good assistant; Matt can testify to that.”

“No.”

Damnit! He wasn’t cooperating at all.

“Fine, then why don’t I just hang out in your office with you? You’re supposed to be watching over me this weekend, so that means I get to be your shadow and bug the hell out of you, right?”

“Wrong again. I see what you’re doing, and you really need some practice.”

“f**k it! You know what’s happening. All of you d***s know, but you’re not telling us. That’s bullshit, and it’s not fair.”

“You’re right, I do know. And no, it’s not fair.”

That took the wind out of my sails. I wasn’t expecting him to agree with me. “So, you’ll tell me?”

“No, I won’t. I promised Matt to keep you safe while he’s gone. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. I’m going to do that, and if it means keeping this from you, then that’s what I’m going to do. I’m sorry it upsets you, but I’m not sorry that I’m doing it.”

“I really hate all of you right now. How can you protect someone if they don’t even know what they are being protected from?” I asked.

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see. And I hope you don’t hate me for too long. My heart couldn’t take it.” He dramatically slapped his hand on his chest and fell back on the couch, making me laugh.

“There’s that smile. Come on, let me take you back to the house so I can get to work. I gave Xander a time window to get all this done, and I want to stick to it.”

“Using your Hades skills, huh? You’re good for more than just eye candy, I see. I’m glad you decided to stick around.”

“I think there was a compliment buried deep in all the objectification, but I’ll take it. I’m glad I stuck around too.”

I smiled to myself. He’d just showed his hand and didn’t even know it. I knew how to play the game too. When we were a few yards from the back door, we parted ways. As he walked away, I yelled back to him.

“I hope you replace what you’re looking for, even if you did turn down my help.”

“I’ll replace the prick. Don’t you worry.”

Gotcha.

I ran into the house and up to the playroom. “They’re looking for Drew! Tyson said he’s using his expertise from when he was Hades to locate him. I’m sure the letter gave them some clue to kick all this off,” I said, breathless.

“Holy s**t! He told you? Did you have to show him your nips or something?”

I gave Morgan a flat stare as I replied, “I don’t know how I put up with you. No, he didn’t tell me; I found out. He thought he was reading me, but I was reading him the entire time.”

“Good job Taylor. Ladies – 1, Dickhead Men – 0.”