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I tossed and turned all night, trying to make sense of Dad’s sudden change of heart. He hadn’t given me much of a reason except that some things weren’t worth fighting over.
I slammed a pillow over my face and growled. All I’d wanted was for my parents to bless my match with Liza. And now that they had, I wanted to know why they’d questioned it in the first place and what led my father to rescind his refusal.
Of course, I wanted to go on my date with Liza and get to know her. Every time I allowed myself to think about her, the rest of the world went blank. But I also wanted to know what my parents knew about her. Once that thought was in my mind, I couldn’t dispel or ignore it.
I didn’t know her well enough to know whether she would be honest with me if I asked, and asking her about her past might scare her off.
Since I’d already fucked up twice, I didn’t want to risk her walking away from me because I got too personal too fast. Maybe whatever was in her past that had my parents’ backs up was painful—she might not want to talk about it. All the unanswered questions made my palms itch and my back sweat. My curiosity was beyond piqued.
Whatever information my parents were keeping from me wouldn’t be easy to find. Luckily, I knew a guy who could find anything for the right price.
I hated to do it, knowing that I could potentially learn things about Liza that she might have preferred me not to know, but something was seriously wrong between my parents, and if they had some prior connection to Liza, I needed to know what it was.
I sat up in bed and switched on my bedside lamp. Unplugging my phone from the charger, I pulled up the number of a guy I’d used before for such a check. He was a hacker. Not just any hacker, but the best I’d ever seen.
“Hello?” He sounded wide awake, which didn’t surprise me. The guy never seemed to sleep, and he did his best work under the cover of the night.
“Hey, Zephyr. It’s Ty Keller. I have a job for you. One I need to keep on the DL.” All the jobs he did for me were on the DL, but it needed to be said for clarity’s sake. “Hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Hey, man.” He sighed into the phone. “No, you’re not disturbing me. You’re giving me a welcome break from an investigation I’m working on. I haven’t heard from you in ages. How’ve you been?”
“Good, good.” I paused, still not sure whether I was making the right choice. “Like I said, I have a job for you, if you’re up for it. Name your price and I’ll send over the details.”
“Name my price?” Zephyr laughed. I didn’t make offers like that on a regular basis, but this was priority one. “Sounds pretty important. Your family in trouble?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I’d like you to look into a girl.” I cleared my throat. “Her name’s Liza Mims.”
Zephyr was quiet, and I assumed he was taking notes. “Who is she?”
Word was out. No reason not to tell him. “Apparently, she’s my fated mate.”
Zephyr hooted. “I’ll be damned. Are you serious? Fate finally took pity on you and matched you up. Nice.”
“Don’t sound so shocked.” Although, I couldn’t really blame him. Everyone had the same reaction. “It was bound to happen at some point.” I ran a hand through my hair. “Listen, I don’t know much except that she was adopted into the pack. I need to know where she came from.” And like I needed to explain, I continued. “She looks… different from everyone else. Pale skin and bright, blonde hair. My parents aren’t exactly happy about the match. I think they know something but refuse to tell me.”
Zephyr blew out a low, long whistle. “And that’s where I come in.”
“Exactly. You want to give me a ballpark on the cost?” I’d told him to name his price, but he would be fair. He always was.
He sighed. “Let me finish this job tonight. I’ll send you a quote in the morning.”
“I need this process expedited.” The desperation in my tone mirrored the desperation inside me. “I have to know what I’m dealing with here, and I need to know ASAP.”
“Sure, man. No problem.”
I’d known Zephyr since college. Everyone used him because he was a whiz with computers, but after graduation, he took it to the next level. The families with money knew he was the guy to hire if you needed a private investigator.
Not only did he have the skills to dig up even the deepest buried details about anyone, he also had the professionalism and discretion necessary for situations like this.
After we ended our call, I forced myself to fall asleep. I didn’t want to look like hell for my date with Liza.
By the time the next evening rolled around, I’d already changed shirts twice from sweating so much. No girl had ever made me this nervous, but I was terrified I’d screw something up or say the wrong thing to Liza.
Yes, I was nervous, but I was also excited at the possibility of us getting to know one another better. It was a step in the right direction.
Ramon had prepared so much food that I had three full coolers to carry from the car to the gazebo. I laid out a huge blanket made of the softest cashmere. I set a bucket of champagne on ice on top of the blanket, then pulled out the food, napkins, and silverware. I lined the perimeter with several candles. When it was all put together, I stepped back to observe my handiwork. Not too damn bad for a forty-year-old bachelor. Hopefully, it didn’t look like I did this too often or like it was my go-to for first dates, because it wasn’t.
The gazebo was nestled in a lush, green garden in the center of town. Potted plants and trees surrounded it, providing a natural barrier from prying eyes. The evening sky was a kaleidoscope of golds and reds, purples and blues. The night would be clear and starlit. A cool breeze floated through the open sides of the gazebo.
